ILLUMISHADE
ILLUMISHADE “Another Side Of You”
By Iron Sheik
Get ready for a journey through different shades of life and music. Illumishade, hailing from Switzerland storms back with eloquence. Formed by ELUVEITIE members Fabienne Emi and Jonas Wolf, ILLUMISHADE was put together by Emi as a project to obtain her Master's Degree in 2018. Emi and the other members decided to continue the band releasing their debut album "Eclyptic: Wake Of Shadows" in 2020. Four years later we get album number two "Another Side Of You".
ILLUMISHADE is band of contrasts: Dark and light, despair and hope, resentment and forgiveness. They are cinematic at times. They are a blend of heavy metal, progressive metal, and a hard rocking outfit. Comprised of Fabienne Emi on vocals and piano, Jonas Wolf on guitar, Myrjam Skal on synth and orchestration, Yannick Urbanczik on bass, and Marc Freidman on drums ILLUMISHADE create majestic music, and "Another Side Of You" showcases it.
Opening with a cinematic flair, "Enter The Void" sets the stage in a lighter more softer tone. "Elegy" floats seamlessly along in a yearning manner. "Carried away, carry me home, you've been gone too long" emphasizes the longing. Third track in is "Enemy" which is a heavier track about broken trust stating how can something be trusted that will defeat? “In The Darkness” is about barriers being broken down. "Behold the shadows, we are strong...I'll stand tall." “Cloudreader” is a power ballad calling out to "clear the skies so I may fall into endless nights..." Harkening the sun to embrace. Here We Are, singing "we are here for awhile" in a laid back style yet heavy and aggressive. “Cyclone” is another laid back song yet is heavy in a doom type of way. Almost a ballad but about "chaos inside" that segues into a fury. "Hold my heart with sanctity" brings us to a resolution with lightness. “Fairytale” is a song of fantasy and what life isn't - a fairytale. Ninth track “The Horizon Awaits” is an instrumental intro to “Hymn” which begs "our hearts to pull us through...carry the weight." Hope of getting through life asking "will you forgive yourself?"
“ TWILY” proclaims standing on your own and what has caused a change in the love you once felt. “Riptide” leads one through a journey to "kiss the face of despair." while “Hummingbird” reads almost like someone has passed and yet still being able to feel their presence. "Your laughter will remain." “Verliebt” closes the album. In English the title translates to “In Love”. It is a piano piece played by Coen Janssen of EPICA while Emi sings in her native language Swiss German.
“Another Side Of You” takes one a journey through light and dark, aggressiveness and benevolence, despair and hope, and other contrasts. Some rather excellent guitar soloing shines throughout as well as excellent bottom end sonics. Not at all forgetting Emi's beautiful voice; It is ethereal and angelic throughout. This is an excellent album of well thought out music, lyrics, and style. Sit back and absorb the journey, the shades, and all that is ILLUMISHADE.