Shadow Puncher is a

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

project that began in 2016 as a solo project of Max Kevin Ølstøren. The band began as a death metal/

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

project out of Trondheim, Norway, releasing demos with hand-drawn art. The band was signed to Nosral Recordings.

History

Shadow Puncher began in 2016, formed by Max Kevin Ølstøren, and began releasing demos. The band released three independent EPs, titled ''The Path of Challenges'', ''The Throne of Justice and Love'' and ''No Despair'' all through SoundCloud and YouTube. On 13 October 2017, it was announced that the project had signed to Nosral Recordings, a label formed by Mike Larson of

Frost Like Ashes Frost Like Ashes is a Christian black metal band that formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 2001. The band has released two EPs - ''Born to Pieces'' and ''Pure as the Blood Covered Snow'' - and a full-length album, ''Tophet'', and their songs have ...

, which began as a sub-label of Rottweiler Records. In 2018, the band began to record their fourth EP, a self-titled EP. Before the EP was released, the band debut the single, "Shekinah" as a lyric video. The EP came out on 24 February 2018. The EP was produced by Luke Dinan of Children of Wrath and DinaSound Productions, which gave the EP a better produced sound than previous efforts. The EP received mixed to positive reviews. The project and label announced on 20 August 2018, that they were releasing a compilation of all three independent EPs titled ''One Path to the Heavenly Kingdom''. The project is currently working on their first full-length album, a cover of

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...

with

Symphony of Heaven Symphony of Heaven is a Christian blackened death metal band from Owensville, Indiana, United States. The band began in 2017 as a solo project, but morphed into a full band by 2019, consisting of Logan Thompson (guitars/vocals), David Napier (bass ...

, a song coming on a compilation between The Bearded Dragon Productions and Love Your Enemies Records, and will appear on a split album of Symphony of Heaven, Bismoth, and

Timōrātus Timōrātus (), also stylized as TIMŌRĀTUS, began in 2006, as a solo project of David Napier. The band was to begin as a metal band, but Napier, who had injured his hands, began the project with a more programmed electronic foundation. The band ...

, providing backing vocals for the final band. The band will also be releasing a cover of " We Wish You a Merry Christmas" through The Bearded Dragon Productions and Rottweiler Records. However, in 2019, the band would depart from the label and release material on their own. The Cannibal Corpse cover would not be released, three full-lengths, ''777'', ''To Victory We March'', and ''All Glory to the King of the Kings and the Lord of the Lords'', would be released. An EP, titled ''The Almighty Exorcist'', which featured Abated Mass of Flesh vocalist Matt Plunkett and Come to Pass vocalist Nick Wiser.

Influences

Shadow Puncher is influenced by several bands, most notably

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

, Sepultura, Dimmu Borgir, Broken Flesh, Abominable Putridity, Rings of Saturn,

Antestor Antestor () is a Norwegian Christian extreme metal band formed in 1990 in Jessheim. Credited for starting the northern European Christian metal, Christian black metal scene,Bryzak, Michael. Liner notes of ''The Defeat of Satan'' album. 2003. End ...

, and

Grave Declaration Grave Declaration is a Christian black metal Unblack metal (also known as Christian black metal) is a religious philosophy and subgenre within black metal, inheriting several characteristics of it, such as the melody, the lyrics and the aesthet ...

. However, reviews have compared him to Dominator Et Sanctum, and Abated Mass of Flesh.

Members

* Max Kevin Ølstøren – unclean vocals, guitars, bass, drums (2016–present)

Discography

EPs * ''The Path of Challenges'' (2017) * ''The Throne of Justice and Love'' (2017) * ''No Despair'' (2017) * ''Shadow Puncher'' (2018) * ''The Almighty Exorcist'' (2019) Studio albums * ''All Glory to the King of the Kings and the Lord of the Lords'' (2019) * ''To Victory We March'' (2019) * ''777'' (2019) Compilation * ''One Path to the Heavenly Kingdom'' (2018) Singles *"Evil Dead" (2019) *"Where o death...?" (2019) *"Knowledge" (2019) *"Strength" (2019)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Bandcamp
Norwegian Christian metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2016 Norwegian death metal musical groups Extreme metal musical groups Groove metal musical groups Nosral Recordings artists 2016 establishments in Norway