I often find Gothic Metal to be an odd subgenre of metal in a number of ways. It is often seen as having come from Doom and Death Metal and fusing it with more traditional heavy metal and gothic rock. When it comes to it often can have two very distinctive branches to it, a more metal (a la black metal often times) tone to it laden with atmosphere, and then the more goth rock oriented side of it. Admittedly the latter branch can often be seen as a bit pop-ish to varying degrees, something that is easily seen as a cardinal sin of metal. Regardless of your views on pop and metal and the more rock oriented side of gothic metal, today I present such a gothic metal band in the form of SHARZALL and their very first full length release "Black Sun." Hailing from Slovakia and blending what they list as Goth Metal, Dark Rock, and post punk, without further ado let us dive right in.

In true metal fashion the album opens with a fairly atmospheric prologue track, it is a simple yet elegant piece that sounds like it would be the opening to some 80s vampire movie or video game. Admittedly it is a lengthy and drawn out opening that spans nearly 2 minutes, with some passages repeating perhaps one too many times at periods. However, the album actually opens with the track "Hell Quit", and very quickly one can tell that there is an abundance of a rock sound with some Gothic influences. Admittedly the sound that is created sounds as if it would be more at home in the 80s, with there being a good chance that many bands who influenced SHARZALL peaked in the 80s. "Piker Man" continues this trend in every way imaginable from the riffs, general tempo, and overall beat. They are not bad per se as each member plays their part very well, but nothing is ground breaking and every song thus far felt like a well-trodden path. "Crisis" was a very pleasant surprise in the change it presented. It was a far more atmospheric sound overall and a radically new sound and tempo to every song prior. Admittedly I am not fond of the vocals, seeming unnatural and forced.

Throughout words would at times be spoken as if one is trying to force something from their throat, like light yelling instead of screaming or growling or anything along those lines. However the song does not vary much and very quickly and abruptly ends, which is a rather sad end to the song that started off interesting and unique to everything prior. "Ways to Die" continues this, having a sound radically different and focusing on a more atmospheric angle with gritty undertones in the verses, but then abruptly the chorus comes and it becomes again an upbeat rock song one would expect of an 80s power ballad with some jazz elements mixed in. As before, it abruptly fades out with little to no indication it is about to do so. Regrettably many songs from here on out continue a trend of being somewhat modernized 80s songs that all feel like well-trodden ground. I would like to say there are songs that are notable exceptions, but at best I can give examples of parts of songs that are notable exceptions (like the throwback to the prologue in "Death March")

Ultimately I feel the best label for the band is gothic rock more than gothic metal, and the heavy 80s influence in the overall sound certainly does not help with this. As a whole the album is nothing ground breaking. For a first album it is well put together in terms of individual skill (though from personal tastes I cannot for the love of me find a way in which the vocals complement the music) yet the music itself is what I take issue with. For fans of gothic metal I recommend you listen and try the album out though I do not believe the album will be well received by a wider audience.