EDGE OF NIGHT

Shadowland is one of the many projects led by one of the most prolific (and underrated) talents of modern progrock, Clive Nolan (of Pendragon fame). They had released three good studio albums in the 90´s and now decided to put the band back together and release both a live album and DVD. The line up is the same as on all their CDs except the bassist (Mark Westwood replacing original member Ian Salmon) and the inclusion of Mike Varty for the live keyboards (thus leaving Nolan to act as the frontman). I bought this live CD before watching the DVD, but the setlist is the same and in the same order on both.

Upon hearing this CD I came to some conclusions: first, Shadowland is a better band than I used to think. Their sound is quite rich and the songwriting is very strong and varied. Second, Clive Nolan may not be the most outstanding singer in the world, but he does quite a fine job here. He knows how to handle his limitations in that field and never tries to do something he can not. Third, guitarrist Karl Groom is better known for his work with prog metal band Threshold, but here his playing is much smoother, softer, melodic and very good! Sometimes he reminds me of Nick Barrett (Pendragon), but he has his own style. And finally, the band does not seem to be out of the music scene for more than a decade.The playing of al involved here is simply superb!

Edge Of The Hight serves as an excellent introduction to this not very well known neo prog group. They seem to be one of those bands where the live versions are actually superior to their studio counterparts. Songs like Hall Of Mirrors and Jigsaw are pure symphonic epics that will please any prog lover (wonderful keyboards cascades, melodic and fiery guitar solos, pulsating bass and strong drums). All the the lyrics are very interesting and not very common in the prog world (dealing mainly with the dark side of life) . With a perfect production, great sound and stunning, tasteful, performances, this CD proved once and for all the genious of Clive Nolan really is. Arena may be his most fomous project, but Shadowland deserves at least more atention.

Conclusion: an excellent live CD. If you´re new to this band this is a very good starting point. If you know Shadowland, then this is surely a must have. Rating: 4 to 4,5 stars. Highly recommended.

Meticulous

This double CD release is simply an audio only recording of the main gig reproduced on the similarly titled DVD. While many thought Shadowland had run its course, the band reconvened in 2009 for a short European tour. The event which produced these recordings took place in Poland as part of a mini festival in Katowice. One new song was recorded by the band for a Greatest Hits collection ("A matter of perspective") also released in 2009. It is that song, "Edge of night" which lends its name to this album. Only bassist Ian Salmon is missing from the 1990's line up, his place being filled by Mark Westwood.

The set, which runs to around two hours in all, draws in tracks from the band's three studio albums, with the songs from "Mad as a hatter" being performed live for the first time (a planned tour to promote the album at the time of its release did not happen). Given the time between the recording of those albums in the 1990s and the 2009 year of this gig, the band are to be congratulated for the meticulous way the songs are faithfully recreated.

Clive Nolan's growing maturity as a vocalist comes across throughout the set, with many tracks such as "USI" and "Dreams of the ferryman" actually sounding more accomplished on that front. In terms of sound quality, Polish Label Metal Minds have perfected the capturing of live gigs so well that this could actually be a studio album.

If you have the choice between this CD collection and the DVD of the same name, I would of course recommend the DVD. This is though an excellent document of Shadowland performing live.