Following on from their independently released EP Decapitation Of The Dark Ages (2005) and their debut full-length effort Juggernaut for Siege Of Amida Records (2007), Glendale-based act Knights of the Abyss have secured a place on Ferret Records for the release of their sophomore effort Shades.

In the last twelve months, Knights of the Abyss have witnessed some upheavals on the line-up front, with long time friend/A Breath Before Surfacing front man Dustin ‘D-Had’ Hadlock once again providing vocals for the group’s latest album (much like he did on Juggernaut) due to Mike Manhiemer continuing throat problems. Founding members/guitarists Nicholi Florence and Cody Brectel and drummer Andy Rysdam (Ex-Job For A Cowboy) still remain the cornerstone for the band, while bassist Aaron Stone has joined the ranks of the group after the amicable departure of John Seabury.

Despite the changes within the band, Knights of the Abyss’ sound hasn’t been affected too much, and if anything has helped them improved if Shades is anything to go by.

After the brief obligatory groove influenced introductory piece “Banished,” Knights Of The Abyss get things underway properly with “A New Darkened Faith.” With its frenzied guitar attack, dual riffing and screamed vocals throughout, it’s immediately apparent what’s in store for the remaining 35 minutes for the listener, and that’s melodic death metal, with a touch of a hardcore influence, kept primarily to the breakdowns.

In a nutshell, Knights of the Abyss bring nothing new to the table on Shades that hasn’t otherwise been heard a million times over in the last couple of years. From the vocals, the tight-knit riffing, the flourishes of solos and strong sense of melody, you could easily brand this act as a variation of the same sound and technique that The Black Dahlia Murder have been peddling over the last few albums.

Having said that, for what they do, Knights of the Abyss are definitely one of the more enjoyable acts, with tracks such as “Whorror Storm,” “Don’t Feed The Heathens,” “Running Out Of Earthly Wealth,” “Suicide Reign” and “Behold The Frigid Realm Of Div” (which is essentially the first half of “Banished”) worthy of a listen or two.

I wouldn’t go as far as saying that Knights of the Abyss are the sort of act that will reshape the deathcore scene with Shades, but I will say that when the trend finally starts to wind down, they have the potential to prosper when others have fallen by the wayside due to a lack of necessary talent and genuine songwriting skills.

www.myspace.com/knightsoftheabyss