TO CAST A SHADOW - In Memory Of

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' is amazing according to Allmetalresources.com!

"To Cast A Shadow from Hamar, Norway are gothic metal with integrity, and I say that with great severity. Artists like UnSun and Delain, whom are definitely similar, are also much more melodic and, dare I say, poppier than To Cast A Shadow. In Memory Of, the band’s second full length, echoes the bleakness of black metal (like I said, this is REAL goth), with the sweet sounds of Gunnhild Huser who provides an innocent aspect to the darkness that inhabits this album. Truly, this is a remarkable effort.

Equally memorable, while not blatant, are the melodies throughout the record. Goth, clearly demarcating itself from the brutality of the extremes existent in black metal, co-habitates itself with the swells of beauty to make sure listeners understand this isn’t about nihilism, this is about human suffering and sadness, which in my opinion is a much more somber topic than outright hatred, violence or nihilism. To Cast A Shadow does a brilliant job providing it’s listeners with a full palette of emotional songs that are substantiated primarily by the melodies sung with great care by Gunnhild. Of course, this isn’t to take anything away from the rest of the band who artfully tear apart the human soul with melancholy, spurred on by moments of sudden rage which is all existent within the human self.

This album is about pure passion, simple as that. There’s nothing flashy about In Memory Of, it’s pure goth, the way goth was meant to be played. Some have criticized female fronted goth outfits for pandering to the Evanescence crowd, which is true in some respect, but make no mistake, To Cast A Shadow have crafted a memorable record for the hardcore metal head, and while I can only speak for myself, I can say I truly appreciate the effort. AMAZING" [Cody]

Link:
http://allmetalresource.com/2011/04/05/review-to-cast-a-shadow-in-memory-of-2011/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

New interview with TO CAST A SHADOW available on Heavymetal.no!

"To Cast A Shadow imponerer med sitt nye album, 'In Memory Of', som kom via Kolony Records i februar. Stilen er tung og smått gotisk, og har klare referanser til Third And The Mortal så vel som andre tungvektere innenfor doom med melodi. Sleng deg på lasset og finn ut hva gitarist og vokalist Marcus har å fortelle rundt skiva og bandet generelt.

Jeg ble imponert over hvor gjennomarbeidet skiva var, hvor nær perfekt arrangeringen var. Hvor mye jobbet dere med denne biten i forkant? Og da kanskje sammenlignet med debuten…

"Takk for det. Sammenlignet med den første skiva har vi jobbet mye mer med låtene denne gangen. De har blitt til over litt lengere tid, noe som gjorde at vi fikk prøvd ut en del ideer på øvinger samt at vi også har kunnet leke oss med flere detaljer. Vi er også ganske kresene når vi lager låter, noe vi alltid har vært, så når vi først har en sang klar, er det for å bruke den. Det var vel kanskje bare en eller to låter som ikke kom med denne gangen."

Ble det gjort grep for å sikre kontrakt? Eller kom selskapet til dere? Pluss, hvordan er kontrakten for dere? Jeg mener en av dere uttalte noe i duren bedre å være stor på en liten label enn liten på en stor, det stemmer det?

"Som alle andre band i denne fasen tok vi kontakt med flere selskaper, men Kolony Records, som vi endte opp på, tok kontakt med oss etter utgivelsen av vår første skive. De likte det de hørte og var interessert i et samarbeid. Vi holdt kontakten og fikk et godt inntrykk av selskapet og skrev dermed kontrakt med de før utgivelsen av In Memory Of. Vi har hatt en veldig god dialog så langt, og det at de er et lite selskap gjør at vi føler at de jobber for oss og har fokus på utgivelsen, noe som kanskje ikke alltid er tilfellet for et mindre band på et stort selskap."

Hva gjorde dere før To Cast A Shadow?

"Vi tre gutta i bandet har alltid spillt sammen siden instrumentene var større en oss..he-he. Vi har vært litt av og på med tanke på studier og jobb, og vært innom litt forskjellige stilarter også, men vi har alltid hatt en lidenskap for musikk og å spille. Det var først med To Cast a Shadow, som ble til i 2005, det begynte å bli mer seriøst. Gunnhild på sin side tilbrakte tiden med musikkstudier og synger også i et annet band."

Og hvordan er musikkmiljøet der dere henger? Er dere kanskje ikke en del av et norsk miljø?

"I Hamar, hvor vi har vår base, er det et veldig godt musikkmiljø. Det finnes mange band og konserttilbudet har også blitt veldig bra. Vi er også så heldige å ha en utmerket rock-/metalpub i by´n hvor alle musikkinteresserte møtes for å ta en pils eller fem og høre på god musikk."

Noen band må ut av Norge for å gjøre fra seg, for så å komme tilbake med et etablert navn. Var det litt slik for dere? For jeg kan ikke minnes å ha hørt så altfor mye om dere?

"Vi er nok et band som har fått mer fokus i utlandet enn her hjemme ja, og det har nok litt med den musikkstilen vi spiller å gjøre også. Dette vil nok også forsette vil jeg tro, da det er et bedre marked der ute, men vi håper jo at flere i Norge vil oppdage oss og like musikken vi spiller."

