In the beginning I thought I was going to listen to some extreme Death or Black Metal guys paying tribute to their lunch with Satan for the 666th time. Instead Shaxul offer very cleverly composed Heavy Rock/Metal music walking on the tightrope of the classical songwriting approach combined with a more sophisticated new Metal (and not Nu Metal of course!) musical proposition.
Shaxul's music mostly contains very nicely composed songs, full of riffs and pounding rhythms. You can elements in them from bands such as Kreator, Celtic Frost or even Voivod but passed through a more personal kind of Hard Rock filter. From their first track, Prophets Of Fairytales, these guys show their teeth with good song structures that feature catchy rhythm and choruses. Maybe the addition of some more solos on the whole, would add more point to their effort!
There are some thrashy passages - like in songs such as Hatred' - from time to time which are really a pro for Shaxul's music. The production is quite clear and descent but it could have been better improved at certain points so that their whole music would rise to a higher plateau. Shaxul do not fear to experiment with other music and sound far apart from classical Hard Rock and Heavy Metal motives - and this can be heard in songs such as The Drain Is Over - which also contains some ethereal female vocals. There are many tempo changes and musical alterations throughout the album which create a quite interesting atmosphere for the listener.
Shaxul definitely deserve your attention 'cause they are very eager to offer music composed with passion and spirit to conquer a slice of the hard heavy music pie. Until their next album here is a...
- Album Highlights: Prophets Of Fairytales, The Dwarf Of Emptiness, The Drain Is Over  and Spinning, Reeling, Running In Circles.