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I first became aware of New York's Shadowland thanks to Michel, who told me I needed to hear their "Lost City" single last year. He was right, I enjoyed both songs and now in 2021, we get the band's debut album The Necromancer's Castle courtesy of No Remorse Records. This band plays straight up, traditional heavy metal (as if the title wasn't enough of a clue) with fantastic guitar work and excellent female vocals. The style of The Necromancer's Castle is straight out of the early '80s US scene before the hair and makeup of LA washed over everything. "The Necromancer's Castle" has a bit of a doom vibe to the verses before galloping through the chorus while songs like "Warhound" are simple, driving, anthemic metal from start to finish. I would have like a few more truly catchy choruses but that's my only real complaint and a small one to boot. If traditional metal of the US variety like Manilla Road, Warlord and especially Chastain is your thing, Shadowland is a band you need to check out pronto.