Formed from the death metal band Eternal Oath, Faceshift have produced a debut album that reminded me of goth rock and melodic metal bands such as Paradise Lost, Intense, Season's End and even Depeche Mode, as the vocalist Timmo sounds like Dave Gahan at times (especially on 'My Own Desire').

Each song is a real riff fest with keys used to add an extra layer of rhythm and the band do interesting mid-section breaks in a few songs as well such as 'The Dark Domain' and the lighter moments in 'Bound'. Only one slight criticism is that the better songs are stacked from the middle of the album onwards as the opening three songs do sound similar in terms of riffs and pace.

Recommended for those who enjoy latter day Paradise Lost and even the darker music of Depeche Mode. Good, solid debut and an enjoyable listen.

***½

Review by Jason Ritchie