Heaviness, speed, and theatricality, all infused with a folkish vibe, are key elements of Wuthering Heights' sound. On The Shadow Cabinet you'll hear soaring melodies, engaging gallops, slower ballad-like passages, and above all great folky riffs (complemented well by keys and strings) from Martin Arendal (also of Manticora) and Ravn, whose repertoire also includes a variety of other metal, rock and pop guitar stylings. But the manner in which all this is unleashed is not always coherent. Although there are many effective shifts in style and rhythm, flaws abound in the progressive elements on this album. At some point (or several) in nearly every song there are parts that simply don't fit and/or are awkwardly inserted. "Sleep" starts out as a very beautiful ballad and at midpoint abruptly goes all Dragonforce on you, complete with crazy noodley guitars and rousing sing-alongs, and it just doesn't work. Questionable choices, inadequate or nonexistent segues, and the pace at which Wuthering Heights throw things at you result in a lot of head-spinning. Speed is also a factor in the way choirs manage to ruin the moment in many songs, rearing up suddenly and rushing through their usually brief appearances. They therefore come across as frantic, which, coupled with the fact that their arrangements could be improved, makes the choirs seem amateurish. Even less polish is found in the wooden, monkish backing vocals used in several songs, sounding as though they're done by people dragged off the street and forced into a cold performance, and the faster sung, the sillier they sound, as is the case in "The Raven." In that song there are also hastily whispered spoken lines, among the album's more stagy details, as is true of the short, melodramatically narrated piece "Reason . . . ?"

The Shadow Cabinet's primary source of theatricality, though, is bombastic vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors; added to Lion's Share in 2005). The power and range of his voice are impressive, and he doesn't sing excessively high, I'm happy to say, but he's a teeth-gritting affectation--usually celtic, sometimes going into pirate mode. Most ridiculous are the wild cries that seem to explode out of nowhere, one of which gives "Snow - Apathy Divine Part II" an absurdly abrupt ending. He does have a few restrained moments, most memorably in the ballad portion of "Sleep," where his straightforward delivery is quite a revelation. Predominantly, though, he is histrionic even by genre standards and will be a turn-off to many people who might otherwise enjoy the music.

He'd be more unbearable if the lines he's delivering were likewise over-the-top, but fortunately that isn't the case. In fact, Erik Ravn's well-crafted lyrics are one of this album's greatest strengths. Obvious care has gone into writing these explorations of personal and external darkness (which eschew overtly folk themes), the most compelling of which is "Envy," a provocative, intellectual take on the haves-vs-have-nots dichotomy. "Demon Desire" makes clever use of metaphor and double-entendre, and showcases Ravn's facility for using archaic phrasing--here sounding Elizabethan--without silliness or awkwardness. Although there are a few clunky lines, notably in "Snow: Apathy Divine II," whose lyrics are also the album's least interesting, for the most part The Shadow Cabinet is comprised of fine poetry and penetrating insights. To fully appreciate the lyrics, I strongly recommend sitting down with the booklet and reading them rather than merely listening to them, as the cartoonishness of the vocals masks their merit and makes their dark tone several shades lighter.

The Shadow Cabinet owes much of its liveliness to Johansson's energetic performance, however, and the album definitely grew on me. Its odd combination of skill, sophistication and gaucheness is fun in a spazzy way, and the fact that it sustains interest and moderate enjoyment despite considerable length is a point in its favor. Still, if Wuthering Heights were to tone down the bombast, especially vocally, and bring more control, cohesiveness, and finesse to their progressive and symphonic/orchestral sides, they'd be a cross-genre powerhouse capable of appealing to wide-ranging tastes.

The US release is accompanied by "Roaming Far From Home," a live bonus audio disc recorded at ProgPower 2004 in Atlanta, GA, while the European and Japanese versions each feature a bonus track, "Midnight Song" and a cover of Danish 70's rockers Ache's "Shadow Of A Gipsy," respectively.

written by Maud

Playing time: 55.37