Shadowborne – Heaven’s Falling

Shadowborne
Heaven’s Falling
Label: Scarlet Records
Out: 19^th June 2026
Playing time: 35:01

Inspired by epic dark fantasy storytelling, Shadowborne creates a brand new power metal lore shaped by struggles, loyalty, betrayal and destiny.

It all goes so far that the musicians have even adopted more or less imaginative stage names, and the instrumentalists have war paint on their faces. However, if you want to find out more about the band, you’ll unfortunately be searching in vain. OK, the musicians are from Sweden and are brand new to the power metal scene. On the band’s Facebook page, the oldest of the few posts’ dates back to 27 January. And apart from a few pictures, there’s nothing else to be found. The promotional email is equally uninformative. The debut album “Heaven’s Falling”, due for release in June, was produced by Kristoffer Göbel (Six Foot Six) and mixed and mastered by Christoffer Borg at Far Beyond Productions. The cover artwork is by Alle Conti (Twilight Force, Trick Or Treat). Bands such as Iron Maiden, Beast in Black, Battle Beast, Brothers Of Metal and All For Metal are cited as influences. That’s it.

The orchestral intro is titled ‘Winter Is Coming (Heims Advenit)’; it is very melodic and is interspersed with epic choruses. Things really get going, however, with ‘High And Low’, which opens with a guitar fade-in. The riffs aren’t overdone, and Eira Shadowborne’s vocals are a pleasure to listen to. Yes, influences such as Beast in Black or Battle Beast are clear, albeit a little more pop-oriented than those bands, apart from the guitar solo. A distinct Pop-Rock influence is also evident on ‘Wolf And The Queen’, even though a slightly harsher male vocal is incorporated here and there. Once again, there’s a guitar solo – it’s simply part of the package. ‘Custodians’ is driven by fast drumming and really rocks out. The vocals now also recall the former Battle Beast singer Noora Louhimo a little. Occasional ‘hu-ha’ and “hey” chants can be heard. ‘Hold The Door’ also sounds a bit harder thanks to the riffs. These are softened, however, by synths and keyboards. As for the vocals, the heaviness is over for now. ‘Heaven’s Falling (Dragons’ Hymn)’ is indeed, as the song title promises, a melodic Hard Rock/Metal anthem. Synths introduce ‘Stranger To Myself’ before symphonic bombast kicks in here too. ‘The Wall’ follows straight away as the next feel-good Rock song. Well, if you’re thinking that “Raven” features the cawing of ravens, you’re spot on. Otherwise, not many changes: catchy, melodic Metal with occasional bursts of intensity from the drums and guitar. Right at the end, the power ballad “End Of The World” offers a bit of musical variety.

Apart from Iron Maiden, you can actually recognise all the bands mentioned. These bands have already churned out dozens of tracks just like the ones on ‘Heaven’s Falling’. There’s hardly any fresh inspiration to be heard. Alongside plenty of catchy melodies and some genuinely good guitar solos, it’s probably Eira’s vocals above all that allow Shadowborne to score points. But that’s simply not enough for a really good album. There’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Shadowborne – High And Low: https://youtu.be/I7G4N-pOtdU?si=JuOOmg_3rrPSXr95

Lineup:

Eira Shadowborne – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
The Warden – Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
The Oathbearer – Lead Guitar
The Keeper – Bass
The Warbringer – Drums

Track list:

• Winter Is Coming (Heims Advenit)
• High And Low
• Wolf And The Queen
• Custodians
• Hold The Door
• Heaven’s Falling (Dragons’ Hymn)
• Stranger To Myself
• The Wall
• Raven
• End Of The World