The Australian continent has definitely far more to offer than warm sand and a merciless sun but if it comes to extreme Metal I’m for sure not the only one having huge problems advising more than five local bands. But Pulverised Records are giving another band from Down Under the chance to present their music to the European community. If you judge this album by its pure underground cover – the angel of death drawn in a more or less tattoo style – you would expect another DARK FUNERAL high speed massacre. But PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS are far more focused on mid tempo Black Metal pierced by a huge dose of melancholy. This melancholy is giving their third album “In Memoriam, Ill Omen” a haunted atmosphere with a lot of calm passages during the journey through the dark. But – completely ignoring the exotic bonus – it’s very difficult to find something really essential in this record. That not automatically means that the music is in any way extremely boring or poorly performed it’s just the impression / fact that there are currently too much bands playing the same style (and too many labels releasing it!!) – and in a world where only the strongest survive, the fate of this record is sealed. www.pulverised.net, www.myspace.com/pestilentialshadows.