10 Great Rock & Metal Albums From 2018 You May Have Missed
2. Sojourner - The Shadowed Road
The Epic/Atmospheric Black Metal scene is often narrowed down to two very big names: Summoning and Caladan Brood. The former created the genre, and the latter, arguably, perfected it. So, taking a page from Summoning and Caladan Brood, Sojourner stripped away the Dungeon Synth aspect of the genre and delivered their second epic in their short lifespan proving there's still plenty of room to grow in this genre.
When looking at the album art for The Shadowed Road, one might expect a landscape of beauty and sound focused on the tropes of fantasy and nature the genre has become rather well known for, at least when it's not Tolkien lore.
Once you turn on the very first song, your expectations are clearly met with the clear and signature Sojourner sound: piano, clean female lead vocals on top of harsh male vocals, powerful rhythms from the guitars and drums, and the tin whistle. This mixture builds a strong foundation for something beautiful and epic to emerge, and Sojourner deliver exactly that with their powerful sophomore release.