The Shiver – “A New Horizon” (2009)

Label – Reality Entertainment/Dreamcell 11/Aural Music

Review By Tony Cannella

The Shiver is a melodic, gothic metal band from Italy. Their second album is titled “A New Horizon” and the band has already drawn favorable comparisons to Evanescence, thanks in part to the infectious melodies that can be found throughout the CD and the Amy Lee-esque vocals provided by Federica Faith Sciamanna. “A New Horizon” features a playing time of 41-minutes and the first thing that I realized is that there is a certain contagious charm on display throughout the duration. The songs flow together nicely and from the outset of the opener, “In Obscurity” is quite apparent that “A New Horizon” will be an enjoyable ride. “Crushing Down” follows the opener and instantaneously became a huge highlight. The band shows an immense appreciation for melody throughout the CD as can be heard on “Empty People Empty Words”, “Nothing Left To Waste”, “No Longer Here” and “Desire”. The Shiver maintains a similar tempo in the songs throughout “A New Horizon”. In addition to her soaring vocal delivery, Federica also adds some death grunts at various points, these are done more as background enhancements on choruses, so they don’t overwhelm anything and they are a nice, added touch. “A New Horizon” is an excellent first effort from this very talented and appealing Italian band. The Shiver is a new powerful force in the realm of gothic metal.