Review by JD on November 10, 2008.

Osaka, Japan has delivered a pure musical explosion that ripped my ass off of my chair and deposited it on the floor with an unceremonious and a rather loud thud. Here they are, Japan’s Shadow has come from the land of the rising sun and has completely redefined what it is to be Death Metal in the world.

Mixing some very melodic Death Metal in with good doses of Thrash and Speed Metal then folds in the virtuosity of Dragonforce... Shadow has successfully melded all of these metallic parts together and delivered a musical juggernaut that looms over the metal landscape and is poised to tread us all under it’s metallic foot.

The musicianship of Guitarists Yulchi Sumimoto and Shinichiro Okada shows that they can shred with the best of them and also be so damned heavy all and add in so much melody that it makes every thing else shine. You are going to be also very hard pressed to fine any female voice in metal that can growl and scream venom like Tokiko Shimamoto (Lead Vocals)... Just listen to her growl out the Slayer cover ‘Black Magic’ that ends off the album... it is simply amazing.

Unabashed, uncompromising with being so damned brilliant, this band needs to have people sit up and take note. They have shown exactly what you could do when you combine 100% raging talent and add in a pure metal heart. Labelmates Dragonforce needs to take a close look at what Shadow are doing... this bunch has kicked their shredding asses, and they don’t bore people. This one will be going on my top ten albums of the year list.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 10
Originality: 9
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.6 out of 10

Review by JD on November 10, 2008.

Osaka, Japan has delivered a pure musical explosion that ripped my ass off of my chair and deposited it on the floor with an unceremonious and a rather loud thud. Here they are, Japan’s Shadow has come from the land of the rising sun and has completely redefined what it is to be Death Metal in the world.

Mixing some very melodic Death Metal in with good doses of Thrash and Speed Metal then folds in the virtuosity of Dragonforce... Shadow has successfully melded all of these metallic parts together and delivered a musical juggernaut that looms over the metal landscape and is poised to tread us all under it’s metallic foot.

The musicianship of Guitarists Yulchi Sumimoto and Shinichiro Okada shows that they can shred with the best of them and also be so damned heavy all and add in so much melody that it makes every thing else shine. You are going to be also very hard pressed to fine any female voice in metal that can growl and scream venom like Tokiko Shimamoto (Lead Vocals)... Just listen to her growl out the Slayer cover ‘Black Magic’ that ends off the album... it is simply amazing.

Unabashed, uncompromising with being so damned brilliant, this band needs to have people sit up and take note. They have shown exactly what you could do when you combine 100% raging talent and add in a pure metal heart. Labelmates Dragonforce needs to take a close look at what Shadow are doing... this bunch has kicked their shredding asses, and they don’t bore people. This one will be going on my top ten albums of the year list.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 10
Originality: 9
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.6 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 25, 2002.

For those you unfamiliar with hardcore/metal scene, Botch is probably one of the more talented outfits in the scene. Combining a witty knack for a natty track with a slight nod to the weird and wacky, Botch, with their new EP “An Anthology of Dead Ends”, have created quite superb little number.

This EP can be effectively divided into part two parts. Part I is comprised of the more hardcore/metal tracks of ‘Japam’, ‘Fracme’, ‘Vietmam’ and ‘Micaragua’ whilst part II is just the 7 minute oddball of ‘Afghamistam’ (and, yes the spelling of each country is deliberately substituted with an ‘m’ for an ‘n’).

Part I is hardly what you would call the ‘norm’ for this genre, but it is a very good addition to the collection of those fans that are into the hardcore/metal scene. There is gnarly shredding, roaring growls, and a good amount of skin beating to leave everyone pleading for more. Part I is the more safe material from “An Anthology of Dead Ends”.

Part II. What can I possibly say about part II? The track 7 minute ‘Afghamistam’ is such a departure from the rest of the EP, that you would swear that someone has changed the record from your stereo without having informed you. Mellow and involving ‘Afghamistam’ is a track that demands attention. I can almost guarantee that folks will put down whatever they are doing (office work, drugs, girlfriend, or whatever) and devote their ears to this masterpiece. Starting with a soothing bass intro followed by vocals that are at polar opposites from the monstrous roars of the other four tracks, this opens the way for a an encapsulating ride into the wild. Everything is spot on for ‘Afghamistam’; vocals, gentle guitar work, and precise and crisp drumming, which while always in your mind never becomes too much of a force, but provides beautiful interplay between each of the other instruments.

The stark contrasts of ‘Afghamistam’ with the rest of “An Anthology of Dead Ends” provides something of an enigma, but the sort of bewilderment which leaves you smiling at the end of day, rather than with a look of perplexity. “An Anthology of Dead Ends” is just one of those unique EPs that is worth hunting down.

Bottom Line: Gobsmacked would be a gross understatement. In just over 20 minutes, Botch creates a work of art that the scores of similar acts couldn’t even attempt to comprehend, let alone create with a full album’s worth of time.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.4 out of 10