Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts

December 1, 2009

Reviewer: Chris

Two of my favorite mediums combined: comic books and heavy metal music. The band Shadow Gallery got its moniker from a DC comic book called V for Vendetta, where the Shadow Gallery is the hideaway in which the title character, “V,” lay secluded from English authorities during his quest for national upheaval. Now I’ll let it be known if the band’s sixth full-length offering, Digital Ghosts, can assume a similar stance of perfection and honor.

First, it should be noted that the band’s former front-man, Mike Baker, sadly passed away from a heart attack a little over a year ago. This CD has his final recordings as well as a couple of guest vocalists to move the music along. However, the new singer, Brian Ashland, is a very welcome and capable addition. Now, when I hear the term “prog metal” being bandied about with such reckless abandon I immediately think of the obvious Dream Theater comparison. They are the accepted figureheads for said genre, so inadvertently I tend to lump these prog bands in with them, which is both dangerous and unfair. Therefore, it’s my responsibility to shake off such notions and weed out the clones and drones and try to find good music that stands up next to the 70s bands and modern outfits that make music under this umbrella.

Upon hearing the CD the first thing that struck me was Hey, this guy sort of sounds like a Geoff Tate-inspired bloke, which is hardly a put-down or negative. He also has the type of brute forcefulness Tate never managed to capture through the falsettos. After all, Queensryche is bounced back and forth between metal and progressive labels and has been for years. The CD has seven solid tracks that might just as well have been offered in the aforementioned 70s without sounding dated or repetitive. They also certainly do not sound like Dream Theater; I’d hesitate to compare them to anything or anyone, but I hear some Queensryche influence in there, as well as a bit of Queen in the vocal arrangements over the music and select harmonizing. These guys are so obviously talented and retain some very valuable references from the past and current stable of progressive bands. The guitar work is more than competent, and the keyboards (which I normally don’t care for) are not obstreperous or overpowering so as to ruin the mood or feel of the tracks. They serve what is expected of them: accompaniment.

In any song, but particularly in prog, it’s of the utmost importance to make a lengthy song interesting. Opeth manages to do this nicely, as does Yes and King Crimson, and Shadow Gallery is no exception to that little trick. The songs are interesting and a true guide into the band’s depth and talent that shouldn’t be dismissed. Clay Barton (Suspyre) and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) also lend vocal talents to a couple of tracks. The CD needs checking out and I highly recommend you give Digital Ghosts a shot. If you’re into the not-so-typical prog metal sound that keeps you interested and impressed, give the CD a listen and seek out some true prog metal the likes of which Yes and Camel commissioned for arrival some 35-years ago!

Release Date: November 3rd, 2009
Label: InsideOut Music

TRACK LISTING

1.  With Honor
2.  Venom
3.  Pain
4.  Gold Dust
5.  Strong
6.  Digital Ghost
7.  Haunted

Total playing time: 55:32

Additional Note: This release also comes as a special edition digipak that includes 4 bonus tracks. "Two Shadows" - a revised version of the Japan bonus track from the album "Room V" and features Mike Baker on vocals; "Gold Dust (Demo)" with vocals by Carl-Cadden James; "In Your Window" - A capella version of vocal harmonies (which on the standard album version is titled "Digital Ghost"), and "World Of Fantasy (Demo)" - a non-album song, also featuring Mike Baker on vocals.

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