J-Man The Shortest Way is a dark, brooding, and sorrowful work of art from Spanish doom metal act Evadne. Taking the slow, heavy riffs of melodic doom metal and combining them with the intensity of death metal and the extended song structures of progressive rock, Evadne has not only crafted an album that is original in its approach, but also one that is spectacular in its execution. Often sounding like a cross between Opeth and My Dying Bride, The Shortest Way is (as one may imagine) a very emotional and dark album focused mainly on brooding atmospheres and somber melancholy. This is a bleak, often depressing, and always beautiful observation from Evadne - after releasing something of this caliber, these Spanish lads should be on the map for doom metal fans worldwide.

As I've mentioned previously, the music here sounds somewhere between My Dying Bride and Opeth, without drawing too heavily from either. While maintaining their own sound throughout the full duration of The Shortest Way, Evadne's use of slow doom metal riffs parred with stringed instruments and somber atmospheres brings My Dying Bride to mind immediately, and the progressive acoustic influences remind me of a few of the earlier Opeth outings. Evadne sounds like a rather unique blend of the two with plenty of exterior influences to give them their own identity in the modern metal climate. This album consists mainly of long, epic compositions, each of which is an independent journey of darkness and despair by itself. Together, it forms a lovely conceptual piece of music that should easily satisfy any fan of doom/death metal.

This album was mixed and mastered by none other then the legendary Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale, Bloodbath, Unicorn, etc.), so of course you can expect an absolutely killer sound on The Shortest Way. When you also consider how excellent the songwriting is and how gifted these musicians are, it immediately becomes apparent that we're dealing with a truly great album. Evadne's second effort has impressed me tremendously, and I'll be glad to hand out 4 stars and two big thumbs up to The Shortest Way. Fans of extreme metal on the slower, more melancholic side are bound to have a magnificent listening experience with this one!