The Netherlands is not a metal country although we have some of the greatest bands in the world and some of the greatest female singers in metal. But bands don’t get much recognition from their country fellowman and the number of people that are into metal is basically a low number when comparing it to other countries. So let’s change that and give some love to Shadowrise whom recently released their self-titled debut full-length. Symphonic metal with some heavy twists and fronted by the charming Laura who answered a few questions. A low number of people into metal doesn’t mean that the fans aren’t loyal by the way, we have here some of the most loyal fans in the world!
Can you tell our readers at Loud Unity a bit about yourself and Shadowrise?
Hey everyone! Shadowrise is a symphonic power metal band heavily influenced by melodic death metal. We like it on the edge with dynamics between the two genres with both clean and screaming vocals; power metal anthems combined with the darkness of death. We love to tell fantasy stories in our music.
Your self-titled debut album is out for a little while now, how has the overall response been so far from music critics and fans on the album?
It’s been good! People, in general, liked that it felt like a new thing because we have a combination of genres. Fans that know us from the EP either liked it or didn’t because now we explored more of what we can do and because of that half of the material is like the EP and half of it is there to just add more to what we had. It broadens our horizon in terms of what we can do in the future. We like to be able to be free in what we are going to write. So for us, it’s a good thing to know there are a lot of people that liked it. The one thing we did get a few comments on is the mix and we do feel like there is some room for improvement.
If I’m not mistaken Shadowrise was in its early days a folk metal band, what was the turning point for the band to switch to the symphonic power metal it is today?
At some point, it just happened because of bands people in the band were influenced by. It happened along the years since it just started years ago by school friends; Daniel, Roman, and Joris started the band in 2009. They were very young and I guess it’s only normal for the style to change.
The lyrics are written in a fantasy kinda way but are there deeper meanings behind the lyrics?
In some of them are some personal things. And I mostly like the lyrics to tell about the dark side of humanity. So there is definitely more than just lyrics about glorious battles or something.
Pick one song from your debut album which have your favorite lyrics and why?
I personally really like Power Of The Moonlight. I’m happy how the lyrics turned out and fit the feel of the music. It’s aggressive and dark and at the same time a bit quirky, which I like.
When did you start with singing and why did you want to sing?
9 years ago I started. I was already singing a bit but that was when I decided to be a better singer. I just wanted to be able to sing more things then I could at that time.
Do you have any practices to keep your voice in good condition?
Best thing I can do is practice every day a bit. Keep rest in between if I need it for whatever reason. Keep working out also because I always feel if my body is in good condition it is so much easier to sing too. I’m also always being aware of what I’m doing/trying to improve. Also trying to just be happy in life, in general, is important. If I feel like shit, I can’t sing that well. And I try to avoid things that are bad for my voice like perfume and perfumed things like deodorant since I’m allergic to that. If my voice is really shattered and I have to sing anyway I try to make it work again by drinking camomile tea with honey and using lax vox. If you want to know what it is, just google it.
Is a good appearance on stage important to you? Who choose the looks for Shadowrise?
I like to put in some effort to also give people something to look at that add to that live feeling and to the fantasy feel. Bands that I like live are most of the times the ones that put some effort into it and that’s why I want to do it too. I love theatrics during a show and would like to add more to the show in the future. I made the costumes and tried to give everyone a costume they are comfortable in.
How do you like to spend your free time and how does your perfect day off looks like?
My perfect day is one that has enough time for it. I like to fitness and go for a swim, watch a movie or series, be with friends, travel far away and sing of course. I always tend to want to do too much in one day and then get disappointed about not being able to do everything. My perfect day would be one that is, either way, longer then a normal day or one that I finally can do all the things in I wanted to do.
What album/artist is rotating lately on your music player?
I love Beast In Black’s Berserker. Great vocals and songwriting!
LOUD UNITY 