Shadow Warrior – Cyberblade

Shadow Warrior
Cyberblade
Ossuary Records (Worldwide)
Spiritual Beast (Japan)
November 18, 2020
35:05

Shadow Warrior are a Polish heavy metal band. Their roots are in classic heavy metal, played by bands like the early Accept, Iron Maiden, Saxon and Warlock. And like the latter, the Poles have a woman at the microphone. Founded in 2019, the band released their debut EP “Return Of The Shadow Warrior” in the same year. Several singles and demos followed. And a live album. In November last year the time had come. The quintet released the first long-player “Cyberblade”. The promo mail for this landed in my mailbox in the last days of December.

An extremely unusual beginning. With the opener and title song you can first hear a whistling medium wave radio. On which you zap through the tuning range until you have found the right station. And on this one first hears an alarm signal. Well, that’s how you can introduce a metal song like “Cyberblade”. What follows is flawless hard rock with a slight punk attitude. The song is dominated by the powerful voice of the singer Anna Kłos. At “Demolition Hammer” the guitars roars. You can literally feel the destructive work of the hammer. The double bass clearly sets the rhythm here. At the “Iron Hawk Rising” pounder, the Poles slow down a little. The “ohohohoh” in the chorus sounds a bit cheesy. But it certainly invites you to sing along live. Donner then initiates the high-speed banger “I Am The Thunder”. Here, too, the chorus is good for singing along, although nothing of kitsch can be noticed. “Demon’s Sword” is reminiscent of the epic Doom of Black Sabbath or Candlemass. Musicians and fans can take a breather here. Motorbike noises, fast-paced guitar riffs and solos, driving double bass and a singer who can easily keep up with this pace. That is the ambience for “Headless Riders”. The title of the final song “Flight Of The Steel Samurai” actually suggests another perforce ride. But the song starts as a ballad and then turns into a rock anthem.

Very good rock and metal bands / musicians have always come from Poland. I am thinking of Czesław Niemen, SBB, or in the present-day Crystal Viper, Vader or Riverside. Shadow Warrior can now also be added to this list. With “Cyberblade” the musicians have released a convincing debut. They probably got support from their compatriot Marta Gabriel (Crystal Viper) and her husband, the producer Bart Gabriel. The Poles hold up the flag of traditional heavy metal on Cyberblade but spice it up with a pinch of punk. Conclusion: extremely worth hearing.

Shadow Warrior – I Am the Thunder (Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/f4-rsbhcjnk

Lineup:

Anna Kłos – Lead Vocals
Marcin Puszka – Guitar, Backing Vocal
Krzysztof “Chris” Aftyka – Guitar, Backing Vocal
Karol Zmaczyński – Bass, Backing Vocal
Zdzisław Krzyżanowski – Drums

Track list:

• Cyberblade
• Demolition Hammer
• Iron Hawk Rising
• I Am The Thunder
• Squadrons Of Steel
• Demon’s Sword
• Headless Riders
• Flight Of The Steel Samurai