Kolony på promosiden da? Har dere noen forventinger til mengden intervjuer og feedback i tiden som kommer? Og hvordan har denne biten vært så langt?

"I forhold til utgivelsen av den første skiva har promoteringen vært mye bedre denne gangen, og Kolony har lagt ned litt jobb i nettopp dette. Vi hadde vel ikke noen spesielle forventninger i fohold til intervjuer og feedback, men så langt har det vært veldig bra. Det har vært mange annmeldelser allerede i store utenlandske magasiner og webzines samt en del intervjuer. Vi har også vært så heldige å få en del radiospilling rundt om i Europa."

Coveret, jeg vet ikke helt, det var fint og greier, men det var litt kjedelig,. Sorry . Det er litt substansløst kanskje, men hva mener dere selv? Har det et budskap i forhold til tittel? Og var ideen deres eller ble alt servert ferdig oppskåret?

"Konseptet og selve ideen rundt coveret ble først og fremst utarbeidet av Matthew Vickerstaff fra Darkwave Art & Design i England. Coveret er basert på tittelen 'In Memory Of' , og gjenspeiler også et konsept rundt livets mørke sider. Helheten får man vel best av hele digi-pack coveret. Vi liker det iallefall... "

Det er seigt, trist og nedstemt stemning, er dere selv skrudd sammen slik? Eller får dere ut alt av dunkelhet i To Cast A Shadow og er generelt glade mennesker utenom bandsfæren?

"Tja, hva skal man si... Generelt sett er vi ganske vanlige mennesker, men vi har kanskje en mørkere side enn folk flest. Man kan si at vi benytter musikken til å få ut våre følelser."

Konserten i Kristiansand, hvordan er tankene på den nå i ettertid? Og blir det mange livejobber framover?

"Det var første gang i Kristiansand for oss, og jeg må si det var en vellykket gig det. Til tross for et noe amputert PA anlegg, var det veldig gøy å spille og det var bra liv. Vi kommer gjerne tilbake til sørlandet igjen. (Takk for bra konsertomtale forresten...). Når det gjelder livejobber fremover, jobber vi nå med å få på plass noen konserter i Europa."

Hvor tror du bandet kommer til å gjøre det best? Tyskland? Eller kanskje i Beneluxlandene? Slik musikk er jo ganske stor i deler av verden, men jeg holder en knapp på at kvaliteten dere tilbyr vil strekke seg utenfor disse ferdigsnekrede miljøene.

"Det er jo litt vanskelig å si, men i tillegg til de landene du nevner her, som er et mekka for slik musikk, tror jeg England og kanskje Finland kan være gode markeder for oss. Nå har vi per i dag ikke noe distribusjon i Amerika, bortsett fra digitalt, men det kan jo også være et spennende marked."

Hva er den røffe storyen på studiobesøket? Hvor fant innspillingen sted og hvem tok del i prosessen? Samt, det er en meget god lyd på skiva, var det uventet resultat i forhold til hva dere så/hørte for dere i forkant? Når låtene ble smidd på lokalet?

"Skiva ble spillt inn i perioder, over en tid på ca. 6-7 mnd., og slaget fant sted hos Hamar Recordings. Dette ga oss også tid til å forme låtene slik vi ville ha dem. I tillegg til å sitte som produsenter selv, fikk vi også god hjelp av Kristian Sigland (The Crest). Vi er også godt fornøyd med lyden på skiva, dette var ikke uventet da vi visste hva Rikard Löfgren hos Leon Music, som mikset albumet, var god for. Det som kanskje overgikk, iallefall mine forventninger, var det at det ble en såpass røff, aggresiv og organisk lyd, noe jeg synes kler musikken og som vi også klarer å gjenskape live."

Om folk vil trekke skiva i hus, foreligger det norsk distro?

"Det gjør det. Indie Distribution står for distrubusjonen i Skandinavia, og skiva vil være å finne på de vanlige stedene som f.eks. Platekompaniet, Musikkverket, CDON osv. Løp og kjøp!"

Så langt sier vi tusen takk for at dere stilte opp, kjør gjerne noen avsluttende ord, for exempel på hvor folk kan sjekke dere ut online og hvor mye du ønsker at leserne kjøper en kopi

"Takk til dere også for intervjuet. Ønsker du å vite mer om To Cast a Shadow, besøk oss på hjemmesiden og Myspace, eller bli venn med oss på Facebook. Liker du melodiøs doom/goth/heavy metal, så sjekk ut vår nye skive In Memory Of - NÅ!"" [Yngve M. Jacobsen]

Link:
http://www.heavymetal.no/show.article.asp?menuid&artid=13140

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

TO CAST A SHADOW plays 'Nordic goth Metal for grown ups' according to Metal Hammer UK - rating is 7/10!

