Shinigami - Ryu

Shinigami - a death thrash group from the Netherlands - have been around for some time (since 2014) but have only recently been gracing listeners with their rather catchy style of music since 2016. Their second EP -and offering to date- blends the music of Slayer’s "Christ Illusion" and Marduk’s "Wormwood" with a bit of death metal thrown in for a short in the vein of Bolt Thrower, but enjoyable listen. "Ryu" is full of Japanese cultural themes which should be interesting alone enough, but the music itself sweetens the deal, coming from samples interspersed throughout the album like the opening track’s ritualistic shouting or the children singing on 'Crushing Titans'. These little bits work to Shinigami’s advantage to avoid being random filler and enhance their unique stance among some of the meatier tracks that don’t quite have as much originality. They aren’t boring by any sense, but after a while it feels like stuff everyone has heard before.

Take the opening track 'Miyamoto Musashi'. After its sample intro- the riffing feels like one is being introduced right into a Slayer album. Vocally, the group has that throaty snarl that would appeal to fans of Marduk or even Dew Scented, but the pacing is not that fast or ear obliterating. Thankfully, the music is mixed well and doesn’t feel outbalanced. The whole stop and go pace of the guitars and drums definitely keep one rooted in the thrash sound. However, after this one, new listeners may question what more the group has to offer. The second track 'Warrior Worth A Thousand' treads more in standard death metal territory leaving the more generic thrash feel behind. There is even a bit more melody behind the riffs especially during the interlude versus the standard speed attack earlier- think more mid paced down Vader- so it almost feels like a different band completely. This can be good or bad depending if one was getting bored with the thrash elements in the first place.

As the album progresses on the death metal side definitely outweighs the thrash, but also seems more consistent when comparing tracks like 'Warrior…' and 'Crushing Titans' with their raw sound versus the opening piece. Oddly enough, things come full circle with the 'The Weight Of Glory' which shifts right back into the speedier thrash, and again we feel like we’ve come to a different band again save for the vocals which are the only consistent thing on "Ryu". Listeners are left on a rather head banging note which is a good thing. The track isn’t a headache rush and slows down a little bit halfway through, which solidifies Shinigami’s overall pace. However, due to only 5 tracks under 25 minutes each, listeners might be left wanting a some more because here still lies a question to where the group’s definitive sound will take them. The EP presents a few different things genre-wise and hopefully Shinigami will have more music in the future for listeners to rock out to and find out.

2.5 / 5 STARS 

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1. Miyamoto Musashi - Master Of Swords
2. Warrior Worth A Thousand
3. Downfall
4. Crushing Titans
5. The Weight Of Glory


Self released
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
May 11, 2020

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