Shadows In the Dark have been lurking for quite a while, ever since the "Snuff Machinery" EP (or even the compilation Septic II) there's been a buzz, a lot of anticipation and eagerness to hear exactly what this Pride and Fall/Suicide Commando/Dioxyde-like outfit could do. "Stronghold" can do a lot of thing. Such as provide lots of listening pleasure, fill the dance floor and provide some basis for contemplation. Something that was quite nice to find was that all songs with vocals are commented upon in the booklet, some more explanatorily than others but it's nice to come across a booklet with at least some thought put into it.
Back to how it sounds. There's some Suicide Commando, some VNV Nation, at least in the instrumentals, and I hint some Dioxyde. Though they might not have listened to that during the writing process... I for one like [:SITD:] better than the latter works of previously mentioned artists as "Stronghold" show cases a much wider range of emotions and approaches to modern ebm and the concept of dance music than I think Suicide Commando for example has done in the past years. There's a complexity of subjects, intertwined, separate and diverse that's often lacking elsewhere.
It's a bit of a shame to pick favourites 'cause that implies leaving some out. I think the songs released as EPs are perhaps not the most noteworthy although, quite some time after hearing it for the first time, "Snuff Machinery" still throws sparks around it. "Lebensborn" is another fantastic song, as is the melodic "Rose-Coloured Skies" and the instrumental "2nd Death" that's built around a few samples and a rough distorted beat. [:SITD:] just might one of last year's most promising new-comers to the electro-industrial scene.