Avenger - Shadows of the Damned (1997)

   As black metal slowly took larger role over the underground scene, more bands felt inspired by this style that didn't counted as something new already, but as the new pretender. In the late '90s had it's final fight with the sceptics of metal journalism before gaining wider attention in the audience.
   Avenger started as an old school death metal band with exciting rotting sound, but they went through a fast change while their debut came out. They kept the heaviness of death metal, but the noisy sound was gone and they involved the influence of Nordic black metal. Their themes turned catchier, more fitting to the new influences, and a bit more melodic. The vocal style also changed from deep growling to black style, and the English lyrics were switched off too, they preferred Czech afterwards. The result was blackened death in a style that could be compared to Unanimated and Grotesque. So to the more balanced-sounding bands of the style, that are between the melodic-sizzling softer projects and the endlessly exaggerated black/death blasphemies. The band kept it's style until they split-up, and always produced the same high quality musical materials.