Reviewers for new Shadow Circus

Shadow Circus has finally released our fourth album called "From the Shadows", our first album in over 10 years. The new lineup features former Devin Townsend Project drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen, and Gustaf Hielm on bass (Pain of Salvation, Meshuggah). The sound is heavier -- if before we were regarded as symphonic prog with hard rock leanings, I would say we are metal with symphonic leanings now. As with earlier albums, the subject matter delves into the macabre, with horror and mythology themes peppered throughout. However, having been composed and recorded during the pandemic and turmoil, it's reflective of the anxiety of that time on a deeply honest and personal level.

This is an emotional album, full of stories, and therein lies its complexity, not so much in terms of mathematically confusing tempos, etc...

It seems there's been a big turnover in reviewers since our last album - having been unaware of this forum section, I reached out to individual reviewers who had been supportive of the band before, but now I realize that might have been a wrong way to go about it.

Introduction aside, please reach out if interested, and I'd be happy to provide reviewer access on whatever platform you prefer, Google drive, dropbox, bandcamp, etc. The album is on all streaming platforms, if you'd like to preview first:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3T4xLQ1QnFF25PHnM63tgd?si=xjHkVdeDT663pZnhKUtzFg

What an awesome response, thanks, Richard! It's an honor to be included on your list - you're right, the amount of amazing music this year was overwhelming, so it's especially encouraging that we made that list among such incredible talent!