A big surprise for us held the third studio album of British Shadowkeep after the good circulations in the prog power genre have disappeared for years. Having the right influences, that is to say precocious Queensryche, Fates Warning etc. and with big doses of inspiration, ‘The Hourglass Effect’ sends them in the top of type even if it is a relatively unknown group.

Being little circumspect, the strong start with ‘Shadowkeep’ and ‘Incisor’ made me think that it‘s an other classic case of 2-3 good songs in the beginning of the cd and then the typical mediocrity. The Shadowkeep however had other point of view, so that all the 11 compositions are the one better than the other, phenomenon which unfortunately is rare.

Despite the style that it refers in their Lethal, Crimson Glory and the remainder American power metal 80s bands, grace in the good production, their sound is not anachronistic, where with the variety in the compositions, and phonetically the acquaintance from their Angel Witch and Tygers Of Pan Tang, Richie Wicks, constitute the advantages of ‘The Hourglass Effect’ where  they make it distinguish with difference from the remainder circulations.

Without unnecessary chatters and 5-minute solos, Shadowkeep show us that they know the recipe of qualitative progressive metal which almost everyone (between which also top class names) they have forgotten, and they offer us an album that it should be heard by everyone prog metal fan.