"The second album from these Norwegian gothic metallers picks up where their 2007 debut, All Alone, left off, the one major change being Gunnhild Huser taking over the lead vocals slot from Camilla Granlien. In a scene awash with oh-woe-is-me giddiness, TCAS distinguish themselves with a well-executed and mature sounding effort. Yet again it's clear that My Dying Bride's stately dirges and, to a lesser extent, prime-era Paradise Lost top the list of obvious influences. Gunnhild's atmospheric voice is undoubtedly their trump card, suggesting that fans of other Norwegian novelties such as The 3rd and the Mortal, In the Woods... and Madder Mortem may want to check in." [Greg Moffitt]

Link:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...97237021894&type=1&pid=7084723&id=97237021894

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' was reviewed by Metal-army.com and was rated A-!!!

"Norway’s To Cast a Shadow play a fairly original game here on their sophomore effort, In Memory Of.

While I can’t say that I’ve been personally familiar with this band’s work up until this point, I’m sort of kicking myself that I haven’t, because In Memory Of displays an incredible amount of promise within its dark, gothic grooves.

For once, the attached press release actually describes the band quite well, offering up classic doom/death templates of 3rd and the Mortal, Theatre of Tragedy and Paradise Lost as comparative aesthetics, combined with the neo-progressive elements of Tool and Porcupine Tree.

If anything, the overall effect possess much in common with their countrymen (and woman) in Madder Mortem. Both acts are currently leading the charge in terms of forward-thinking stylistic risks, while also remaining conceptually vague and difficult to categorize.

In this day and age, this is definitely a good thing, and To Cast a Shadow win via their dogged determination to be different than the leagues of copycats and plagiarists currently ruling the indie metal roost. Instead, the band embraces heritage, quality and hard working songcraft, and the results speak for themselves: In Memory Of is a fantastic effort which blazes its own unique trail in the rough, spun hard by Marcus Garnlien’s inventive riffing and singer Gunnhild Huser’s sweet-yet-strong lead vocal command.

Sounding equal parts Kari Rueslatten and Agnete Kirkevaag, Huser is just one of the band’s excellent elements of defense against an oft-insipid and boring scene; a light in the darkness of complacency. Kudos to you guys for taking chances and coming up with something you can call your own!" [MetalGeorge]

Link:
http://www.metal-army.com/?p=19382

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

New interview with TCAS online at France's Vs-webzine.com!

"1 Salut à tous, pouvez-vous présenter le groupe pour ceux qui ne vous connaissent pas encore ?
To Cast a Shadow a démarré en 2005 en Norvège. Les voix féminines sont interprétées par Gunnhild Huser, la guitare est jouée par Marcus Granlien, derrière les fûts vous trouvez Kent Helset et moi-même, Stian Dalslaen je m’occupe de la basse.

2 Félicitations pour votre nouvel album, je trouve que c’est une réussite. Pouvez-vous décrire la musique de To Cast a Shadow ?
Merci du compliment. La musique que nous jouons se classe sûrement dans la catégorie doom/goth metal. Nous avons aussi des chansons plus dynamiques, je pense que nous penchons plus vers le doom et le heavy metal que le goth. De bonnes mélodies sont aussi la pierre angulaire de notre musique, ce qui pour moi les rend plus intéressantes.

3 Vous avez changé de chanteuse pour « In Memory of ». Quelle en a été la raison ? Ce genre de changement est toujours compliqué, êtes-vous satisfaits de l’intégration de Gunnhild ?
Camilla, notre ancienne chanteuse, a aussi une carrière dans la musique folk, elle n’avait donc tout simplement pas le temps de continuer avec nous. L’intégration de Gunnhild a été parfaite et je pense que le groupe a évolué vocalement grâce à la diversité de son chant, aussi bien en studio qu’en live. Elle chante également très bien nos anciennes chansons sur scène.

4 Vous mentionnez beaucoup d’influences telles que Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride ainsi que d’autres, si je vous dis qu’un morceau comme « Morose » est le digne successeur de The 3rd and the Mortal, êtes-vous d’accord avec moi ?
Avez-vous essayé de retranscrire l’atmosphère de cet excellent groupe ?
Je suis tout à fait d’accord avec toi. Nous adorons The 3rd and the Mortal, mais nous n’avons pas intentionnellement cherché à sonner comme eux. Ils sont bien sûr une de nos influences principales, aussi je pense que l’atmosphère et le son de notre musique leur ressemblent naturellement.

5 Vous n’avez aucun clavier sur cet album, c’est assez inhabituel dans votre catégorie musicale, et je trouve que c’est mieux ainsi. Comment avez-vous décidé de cela ?
Nous avons toujours été un groupe à 3 instruments (guitare-basse-batterie), plus les vocaux, c’est comme cela que nous jouons live. Nous aimons vraiment cette formation et je pense que cela sonne plus naturel que ce soit sur album ou en concert. C’est aussi une manière de nous différencier des autres groupes du même genre.

6 Une question pour Gunnhild maintenant. Ta voix est superbe et le charme de « In Memory of » vient en partie de toi, peux-tu nous décrire ton expérience dans le metal ainsi que peut-être dans d’autres styles ?
Merci de ta gentillesse ! Je n’ai pas beaucoup d’expérience dans le metal, mais j’adore vraiment ce style. Ma voix provient de différents genres, opera, jazz, soul, classique, folk et rock. Dans To Cast a Shadow, j’utilise tous ces styles à ma convenance, et c’est extra pour moi. Cela m’aide aussi à transmettre mes émotions dans les chansons.

