ZHIVA – Into The Eye Of The Storm (2023)
Swedish outfit Shiva released two very fine female-fronted melodic hard rock albums in the early 2000’s, then after a 2006 third effort, the band folded. Now after 17 years the group is back with a slightly new name; ZHIVA, and a fresh new album titled “Into The Eye Of The Storm“, released via reputed label Pride & Joy Music.
Still with powerhouse vocalist Anette Johansson and guitarist Mats Edström at the helm, ZHIVA 2023 stilld delivers melodic rocking songs with layers of sound, now updated with a modern approach. Anette’s vocal timbre is unique, clean, and easily identifiable. Nobody else sounds like her.
Opening track ‘Breaking The Chains’ is a strong start to the album, with the band performing a faster melody over whispered and pointed vocals from Anette before slowing things down a tad while keeping the heaviness intact and providing the song a distinctive atmosphere.
‘Step into the Fire’ also goes the alternative two melody route, throwing a slower groove predominantly at the end of the main melody line. That melody line is a basic E string muted pick, but it’s effective with a solid rhythm accompanying it. There’s just enough variation to make the song interesting.
‘Broken’ has keys pushed prominently to the front and a chorus that uses them to great effect. The melody line of the chorus along with Anette’s perceived pain in her delivery make this a favorite.
In terms of ranking, a close second goes to midtempo ‘Autumn Sky’, another track with keys that stand out and another winner of a chorus, quite AORish. Anette’s approach to gliding over the melody with her vocal fluctuations is perfect.
‘Nothing Will Ever Remain’ is a slow and moody track that a places brings to mind Delain, which gets more intensity during the chorus. Closing track ‘Undeniable’ is a song that builds up from a piano-based composition to a full-blown power ballad. The track gets to a big, powerhouse chorus at the end. It’s a song dedicated to the war in Ukraine.
Regarding the production, the album sounds fresh, polished, very well mixed benefiting the vocals and the overall band delivery. ZHIVA / Shiva is comprised of talented musicians, and while they modernized their style the taste for a good melody is all over “Into The Eye Of The Storm”.
Highly Recommended
01 – Breaking The Chains
02 – Step Into The Fire
03 – Evelyn
04 – Into the Eye of the Storm
05 – Autumn Sky
06 – Broken
07 – Beyond Forever
08 – Nothing Will Ever Remain
09 – Last Tears
10 – Undeniable (Song For Ukraine)
Anette Johansson – vocals
Mats Edström – guitars
Patrik Svärd – guitars
Thomas Olsén – keyboards
Nilo Murray Kovacic – bass
Fredrik Eriksson – drums
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shop.season-of-mist.com/zhiva-into-the-eye-of-the-storm-cd
