Shear - In Solitude

I don't normally like female fronted metal bands. I don't know why, but besides Joan Jett, and Lzzy Hale, it's just not my cup of tea. Shear has changed my opinion. Their vocalist, Alexa Leroux has a voice that made my jaw drop. She doesn't have a plain operetic voice that so many women in metal fall back on. She has a soaring, guttural, melodic voice that stands out in a scene full of Amy Lee wannabes.

Shear is from Finland, one of the best countries in the world for metal. Maybe I'm biased, but this American Finn loves her some Finnish metal. Shear has cultivated a sound that combines chugging riffs and bright keyboarding with the fantastic talents of Alexa. The keyboards in particular stand out. Lari Sorvo, the keyboardist, flies over the keys with the prescision and skill of a surgeon handling a needle.

That's not to say that the guitarists and drummer are shabby in comparison. No siree, I loved the whole darn band. All of them are freaking phenomenal. If you like Halestorm, In Flames, or Icon & the Black Roses, man are you going to love these guys. I know this is going to sound crazy, but the guitars and keyboards sound almost like Motionless In White. Not the vocals though, they couldn't be more different.

Listening to them it's like you're surrounded by the sound, like it comes through the speakers and fills your whole body and lifts you up, till you're just suspended, caught till they decide to release you. The music just soars, and it's heavy without being too in-your-face. The whole listening experience was exhilarating. I could easily see this band take over stations such as Octane.

Bottom line, they're great. Definitely someone to listen to over and over again. I loved the guitars, the bass, the drums, the vocals. Everything was just spot on. Fantastic sound, no complaints from this especially picky reporter.

--Gorgeous Nightmare