An album with only Spanish song titles and a biography written partly in Spanish; talk about major déja vu. A few months ago I received a live album from the band Mägo de Oz with the same characteristics. As coincidence has it Ankhara even has something in common with Mägo de Oz; singer Pacho Brea. Since that band was a very pleasant surprise, I placed the album into my CD-player with high expectations.

At first I was slightly disappointed; this wasn’t quite as enjoyable as the tongue in cheek humor of Mägo de Oz but instead deadly serious power metal. It therefore took awhile for me to really start appreciating this album but admittedly these guys bring something quite refreshing. The Spanish lyrics work yet again miracles; it’s absolutely fabulous to hear a power metal band sing about something you don’t understand instead of all the cliché fantasy stuff.

Vocalist Pacho, once again does an excellent job. Hell yeah, this guy can sing but be warned this is not the smoothly polished vocals you might expect. They are sincere and melancholic instead. Sombra Del Pasado is an album that shines ‘cause of its sincerity. The production might be a bit weak but the above average keyboard playing, the excellent vocals and the refreshing Spanish touch easily make up for that. You won’t hear anything really new but what you will hear is refreshing nevertheless! Yet another positive surprise from a country not really known for its blossoming metal scene; two thumbs up! Last song on the album is a Spanish version of the Toto song “Hold The Line”.