The Black Map #245: Shadow Smile from Sheffield!

You’ve made it. You’re alive. It’s Sunday. If you’re lucky, some hot coffee and a family dinner awaits and if not, there is always a tin of beans and a flat beer from last night. This week we’re in the famous Steel City to talk about one of its lesser lights of heaven, if for no other reason than its all part of what we do with this feature, introduce you to a new band that you might like to check out, you know, if you’re bored or need something to annoy the family with. Hangovers are optional, Metal is essential. The life blood that runs through the veins of those are addicted to it. So while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, have a read of this…

Back in January Sheffield Alternative Metal act Shadow Smile premiered the first single of an entirely crowdfunded debut album in “Signed In Blood“. Written from the perspective of the Devil himself, pleading with the listener to surrender their soul for a price to weigh heavy enough to take them down the bowels of Hell in the afterlife, it aligns itself with the concept of the record which focuses in on the Seven Deadly Sins and in particular how they apply in the current age. Produced by Daniel Jeffery and Mixed by James Pinder (The Wildhearts, While She Sleeps, Malevolence) the rest remains firmly under wraps with just a Valentines Day teaser for “Hell Bound Heart” alongside a number of live shows mentioned since… What we can tell you is that they began releasing music in 2019 with EP “The Unholy Trinity“, citing inspiration from bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Ghost and While She Sleeps and have a current line up comprising vocalist Connor Byron McGovern, guitarist Adam Smith, bassist Ethan Goebel-Todd and drummer Joe Fletcher. Lyrically they have leaned on the occult with tales from the left hand path littering their songs and some calling them a cult…