7 Votre 1er album « All Alone » est sorti depuis un bon moment maintenant. Quel recul avez-vous par rapport à ce dernier ? Quelles sont les principales différences entre « All Alone » et « In Memory of » ?
Personnellement, j’aime beaucoup « All Alone », il contient de très bonnes mélodies et un super feeling. Je prends aussi du plaisir à jouer live quelques chansons dont certaines sont très appréciées du public. Concernant notre nouvel album, la principale différence est l’énergie et la variété des chansons, et le son qui est plus naturel.

8 J’ai eu seulement le CD promo, que pouvez-vous nous dire concernant les paroles ?
Les paroles sont assez personnelles et d’une certaine façon elles peuvent se rapporter au titre « In Memory of », à des personnes disparues, à l’amour, la mort ou bien des souvenirs qui nous sont chers.

9 Quels sont vos projets pour le futur ? Une tournée, des idées sur le prochain CD déjà ?
Notre nouvel album vient de sortir et nous allons continuer à en faire la promo. Nous avons plusieurs shows de planifiés et j’espère que nous serons capables de prévoir une tournée européenne. Nous allons bien sûr commencer l’écriture de nouvelles chansons et espérons sortir un autre album dans un délai assez court.

10 Merci pour vos réponses, un dernier mot pour finir ?
Je t’en prie ! Et merci pour l’interview. Et merci à tous ceux qui liront cette interview. Nous espérons que vous aimerez notre musique. Santé de Norvège!" [Dimmu77]

Link:
http://www.vs-webzine.com/new.php?page=new-itw&id_news=1234&pagh=&droite

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Song 'My Misery' by TO CAST A SHADOW is featured on the cd sampler of Serbian Nocturne Magazine!

Link:
http://nocturnemagazine.net/vest/509/nocturne-18-u-prodaji-od-11-maja-2011

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' gets 9/10 on Hungarian webzine Passzio.hu!

"Noha a norvég zenekar állítólag még 1990-ben alakult, egészen 2005-ig húzódott a bemutatkozásuk, de akkor is csak egy négy számos demóval rukkoltak elő. Elég szokatlan, bár nem egyedülálló történet, viszont a látszat ellenére sem true black metalról van szó, és a glam vagy a NWOBHM-féle retró skandináv vonalra gyanakodók sem kapizsgálnak jó helyen. Amit itt kapunk az nemes egyszerűséggel gótikus/doom metal női énekkel...
A Paradise Lost első öt korongját valószínűleg betéve tudják, hiszen a 2007-es All Alone debütlemezük Erzsebet című száma (na, vajon kiről szólhat?) már-már plágiumszámba ment, de maga az egész lemez is az Icon vénájában született, a Moonspell és egynémely doom banda hatását sem nélkülözve. Amúgy nem rossz anyag, de nyilvánvalóan nem überelheti az úttörőket. Viszont második nekifutásra – egy énekes cserét követően – már sokkal egyénibb hangvételű, de nem kevésbé hangulatos alkotást produkáltak és a legkorábban közzétett két új nóta hallatán nem voltam rest máris megrendelni a korongot.

A zenei hatások mit sem változtak, továbbra is a Paradise Lost, Moonspell, The 3rd and the Mortal, My Dying Bride, Anathema és Type O Negative nyomdokán haladva alkotnak. De a zene ettől elvonatkoztatva is megállja a helyét, okosan felépített, bár borongós hangulatú szerzemények sorakoznak itt, amivel a stílus hívői valószínűleg nem lesznek elégedetlenek. Hozzá kell tegyem, a gótikus jelző jelen esetben sokkal komolyabb tartalommal bír, mint a mindenféle extravagáns ruhákba öltözött hatásvadász műgót bandák esetében. Egészen egyszerűen van mélysége a zenének és képes megérinteni a hallgatót, anélkül, hogy szemernyit is vesztene metalos jellegéből. Számomra ez az anyag legfőbb erénye, Gunnhild Huser csilingelő éneke – áriázás kizárva – pedig vitán felül teszi teljessé a képet. Nagyszerű orgánummal bír a hölgy, bár helyenként mélyebb tónusú férfi ének is színesíti a képet, és talán nem véletlenül hasonlítják több helyen az egykori Theatre of Tragedy-s Nell Sigland-hoz, aki egyébként vendégként közreműködik a Betula című dalban. De mégsem ez a legnagyobb durranás, mert a csodaszép Nightfall lassulása, a When You Leave the Room vagy a picit direktebb Set Afire szerintem még nívósabb nóták. Hangszeres szempontból képtelenség kötözködni, a hangzás hibátlan (köszönhetően a The Crest-főnök Kristian Sigland produceri szakértelmének), egyedüli nyűgöm, hogy a booklet nem tartalmazza a szövegeket, pedig hely lett volna bőven...

