BLACKCAT MANOR
BLACK CAT MANOR “Shape In The Shadows”
By Dr. Abner Mality
It’s been 10 years since BLACK CAT MANOR emerged from Freeport, IL and they remain one of the best bands to ever come from Northern Illinois. Apparently “Shape In the Shadows” is inspired by their hometown experiences, good, bad and inbetween.
What amazes me about these guys is that they have such an innovative sound that combines disparate elements of hard rock, punk and metal into a seamless whole. They somehow find a way to blend metalcore, melodic punk rock and thrash metal in a tuneful way that is almost progressive. That mix of styles shouldn’t appeal to me at all, but they make it work. With “Shape In the Shadows”, they move that style forward while staying true to it. This has the sound and production of a big league band.
On this album, “Last Ticket Home”, “Already Lost” and “Connected As One” hit the hardest with real speed and power, but the smooth vocals and catchy vocal lines are tastefully done. On the title track, you can hear the almost progressive side of the band, as this one covers a lot of ground but still has a hard edge. Then there’s the out of left field “The Jetsetter”, which is something new for BLACKCAT MANOR, bringing a funky shifty vibe to the plate.
This is a band that gets slept on because of where they’re from, but they’ve turned that into a strength. Even fans of harder metal should find something to like here.