?Classics? of power metal #10: WUTHERING HEIGHTS - The Shadow Cabinet (2006), early impressions
Prior exposure to this band/record : Nada. When I first started blogging about music, the premise was that I'd "react" (think of a text-based and less engaging version of the YouTube semi-professional "reactors") in some simulation of real time. That way, my reader * could trace the evolution of my relationship with a work of music. I've moved away from that to a degree, ** but I do hope that these early-impressions posts do capture an interesting moment in time in which a listener hasn't totally absorbed the music yet. On this occasion, I'd like to work through, as best as I can remember, my basic reactions to The Shadow Cabinet . First listen, part I (tracks 1-4, while walking) My big summary statement upon starting the first track was "I was not prepared for this!" I keep expecting folk-metal to be gentler or more lilting, but clearly Wuthering Heights are aggressively metal first. The keys, used mostly for bombast, got my ...