Talán többen nem osztják majd a véleményem, de szerintem kiváló lemez, mindenféle üresjárat nélkül. A műfaj rajongóinak ajánlom figyelmébe, de csak azoknak, akiket nem zavarnak az említett zenei hatások..."

Link:
http://passzio.hu/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=23234

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Song 'Nightfall' by TO CAST A SHADOW featured in this week's episode of The Wyrd Ways Rock Show!

Link:
http://www.wyrdwaysrs.com/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

New review of 'In Memory Of' - this time the album gets 9,5/10 on Metal Believe webzine! :hotjump::hotjump:

"Norwegian band To Cast A Shadow might be the Holy Graal of the gothic metal scene. This is their 2nd installement and is quite a masterful work of art.
The band somehow succeeded to recapture the sound found on early Theatre Of Tragedy albums: very haunting and depressive, yet catchy and addictive.
Therefore, we deal here with a solid sample of gothic/doom metal, from its inception shape from the early 90's.
Heavily distorted riffs are all over, permanently sustained by inspired solos, and those guitars succeed to fill the entire structure of songs, without adding a keyboard, which is one of the biggest plus of the record. It's really amazing how the guitarist Marcus Granlien is carrying the weight of the songs with such an easy genuineness.
Beside being a guitar-driven album, the other major highlight is the voice of the singer Gunnhild Huser. Her range is admirable, but when she is using her usual low tone is really magnificent, because she really succeeds to induce you that depression specific to doom metal style. I also appreciate the fact that she's not pushing herself more than her capacity, so don't expect soprano higher notes - instead you will find a pleasant moderate high voice.
I also like the fact that, despite being a "beauty and the beast" band, the male growls and shrieks are very slightly used, leaving room for the exceptional voice of Gunnhild.
The comparations with Theatre Of Tragedy are inevitable, although you will find similarities also with The Gathering, especially within some progressive parts in the guitar scores ("Nightfall" seems escaped from the cult-album "Nighttime Birds" of the mighty The Gathering) and early Lake Of Tears albums.
But, To Cast A Shadow is not a clone, not by any means.It's a very great hope for the future of the gothic genre and, meantime, the guarantee for keeping the gothic metal legacy form the 90's still alive.
It's quite hard to find flaws here, beacuse, basically, To Cast A Shadow released a perfect gothic metal album for the 90's! No, they're not very original, but they play with a great sense of melody and with great passion, things that are instantly recognized from the first chords until the last notes.
"In Memory Of" is a huge masterpiece of gloominess, an entire chapter in the book of gothic metal, not only a small paragraph.
I wonder, still, is there any public left for this genre nowadays?" [Ciprian Faur]

Link:
http://metalbelieve.blogspot.com/2011/06/to-cast-shadow-in-memory-of-2011.html

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

Take a look at this great review (90/100) of To Cast a Shadow's latest album by Infernal Masquerade Webzine!

"In the slow and painfully good category today we have To Cast a Shadow and their Doom album “In Memory of”. It has been quite a while since a band has managed to capture the emptiness and bleakness of Death/Gothic Doom Metal, but luckily To Cast a Shadow has given us 10 tracks of emotional music.

Hailing from Norway, this band delivers a very simple yet effective approach to the genre and with angelic female vocals creates a very powerful atmosphere. Traditional Doom Metal riffs open “Tormented” and all is good until you get the male vocals, to be brutally honest… they suck, but the female vocals greatly make up for this in the rest of the song.

For us, the album really started with “Morose”, in this song the band uses simple drum/riff patterns and effectively crafts a very traditional song for the genre. We particularly like how depressing the female vocals are in this song. The ‘acoustic’ passages greatly add to the overall mood of this very effective song. “Nightfall” keeps on the same tradition and will depress the hell out of you… just the way we like it.

With some Anathema and Elbereth influences we have “Nightfall”, a very smooth piece that nicely highlights the female vocals with nice melodic guitars and simple drums. “Oceans Apart” is another very nice piece of melancholic power and features some growls. After the nice filler track “Betula”, we have the very dynamic and ethereal “My Misery” with some very nice ‘beauty and the beast’ sections.

“When You Leave the Room” strikes us as a more My Dying Bride-esque song since it is a bit more powerful and direct. The catchy “Set Afire” sounds like older Ashes You Leave songs and it is very entertaining. Our favorite song has to be “The Answer” due to its very catchy melody and solid riffing. “In Memory Of” is our second favorite song due to the effective use of keyboards to contrast the pounding guitars and sweet vocals.

In general, we have to say that “In Memory Of” is an excellent release for all the Death/Gothic Doom lovers. We highly recommend this release if you want crushing guitars, haunting female vocals and overall very entertaining songs." [Dark Emperor]

Link:
http://www.infernalmasquerade.com/?q=reviews/001714-cast-shadow-memory-2011

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' was rated 5/7 (silver) on Mindview magazine #252!

