Scardust is a Progressive Metal band from Israel, who mixes elements of Symphonic Metal intro their music. Shadow is a four song EP, consisting of a trilogy of songs titled, Shards. As I have mentioned during my time here with MetalReviews, I review very few EP's because I know it is something I can't put a score on. In the case of Scardust, though they use a mixture of familiar formulas they create a sound that truly sets them apart from the back, and for the most part they definitely succeed. The band consists of Noa Gruman(vocals), Yadin Moyal(guitar), Yanai Avnet(bass guitar), and Yoav “Steel” Weinberg(drums) with songwriting credits also given to Orr Didi.

The first song Tantibus has an opening feel to it that initially would give you a Symphony X or even a Dream Theater vibe to it. Piano that opens the track, followed by driving guitar riffs and double bass drum beats. That is till of course, the vocals of the lovely Noa Gruman(who is definitely more than a pretty face!). She is the wild card in my opinion of the band. She has this unbelievable range that needs to be HEARD. The song twists and turns through different musical passages, and at just over four minutes, a lot happens in a short time
The band and Ms. Gruman dial back a bit for the first part of their Birds. The first minute and ten seconds, is just piano and Gruman singing softly and a little breathy. Her emotion in the first part of the song, keeps it from being boring, and near the very end of that part, the song reaches a crescendo with the rest of the band kicking in. When the rest of the band joins in, Moyal's technical guitar playing shines through. Gruman is also heard singing with a rougher side to her vocals with a serious amount of attitude. The death growls, are very guttural, and almost black metal like,and honestly do nothing for me here, but in the grand scheme of things, it does not detract from the song. The band interplay with Avnet's bass solo highlights the last minute of the song, and he is one damn good bassist.
Shadow is the second part of the trilogy, and much like what comes before it, it changes often,and yet each part seamlessly flows with one another. This song has that symphonic element I mentioned in the beginning, before giving way to the gentler side of Gruman's voice again. Much like Tantibus is a mixture of technical musicianship and Gruman's electric vocals, Shadow follows in its footstep, yet retains its own identity.
Gravity the final chapter of the Shards trilogy is a faster, heavier song. With some aggressive guitar playing, and more of the death vocals I mentioned before. Those vocals are heard more often in this song, and honestly like before, do nothing personally for me, but are definitely used better in this song. The guitar solo which is more melodic, and changes up all the heaviness, is a nice mix of legato played notes, and arpeggio runs. The song ends with a melody heard prior on Birds, reminding you that these songs tell a story and are definitely connected in some way.
Definitely a nice surprise, and thanks to the wonderful land of Youtube and Facebook, for helping me finding another band, that has something to offer to open minded listeners looking for something new. I look forward to hearing what Scardust does in the future, because this is a very talented band, who needs their next release to come sooner than later.
You can check out the Scardust's Bandcamp page, and download the EP under the name your price button, if you wish to donate or download for free. You can also check them out on Facebook as well.
The video for Tantibus can be see HERE.