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Crimson Shadows – Whispers of War Review

By Eldritch Elitist

When a beloved record receives a successor following a decade or more of germination, what do the fans want to hear? What do they dare hope to hear? Comparable cases have shown that the best-case scenario is typically a great record that echoes the artist’s prior success in varying degrees. Notable examples include albums that adhere to the artist’s established formula, yet whose energy has been somewhat eroded by the passage of time. Others are major departures that recall the past in genre only. Whispers of War, the third album from Canadian melodic power death metallers Crimson Shadows, reveals a third path: A record which adheres so strictly to its predecessor that it sounds like it dropped mere months afterward. With Whispers of War in my hands, I am confident that it is exactly what I’ve wanted all along.

For the uninitiated, Crimson Shadows’ sound is what would have happened if DragonForce had been mainstays in the late 90’s / early 00’s Finnish melodic death metal scene, but with a North American metalcore-adjacent sense of chunk and polish tailor-made for the 2009 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Their blend of sugary lead guitars and rhythmic violence is peak Dumb Guy Metal, and as The Dumbest Guy, I’m thrilled that this new album recaptures the formula perfectly. To compare Crimson Shadows’ album-to-album trajectory to that of DragonForce, Whispers of War is to 2014’s Kings Among Men as the first half of Sonic Firestorm is to the second half of Sonic Firestorm. Had this record been disc two of a Kings Among Men double album, not a single eye would have been batted. Everything is intact: Big riffs, bigger melodies, and ceaseless double bass drives staunchly locked to 200bpm. My biggest worry was that this unshaken formula would feel obligatory, but Whispers of War’s sheer caffeinated vigor is authentic and as undeniably addictive as ever.

Whispers of War’s quality is neck-and-neck with Kings Among Men, even surpassing it in certain areas in its battle to justify its own existence. Where Crimson Shadows’ preceding album was at its best in scattered instances of monumental grandeur, these new compositions are more compelling in their moment-to-moment execution. No song on Whispers of War feels as singularly massive as, say, the chorus of “Dawn of Vengeance,” yet its riffs feel more gleefully barbaric across the board, stampeding rowdily through verses in tracks like “Guardians” and “Rise of the Fallen Soul.” Elsewhere, the band weaves Wintersunny blastbeats into the proceedings (“Whispers of War,” “Battle Hard 2: Battle Harder”) in jolts of welcome variety. The more Whispers of War sits with me, the more I believe it superior to its younger sibling, even if I love all of Crimson Shadows’ children equally.1

What gives Whispers of War the edge as my new favorite Crimson Shadows record are its improved performances across the board. The band formed in 2006, yet in a mythically rare occurrence, has maintained their starting lineup, bassist Alex Snape being the sole exception. Guitarist / clean vocalist Greg Rounding has a notably greater control and expanded range during the record’s excellent choruses, and his and Ryan Hofing’s dueling guitar solos are elevated in both complexity and memorability. Harsh vocalist Jimi Maltais, meanwhile, remains a motherfucking powerhouse and one of the most underrated growlers in extreme metal. The only instrumental disappointment comes in the mixing of drummer Cory Hofing’s kitwork. His cymbal patterns are ear-ticklingly catchy, yet his kit’s tone and presence have been flattened in generic modern metal fashion in a downgrade from its thunderous nature on Kings Among Men.

I love this band. Maybe it’s because I had my old Xbox 360 loaded up with ripped DragonForce and Children of Bodom CDs, but to me, their music sounds like a Halo 3-branded can of Mountain Dew Game Fuel in the best possible way. There is a youthful earnestness to Crimson Shadows’ music that has become increasingly difficult to come by, and the fact that they have picked up exactly where they left off a decade ago with a record this good speaks volumes of their enthusiasm in being true to themselves and the music they love. I’d be thrilled to hear Crimson Shadows expand their sound in new directions following Whispers of War, but for the time being, this is an exceedingly rare instance where more of the same is the ideal outcome. There may be better records released in 2025, but I sincerely doubt I will spin any of them harder, louder, or with more jubilance than this one.

Rating: Great
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self-Release
Websites: crimsonshadows.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/CrimsonShadowsBand
Releases Worldwide: July 25th, 2025

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