"In een tijd wanneer er van female-fronted gothicmetal nog maar weinig sprake was, waren The Third & the Mortal en In The Woods twee zeer opmerkelijke vreemde eenden in de Noorse metalbijt met hun hemelse engelenzang en breed meanderende gitaartapijten. Beiden zijn ondertussen jammer genoeg ter ziele gegaan. Hun karakteristieke, etherische maar tegelijk zwaar geladen sfeer vatten deze toevallig eveneens Noorse nieuwkomers perfect. ‘In Memory Of’, ze hadden geen passender titel kunnen verzinnen." [TM]

Link:
http://www.mindview.be/images/23/11972.pdf

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' rated 8/10 @ Rock and Metal in my Blood webzine (Italy)!

"Inoltriamoci nella fredda ed oscura Norvegia per incontrare i To Cast a Shadow, interessantissima band dedita ad un Melancholic Doom Metal con profonde venature Gothic, in parte dovute alla presenza di vocals femminili che si alternano a quelle del bravo cantante e chitarrista Marcus Granlien.

Basta inserire il cd nel lettore e far partire la prima traccia per entrare perfettamente nell'oscuro mood che permea l'album. La sofferta voce del singer Marcus crea un contrasto di sicuro impatto battagliando con l'eterea voce della singer Gunnhild, mentre le chitarre dispensano ottimi riff collaborando nel creare un'atmosfera oscura e malinconica, ma al contempo violenta ed energica. Ci lasciamo alle spalle "Tormented" e subito veniamo accolti dal bell'intro di "Morose", traccia che mette in risalto l'ottima produzione, ad opera di Kristian Sigland (registrazione e produzione) e Rikard Löfgren (Mixaggio e Mastering), che dona all'album profondità e musicalità esaltando il valore dei pezzi composti dalla band.
Potenti chitarre distorte seguite da un malinconico arpeggio introducono la bella "NightFall", pezzo che ci riporta alla mente alcune caratteristiche del suono degli storici "My Dying Bride", ma senza darci quella stucchevole sensazione di già sentito che ha spesso permeato le uscite più recenti di molte band appartenenti al genere Doom/Gothic Metal. La potenza delle chitarre è protagonista anche in "Oceans Apart", traccia dove riff granitici si incontrano con un bell'accompagnamento di batteria, mentre il contrasto tra l'angelica voce della brava Gunnhild Huser e lo scream maledetto di Granlien riesce a mozzare il respiro all'ascoltatore, regalando uno dei pezzi più intensi dell'intero album. Il veloce intermezzo semi-acustico "Betula" permette all'ascoltatore di riprendere il respiro prima di essere investito dalla furia di "My Misery", uno dei capolavori dell'album dove un sapiente uso di cori e del contrasto tra growl vocals e vocals femminili (Chiamato in gergo "Beauty and the Beast") permette alla band norvegese di riversare tonnellate di emozioni nelle orecchie dell'ascoltatore, emozioni che gli entreranno dentro per fondersi direttamente con la sua anima.
L'outro quasi "Opethiano" di "My Misery" apre la strada alla cadenzata "When you Leave the Room", traccia dove le ritmiche di chitarra, basso e batteria assumono un andamento marziale e supportano benissimo le linee vocali del pezzo.
L'ottava traccia, "Set Afire", riporta l'ascoltatore su lidi più vicini alla New Wave of Gothic Metal con un pezzo ritmato e di facile assimilazione e ci permette di ammirare ancora una volta la splendida voce di Gunnhild Huser, autrice di una prova sensazionale dietro il microfono. Un intro acustico accompagnato da un duetto di clean vocals ci introduce la bellissima "The Answer", pezzo che contende a "My Misery" il titolo di capolavoro dell'album, grazie al suo andamento cadenzato e marziale e all'ottimo lavoro svolto da Granlien nello sviluppo delle melodie per le sue chitarre.
A chiudere questo bell'album troviamo la Titletrack, che si mostra un pezzo devastante e oscuro capace di proiettare l'ascoltatore in un'atmosfera che ci riporterà alla mente il fascino di una nebbiosa foresta Norvegese, dove la natura incontaminata imprime quel meraviglioso senso di malinconia nell'animo di chi la sa osservare." [Francesco Passanisi]

Link:
http://www.rockandmetalinmyblood.com/readarticle.php?article_id=448

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

A further cool review of 'In Memory Of' @ Heathen Harvest webzine - rating is 4/5!

"This four-member act from Norway follows the path of extremely melodic Gothic Doom Metal with mighty vocals of the graceful Gunnhild Huser and three solid brutes on the instruments. The band sounds truly impressive making one recall real classics from Paradise Lost and, say, Theatre Of Tragedy, whose lead singer Nell adorned the song “Betula” with her beautiful voice.

The work on the voice parts is actually the grandest part of the album since the music is more or less traditional for the style (though not boring or cheesy) and the vocals attack is relentless in its astounding intensity. The girl has some vocal cords in her and she wields them with skill, wit and enthusiasm. Hence the attack: she does not wail in the mist as a lost sheep but creates some real air pressure with which the mist is blown away right in the face of the listener who might as well get hold of something solid not to get borne with the wind away from his cozy world of fast music consumption. Yeah, hold some heavy bar and concentrate.

