I'm starting to get into doom metal a bit more, with bands like Swallow the Sun releasing material I can get into. I like the dark atmosphere and the mood it creates, I like the mellowness the tempos provoke. I have really enjoyed albums by Draconian, a doom-gothic outfit that has some very haunting songs. Edenian, who come from Kharkov, Ukraine, follow in a similar vein, with a male growler, Volodymyr Tsymbal trading off vocal lines to now ex-female vocalist Samantha Sinclair. Their debut album, Winter Shades, is an evocative work that I think will put them on this sub-genre's map.

The album starts off with a simple but rather dramatic instrumental piece, featuring a moody and almost eerie piano melody that sets up the atmosphere of the album very well. "Thy Heavens Wept in Mourn", the first sung track, introduces us to Samantha's bright voice and to Volodymyr's growls. Now, I am only recently getting onto the growling bandwagon – well, sort of, at least – and I have to say that these growls actually agree with me; I can understand what he's singing!

The title track, "Winter Shades", features Volodymyr's clean vocal in addition to his growls. This song has a great chorus and a big "stickability" factor, but although Volodymyr's clean vocal is OK, I do prefer his growls.

Track three, "The Field Where I Died", starts out with a bit of a surprise: an exceprt of the poem"Paracelsus" by Robert Browning, recited by David Duchovny. The excerpt was taken from an episode of The X-files. I thought that voice sounded familiar! This was a bit of a surprise, but it's appropriate for the material, if you're familiar with The X-files. This song is sung by Volodymyr alone, the only non-duet on the album. This was one of my favourite tracks on the CD. At eight minutes long, it was a song I could really escape into with it's gorgeous keyboard melody and distinct sections that gave it a lot of complexity.

The other stand-out song on Winter Shades worth mentioning is "Beauty Entwined". This is probably the most powerfully evocative song on the album because it makes use of Samantha's vocals to create some really beautiful harmonies. This song also has a very memorable chorus, and probably has the best hooks on the album.

While Samantha doesn't have the most range in the world, and her voice is a bit too much on the sweet side for the feel the album is trying to create, she's a pretty good vocalist – but alas, she's moved on, and has been replaced by Valerie Chudentsova. I'm very curious to see how her voice – which is unfamiliar to me completely – works with the sound of the band.

Overall, I really liked this album: I liked the darkenss, the bleak and chilly atmosphere, and the intense mournfulness the band effectively created with its sad keyboard melodies, chugging riffs, and emotional vocals. While on the whole, this Winter Shades has some songs that sound quite similar to each other, there was enough catchiness and beauty to have some songs stand out, as I have described above. Citing on their Facebook page influences such as Draconian, Swallow the Sun, and Tristania, I can see how their music fits in perfectly with big names of the genre. If you enjoy those other bands, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this band, too. I think this is a strong debut and I think this band has a promising future ahead of it.

8 / 10