Imagine an alternate timeline where Dragonforce grew up in Gothenburg and decided to emphasize extreme vocals while still maintaining some cleans, particularly on the choruses, while reveling (and even amping up) the long drawn out guitar virtuoso solos, but then ultimately decided to move to Canada. This is what comes to mind every time I listen to Crimson Shadows, and I cannot get enough. After releasing their last full length 11 years ago, these Canadians have come back with a vengeance, releasing their new full length follow-up, “Whispers of War.” This is 9 tracks of blazing guitar-first thrashy power metal, with dueling guitar solos that could even make Dragonforce blush, running at millions of miles per hour with nary a break for a breath. Greg Rounding and Ryan Hofing (guitars and clean vocals) play off each other so well, bothfrom a shred and melody/harmony standpoint, with bassist Alex Snape providing a hefty thick underbelly. Lutharo drummer Cory Hofing shows off his technical prowess, powering each song through his deft drumming that is incredible to see live. Finally, lead vocalist Jimi Maltais impresses with his extreme vocals, whether he is growling, shrieking, or anything in between, all while maintaining an intelligible tambor that allows you to sing along power metal style to his sick screams. I am a huge fan of the 2014 release “Kings Among Men,” but I feel like WoW ups the ante with its impressive compositions, soaring earworm choruses, and breakneck pace.

Opening track “Dawn of an Age” has a slow almost cinematic build before pushing the pedal to the metal with its lightning speed guitar solos, then acclimates you with Jimi’s extremes over speed riffing and blastbeats. You get cleans going into the chorus, with some dueling vocals and lots more guitar lead. The song literally never lets up until right near the end, with a brief change up before blazing to the finish. 

“Guardians” is the perfect mashup of melodeath and speedy power metal, from the galloping guitar and lead to start, to the thrashy riff under extreme vocals for the verse, to the pre-chorus and chorus with its memorable melody, and the constant onslaught of guitar solos throughout. It is a sprint from start to finish. “Defenders of the Crown” slows down the pace just a bit with a killer guitar intro, before saying “Just kidding!” and running full speed ahead. I love the vocal variety, and you can continue to see just how good Jimi is. The chorus is an absolute earworm, one I find myself singing often. Halfway through the song changes pace with a triumphant feel, complete with keys, before delivering the first true Dragonforce-esque dueling guitar solo of the album, 1:15 of melodic guitar technical prowess. The ending key change is just the cherry on top to one of my favorite songs on the album.

The title track is one of my other favorite songs, a thrashy speedfest with some of Cory’s best drumming on the album, as well as some of my favorite vocals from both Jimi and Ryan/Greg, while featuring the sick gutturals of Crytopsy vocalist Matt McGachy midway through. The song packs in a lot of variety with several dynamic and tempo shifts that add extra depth, and the guitar solos are wicked! I got to hear this song performed live for the first time ever at Hyperspace Metal Festival before the album (and single) was released, and it has remained a favorite since. “Embrace the Fire” hits hard with its aggressive delivery, while the layers give it an epic feel as it rips ahead at a million miles an hour. Like the title track, this song does a great job adding breadth and depth to the song while not being afraid to leverage the formula they utilize so well. The guitar work is phenomenal, and the extreme vocals are some of the best on the album.

The next song is easily the album’s heaviest, the title with an ode to Die Hard, “Battle Hard II: Battle Harder,” which starts out with a laid back piano intro, leading into a beautiful harmonized guitar melody, before knocking your feet out from under you with an array of blastbeats and a driving guitar melody. The song carries a blackened melodeath feel, with extra thick guitars, blastbeats galore, and aggressive vocals. The Dragonforce vibes are very prevalent in the second half, with an intense 1:30 guitar solo section over insane drumming that I bet would be a sight to see live. The final minute of the song is just an all out metal assault, closing out a 6 minute sprint that will leave you gasping for air and begging for more.

“Secrets of Our Time” does what every metal band should be required to do: enlist the insane talents of the one and only Brittney Hayes from Unleash the Archers to provide guest vocals. Her vocals are instantly recognizable and sound incredible, working perfectly in the scaffolding of Crimson Shadows while harkening back to the older UtA sound. The song itself is fantastic, with plenty of guitar solos, great melodies, and a big feel. And wow what an ending! “The Legacy of Steel” has a pervasive anthemic feel, with great vocals and killer guitar leads. Closing song “Rise of the Fallen Soul” melds everything great about Crimson Shadows into a big ending. Killer extreme vocals, a memorable chorus with great cleans, guitar virtuoso solos, speedy drumming, and just a big feel throughout.

Crimson Shadows’ return is incredible and is easily a contender for AOTY for me. I have lost track how many times I have listened to it start to finish, and it is one I will continue to return to. You should definitely check this one out and thank me later.

Original Instagram review Part 1
Original Instagram review Part 2
Original Instagram review Part 3

Fun trivia fact: The below video for “Whispers of War” uses footage from Crimson Shadows’ 2025 Hyperspace Metal Festival performance, and I appear in it multiple times!