North Sea Echoes – mit den Progressive-Metal-Pionieren Ray Alder (Gesang) und Jim Matheos (Gitarre) von Fates Warning – melden sich mit einem neuen Studioalbum zurück: How To Cast A Shadow erscheint am 24. Juli über Metal Blade Records!
Für ihr von der Kritik gefeiertes Debütalbum Really Good Terrible Things (2024) ernteten Alder und Matheos begeisterte Kritiken. Mit dem diesjährigen Album How To Cast A Shadow vertieft und erweitert die Band ihre musikalische Identität. Matheos erklärt: „This record is a bit heavier, with several more songs featuring real drums, played by Dennis Leeflang. It wasn’t necessarily intentional or planned, just the way things shaped up and how they emerged this time.“
Alder stimmt dem zu: „[[A track like] I’ll Leave A Light On is much heavier than anything on Really Good Terrible Things. It has a darker, melancholic feel that fits well on this album. I loosely based the lyrics on a character from my favorite sci-fi series. I won’t say which, but they do use the quote ‚out there in the black.“
Von radiotauglichem Rock wie All That Comes After und dem intimen, sich steigernden A Time Of Innocence And Purpose bis hin zur kraftvollen, zeitlosen Ballade Villains Or Saints – How To Cast A Shadow verbindet auf stimmige Weise verschiedene Genres und fordert gewohnte Hörgewohnheiten heraus.
Die gemeinsame und individuelle Geschichte des Duos trägt zur Schaffung eines frischen, kreativen Werks bei. Alder ist seit 37 Jahren Sänger und Co-Songwriter der Prog-Metal-Größen Fates Warning. Gitarrist und Produzent Matheos ist Mitbegründer von Fates Warning.
Über das zweite Album von North Sea Echoes sagt das Duo: „You could say that there are elements of everything we do or have done on this album, yet Fates and our various other projects are totally different types of music. How To Cast A Shadow ups the promise of its predecessor with provocative words of hope, sorrow and consciousness, paired with Matheos‚ equally emotive, varied and deeply moving guitar work.“
How To Cast A Shadow – Trackliste:
- A Time Of Innocence And Purpose
- Enjoy The View
- Good Enough
- I’ll Leave A Light On
- All Fall Away
- Revenge
- Villains Or Saints
- What Is And What Was
- All That Comes After
- How To Cast A Shadow
Im Vorfeld der Veröffentlichung stellt die Band ihre Lead-Single Enjoy The View vor. Seht euch das Video hier an:
Alder kommentiert: „The guitars and drums have this great drive that builds throughout the song. The combination of quiet verses and heavy choruses made me think (lyrically) of a darker side to some people. Those who would choose numbness over pain.“
North Sea Echoes online:
https://northseaechoes.com