Interview Inside Shadows

Inside Shadows merges power and symphonic metal, crafting a unique sound inspired by classical orchestras and heavy metal, offering a blend of melody and harmony without compromising on intensity.

1. What inspired the band to combine power and symphonic metal influences in your music?
It was a natural combination for us, who grew up listening to metal bands that mix classical music, orchestras, and heavy metal. It is a type of sound that brings an epic atmosphere and helps the mind to imagine an adventure or a movie, it brings more melody and harmony, but without taking away the powerful sound of heavy metal.
2. Can you share the story behind the band's hiatus in 2022 and how you regrouped with a new lineup in 2023?
Yes, it was a complicated period for us. Shortly after the release of Tears Of Insanity, we played at a small festival in our city, and everything seemed to be going well, however, some personal problems and differences of thoughts made our keyboardist Alice Schiavoto leave the band. With that, we started the search for a new keyboardist and soon found Paulo Yah, but we decided to organize the band better before returning with posts on social media, we wanted to make more songs, and that's when another problem arose. Ana had difficulty creating vocal lines, had difficulty with English, and did not have enough time for music. Months passed and we made no progress in the compositions, I did everything I could to help, but Ana couldn't move forward, and this caused the band to stagnate. I was unmotivated with the band, so I announced that I was going to stop, but I told everyone in the band to continue, as there was great potential, everyone responded that if I stopped, everyone would stop too. So we ended the band's activities. Ana left our chat group and we no longer had contact with her. After a few months, Mauricio met Julia, initially asking if she could recommend someone to try to continue with the band's vocals, Julia heard our single, liked it a lot, and said: I can sing in your band if you want! So we spent 2023 working on new music and making demos
3. "Tears Of Insanity" received positive feedback from both fans and fellow musicians. How did this impact the band's direction moving forward?
It was a great motivation for us! It's very rare to receive such positive feedback on the first release, considering no one had ever heard of our band. I had worked on a lyric video project with Marc Hudson from Dragon Force and I showed our single and he liked it, Alice showed the single to Giada Etro from Frozen Crown and she also praised our work. This was essential so that even after the band ended, the desire to continue remained alive.
4. With a diverse range of musical influences like Angra, Symphony X, and Kamelot, how do you maintain a unique sound for Inside Shadows?
That's a big challenge! Nowadays many bands end up sounding practically identical, mainly with female vocals and symphonic influences, they all end up sounding like Nightwish or Epica. At Inside Shadows we try to sound more like Stratovarius or Angra, and classic power metal bands, but we use a very low tuning on the guitar, and we also mix our metalcore and modern metal influences (in the breakdowns). Julia's voice is a key point to sound more original, although she knows very well how to sing in a lyrical and operatic style, in the band she uses another technique, singing more in a power metal style.

5. "Against the Time" is your latest single. What themes or messages are explored in this song, and how does it fit into the band's overall narrative?
The single explores the concept that sometimes in our lives, we end up deviating from what we dream of, but that there is always time to correct this. The lyrics were thought from the point of view of a person who has been through this and finds themselves "running against time" to live through everything they missed, it is a positive message. Just like Tears Of Insanity, we like to convey positive and motivational messages, but they can be interpreted in different ways by the listener. We are not the type of band that writes about dragons and elves (although we like that), we prefer to address the emotional side or mental aspects of the human being.
6. Could you describe the creative process behind your music, especially in terms of blending intricate instrumentals with lyrical vocals?
The creative process varies a lot, but usually, I create a melody or chorus, and pass that idea onto the guitar, creating the basis for the song. Sometimes I already have the lyrics for the song, but when I don't, Julia helps create them, and she also writes very well and soon we will bring her ideas for new songs. From this point onwards, a long process of "layering" of sound begins. We added keyboards, bass lines, vocal duets, choirs, and everything else. For the drums, we initially write the midi as a sketch, and then Marcelo plays the definitive drums in the recording. This all takes a lot of time and requires dedication, because it's very different from just writing a guitar riff and starting to headbang to a song made in 5 minutes, I'd love to be able to do that haha, but that's not how things work in symphonic power metal.
7. What challenges did the band face during the transition between the original lineup and the current one, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest difficulty, always in the previous formation and the current one, was the lack of time to dedicate to music. We would love to have an income from the band, and be able to do much more, but we all have our jobs, families, and responsibilities, and the schedules of each person in the band never coincide, especially in a poor country like Brazil, it is difficult to survive and paying the bills, all of this takes a lot of time out of our lives, it's very rare that Inside Shadows manages to get together with everyone to compose or decide the next steps. We've been deciding everything and even creating songs through our message group. We hope this changes soon.
8. How has the reception been for your recent performances and releases since returning in 2023?
Well, actually, with the new lineup we haven't performed live yet hahaha. We returned with the band in 2023 but we only released our new single in April 2024, before that we were invisible to the public. The reception for the new single "Against the Time" was fantastic! We are going to perform in some small shows in our city very soon, and we hope that our friends and the public like what we have prepared.

9. What can fans expect from Inside Shadows in terms of future projects, such as albums, tours, or collaborations?
For now, we plan to release several singles. We have 4 more singles in production that we will release throughout 2024. We are a completely independent band and we do not have the financial means to tour or record an album for now. Having a recorded album and band merchandising, such as t-shirts and other gifts, is still a distant dream, which we will fight to achieve. We are always open to collaborations, but for now, we cannot pay a big name to collaborate with us. Whenever possible we will perform shows in our city and region.
10. Finally, how do you see the evolution of symphonic power metal in the global music scene, and where does Inside Shadows fit into that evolution?
Symphonic Power Metal has evolved a lot in recent years, incorporating characteristics of prog metal or even djent. I think there are two types of bands: the first are bands with a traditional focus, they have been doing the same type of sound since the 80s and will always continue like that, and that's okay with that. The second is the bands that seek to innovate and evolve their sound, whether by adding new elements or techniques, always looking for new ways to express themselves, but maintaining the essence of power metal. Inside Shadows is certainly part of this group. We want our sound to sound modern, but maintain the connection with the power metal we grew up listening to and being fans of.

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