Caedium

Album Review

Enemy of the Sun are one darned hard band to pin down to a singular metallic style. One minute, this German gang of headbangers is thrashing away like it's 1989; the next, they've gone goth. And then before you know it, they're showing off their prog metal chops. And this "hard to pin down approach" is proudly displayed throughout their sophomore full-length, 2010's Caedium. The group — which has been riffing away since 2006 — has quickly fine-tuned its attack to one fierce metallic machine, as Caedium easily hold their own against the majority of modern-day metal bands that seem obsessed with creating the perfect conglomeration of vintage Iron Maiden and Slayer. As with other acts that mine similar sonic terrain, Enemy of the Sun feature a frontman (Jules Näveri) who can perform vocal acrobatics with no problem — going from a death metal growl to the more melodic side of things ("Chasing the Dragon," "The Golden Horizon," etc.) in the blink of an eye. And his bandmates easily keep pace on their instruments, as they're not bashful about showing off their chops on such riff-frantic tunes as "Another End of the Rainbow" and "The Power of Mankind." Enemy of the Sun appear delighted to display their love of true-blue metal, and they certainly don't hold back throughout the loud 'n' proud Caedium.