ENEMY OF THE SUN

As fresh and creative as ENEMY OF THE SUN's "Shadows" debut may be, it might have been a stretch to expect the sophomore effort to match the same level of freshness and creativity. So if you didn't do any stretching in that direction, then congratulate yourself on a job well done. As damning as it may sound to some (and not in any way intended to be so),"Caedium" could have very well been titled "Shadows: Part II". With the exception of a slightly more aggressive stance, the similarities between the two albums are many. Fortunately, that also means that there is catchiness, yet in lesser quantities, and lots of scintillating guitar work from Waldemar Sorychta (DESPAIR, EYES OF EDEN, GRIP INC.) that to a purely non-technical ear reminds of "Shadows", too; the techies can quibble over the finer points of picking.

Balancing bloated expectations with isolated assessment, "Caedium" is an album that any fan of "Shadows" will enjoy. The question is whether if given the choice how many times they'd chose one over the other. I'm betting "Shadows" eight times out of ten, mainly because it gives you everything you need from ENEMY OF THE SUN and the songs are more memorable. Once again, that sounds way more damning of "Caedium" than intended. The sophomore effort still boasts many modern hard-chargers like "Another End of the Rainbow", "Castaways in the N.W.O.", "Ticket", and "Paradigm" that marry GRIP INC. franticness (embodied by the chorus of "Try Out" here) with a metallic style in the vicinity of DIVINE HERESY and FEAR FACTORY, yet with a distinctly ENEMY OF THE SUN personality and progressivity. That individuality comes from Sorychta's unique playing style and the effortless way he mixes in Flamenco acoustic touches and Middle Eastern runs into the mix (e.g. "I am One" and "Chasing the Dragon"),as well as drifting into territory that is well traveled, yet remade, such as THE CLASH/reggae strainer through which "Aimless" is run. Jules Näveri's versatility continue to be a selling point as well, though the Burton C. Bell by way of Serj Tankian (kind of) approach that positively glowed on "Shadows" shines less brightly here.

Heard without comparison to its predecessor and considering the numerous positive elements (guitar playing, vocals, melodies, and pure drive) involved, "Caedium" is a very good album. But "Shadows" is a masterwork that just cannot be duplicated. That's the difference. Snort it, stuff it, or toss it; do anything you'd like with that.