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'Shadowmaker is the eighth studio album by the Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica. It was released on April 17 in Europe and Australia, April 20 in the UK, France, and Latin America, April 21 in the US and Canada, and April 22 in Japan.

Shadowmaker is the first album to feature a single lead vocalist, Franky Perez, on all of the tracks, as opposed to the various guest vocalists featured in previous studio albums.

History
The name of the album was announced on November 12, 2014 on the official Apocalyptica social network pages.

On October 8 it was announced that Grammy-award winning producer Nick Raskulinecz would be involved in the creation of the new album.

The first single off the album, the title track Shadowmaker, was released in December 2014, and was soon followed by the second single, Cold Blood, in February 2015.

Track listing
All tracks produced by Nick Raskulinecz

Release
Shadowmaker was released in five different formats.

Standard CD
Contains the regular ten tracks.

Mediabook Deluxe CD
Contains two additional tracks; “Reign in Fear” and “Come Back Down”.

Digital Download
The digital download version also contains the two bonus tracks

Double Vinyl LP
Contains the regular ten tracks, as well as the two bonus tracks, as well as the CD.

Boxset
A collector’s edition boxset that contains a limited edition CD, double vinyl LP, a photograph of the band, a vinyl-sized special booklet, and a Shadowmaker candlelight.

Reception
The album has received generally positive reviews; many praising Apocalyptica’s constantly evolving blend of classic and metal, as well as the new lead singer, Franky Perez.

Samantha Wu of Lithium Magazine wrote the following in her review of the album, with regards to the new lead singer; “It appears the perfect balance: the lyrics don’t take away from the orchestral instrumentation nor the cellos take away from the lyrics.“

Personnel

 * Perttu Kivilaakso – cello
 * Paavo Lötjönen – cello
 * Mikko Sirén – drums, percussion
 * Eicca Toppinen – cello
 * Franky Perez – vocals
 * Nick Raskulinecz – producer
 * Greg Fidelman – mixing