SNOWY SHAW - Live In Hell

January 17, 2015, 9 years ago

(Wunderwurld Music)

Kelley Simms

Rating: 8.5

review heavy metal snowy shaw

SNOWY SHAW - Live In Hell

Snowy Shaw is a freak. A glorious freak. You can thank the Metal Gods for this Swedish multi-instrumentalist and composer. His resume speaks for itself, including stints with King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Dream Evil, Dimmu Borgir and Therion, to name a few. Following his previous releases, Snowy Shaw ... Is Alive! and The Liveshow: 25 Years of Madness In The Name Of Metal CD/DVD, it’s only fitting that Snowy finalizes the live triumvirate with Live In Hell. This album was recorded during two separate Sweden shows in 2011 and 2012. Shaw’s voice is so versatile and durable, he executes soaring King Diamond falsettos, Niklas Isfeldt of Dream Evil melodic screeches and menacing barks of Shaggrath of Dimmu Borgir with aplomb. Plus, Shaw also plays guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, while his competent bandmates, Mark U Black (lead guitar, backing vocals), Vikki Valkyrie (bass, lead and backing vocals) and Petter Karlsson (drums, lead vocals on “Into The Moonlight”) also get a chance to shine. Special guests and former King Diamond and Mercyful Fate bandmates Pete Blakk, Michael Denner and Andy La Rocque join Snowy for a rousing rendition of “Evil” and “Halloween” (minus Blakk). Other highlights include Dream Evil’s “Book Of Heavy Metal,” the magnificent cover of The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown’s “Fire”, the spine-tingling “The Dimmu Medley” and a heartfelt rendition of “My Friend/The End”, featuring guitarist Gus G (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne). Live In Hell is a captivating and diverse collection of songs that run the gamut of Mr. Shaw’s illustrious but somewhat underrated career. Minus the crowd noise between songs, Live In Hell sounds so crisp and precise, you’ll almost forget that it’s a live recording.



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