As I’ve said the musical part is quite traditional yet it contains true melancholy and at need may be energetic and even aggressive like in the song “Tormented” where mid-paced riffs dash into the scull-crushing race of nearly Hardcore extremism. Such rhythm jumps are everywhere so don’t bother to search for a pillow and don’t hope to have a nap either as the music can surprise you with something unexpected at any time. You may get lulled by the melancholic tunes and the moment you close your eyes you get a punch in the face from the growl-producers who got some freedom in comparison with the first record of the band – “All Alone” – that was fully dominated by beautiful female vocals and musically was more mellow and closer to some modern version of slow rock music in the vein of The Gathering. This attempt is harder and heavier and is definitely influenced by Melodic Gothic Doom prophets from Paradise Lost or October Tide. The sound is respectively rich though not polished so that you can feel the abrasive bass pulse or the guitars screech in your head when in the song “When You Leave The Room” the guy turns to soloing and unfolds the wings of piercing sorrow.

In other words, get hold of the album and of something solid to withstand the sonic pressure so that later you could catch the wave and surf through this crystal clear music to your pleasure. The stuff is really good."

Link:
http://heathenharvest.org/2011/07/04/to-cast-a-shadow-in-memory-of-2/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' rated 8/10 @ Pitchline-zine (Spain)!

"Desde tierras noruegas se me brinda la oportunidad de conocer a una formación hasta ahora desconocida para mi y que viene a ser una de esas pocas sorpresas positivas que te encuentras entre tantos calcos como los que últimamente pueblan el metal con hembra al frente. To Cast A Shadow datan desde 1990, aunque no fuese hasta 2007 cuando dejaron constancia con su primer larga duración “All Alone” sin embargo, con motivo de una pequeña reestructuración y con un line-up parcialmente nuevo, este año se publica un interesante "In Memory Of" el cuál enseguida pasare a introducir.

Y lo primero que llama la atención tras los compases iniciales es el poderío vocal de su cantante Gunnhild Huser, una muchacha rubia y tétrica que venia a debutar en este disco tras la salida de su anterior cantante. Desafortunadamente Huser dejaría la banda poco después. He de decir que desconozco sus anteriores andadas pero creo que eso es lo de menos, estamos aquí y es cierto que viendo una foto de la banda, no me imaginaria ni de lejos que esa chica tuviese semejante registro.

"In Memory Of " lo componen diez temas con aires más bien enfocados hacia el Doom Metal más añejo de corte melódico, piezas emotivas, regulares pero convincentes ambientaciones característicamente depresivas, con buenos solos en el caso de "Morose" o el medio-tempo "Nightfall" y con una voz femenina muy melancólica e inocente a ratos mientras que no le cuesta en exceso mostrar su grandilocuencia como la que nos regala en la potente entrada de "Tormented", una pieza bastante del palo Power Metal con un ritmo frenético e riffs acelerados. Mientras que a partir de la posterior "Morose", parece que el álbum se vaya consumiendo en un ambiente depresivo, llegando hasta una densa y pesada "Oceans Apart" donde las guitarras suenan distorsionadas por momentos mientras que la voz de Huser es arropada por un fondo celestal, sin embargo, por el final el tema pega un cambio de ritmo de 190º con un breakdown pesado. Cabe hacer un breve hincapié en la voz de su guitarra Marcus Granlien ya que aunque a primera vista parece que nos vayamos a encontrar con un dúo vocal, no es así sin embargo aparece constantemente para dejar buenas maneras como en este caso donde tira de guturales, mientras que en "Tormented" muestra no quedarse muy corto a la hora de tirar de un registro más limpio.

Más abajo van saliendo cosillas interesantes como la cautivadora y breve "Betula" e insisto en el hecho de que los temas se van volviendo cada vez más lentos y el predominio de atmósferas depresivas se hace más que patente. Poco a poco empieza a aparecer la guitarra acústica lo cuál le da un cierto aire folk a las melodías, mientras que el amplio abanico de registros de sus dos voces sigue reclamando su autoridad con momentos realmente desconcertantes como la sinfónica entrada de "When You Leave The Room".

En general se trata de un disco corto, una curiosidad tratándose de temas elaborados y generalmente lentos, sin embargo To Cast A Shadow parecen tener ese punto de variedad del que otras muchas bandas carecen, las ambientaciones están realmente logradas, y si a ello le añadimos una buena sección melódica y una dupla de voces notable, ello resulta más que suficiente para que la fórmula, sin ser nada nuevo, resulte como poco interesante. Por el final me queda citar una poderosa y de ritmo pegadizo "The Answer" donde se aprecia un acertado piano nada más comenzar el tema, para posteriormente explotar con un riff poderoso mientras la voz de Huser parece como si gritase a los cuatro vientos y su eco pudiese oírse hasta en el rincón más remoto de forma reivindicativa. De los mejores momentos del álbum.

Lo dicho otra vez, una propuesta realmente interesante, y si a todo ello le sumamos una excelente producción y un diseño gráfico espectacular, debería de ser un disco al que no le costase mucho llamar la atención, una perfecta descarga de Doom Metal melódico melancólico y cargado de sentimiento, de bellas atmósferas e diversos pasajes." [The Moor]

Link:
http://www.pitchline-zine.com/reviews.item.php?id=002092

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

'In Memory Of' rated 8/10 @ Midwinterfires.com!

"To Cast a Shadow is a Norwegian gothic/doom metal band. In Memory Of is the band’s second release and their first from Kolony Records. The band draws their influences from bands like My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, The 3rd and the Mortal, Type O Negative, Anathema, Tool, and Black Sabbath.

One of the first things that strikes me about In Memory Of is the high quality of the production. It’s excellent. It’s tight and it’s obviously professionally done. In an odd sort of way it seems almost too well done, like some of the character has been polished away. (Keep in mind Midwinter Fires’ primary focus is underground metal). With that being said, it’s still an excellent sounding album both production wise and musically.

The music is fronted by the beautiful female vocals of Gunnhild Huser who gives an inspired vocal performance that’s not cheesy or over the top. It’s straight forward vocals that fit the mark perfectly. There are also various styles of backing male vocals. They range from screams, pretty decent clean singing and death metal growls.

The music is a gothic/doom mix in the vain of Paradise Lost. While there are elements of doom it’s the gothic side that really tends to shine through. Especially when matched with the female vocals and the clean male singing. I think the production also has a lot to do with the gothic sound as well. The songs are all pretty much the same length and are for the most part created from the same mold.

The rhythm guitars are heavy, making good use of palm muted riffs. They can be doomy at certain times, usually playing simple root chords of the more melodic lead. They do break out once in a while to play more melodic passages. For the most part the bass follows the rhythm guitar though it does add a little bit more flair to it. The lead guitar is usually playing a memorable melody that carries the song when the vocals are not present. Acoustic guitars make subtle appearances through the album though they are used minimally.

Some of the highlights of the album include the opening track “Tormented“, “Nightfall“, “Betula“, “The Answer” and the last track “In Memory Of“.

“Tormented” starts things off with what is probably the fastest song on the album. Amorphis style clean vocals are the first to appear before handing the torch off to the female vocals. One thing that is a guarantee on all of the songs on In Memory Of is that the female vocals are catchy and memorable. They stick in your head long after the song has finished. This song is no exception. “Tormented” just seems to have the right mix of variety, melody and heaviness. Although it could have done without the dismal male scream that appears around the 3:40 mark.

“Nightfall” begins with a great melody which leads into some beautiful female vocals. The sorrowful melody carries on through the arrangement changes. There’s a couple guitar solos with the second solo being the longer and more interesting. The chorus is very effective at getting into your head and blocking off all exits. It could be because it’s repeated so many times or it could be because it’s just that good.

“Betula” is lead by the wonderful voice of Nell Siglund from Theatre of Tragedy. It’s a very simple song but it probably has the most feeling in it of any song on the album. A basic lead plays over-top an even more basic acoustic rhythm. It’s all about the vocals on this track.

“The Answer” again is one of the tracks that captures more feeling than most of the others. At least the brief acoustic intro featuring both clean male vocals and soft female vocals does. Though once the song gets heavier it tends to loose a bit of that feeling. Nevertheless it continues on with catchy hooks and vocals. The song ends with the opening duet of male and female vocals though this time it’s backed by the heavier distorted guitars and drums.

The last track “In Memory Of” does a decent job of capturing some feeling and emotion with melancholic leads and sweet singing of Gunnhild Huser. It’s one of the more “doom” songs on the album.

Overall In Memory Of is a great album. Excellent production, memorable songs and beautifully performed female vocals. However, I found it fell short in capturing the emotion and feeling that it aimed for. Some of the blame can be put on the production which takes away any of the raw energy that may have existed. Maybe I’m being too hard on them but I listen to a lot of sorrowful music. I’m also not sold on the male vocals. The clean vocals sound great and compliment the female vocals nicely but some of the screams and growls are a bit weak. As far as gothic metal goes this is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this style and especially fans of My Dying Bride, The 3rd and the Mortal, Paradise Lost, Within Temptation, The Gathering and Theatre of Tragedy." [James]

Link:
http://www.midwinterfires.com/2012/01/review-to-cast-a-shadow-in-memory-of-2011/

 

[lorenzo_kolony]

A new review of 'In Memory Of' by Norway's TO CAST A SHADOW online @ Digital-steel.com - rating is 80/100!

"To Cast A Shadow is a gothic metal band from Norway that has been around since 1990. Strangely they released their first demo in 2005 and their first album in 2007. This is their new album In Memory Of and I must say that is very surprising. The music is doom orientated with progressive metal and melody. The vocals are clean and sound hypnotizing. They are performed by a lady and I must say that it sounds great and it gives it a very atmospheric feeling. This album contains 10 songs and all the songs sound ravaging, it is filled with variety and the composing of the songs are also great. As an extra addition they have a guest vocals on the sixth song which are light grunts and that sounds brutal! This album has everything. It’s very musically and filled with groove and solos and a killer atmosphere in it. This production of this album is also smashing. This band makes a big difference from other bands because everything sounds good and the vocals not false and sound ravaging." [William]

Link:
http://www.digital-steel.com/DS/index.php?headpage=albumrevs&id=1987