White Shadow

Bio by Ilker Yücel, Editor-in-Chief, ReGen Magazine (www.regenmag.com)



There are balances of darkness and light, chiaroscuro hues that pervade in every facet of art and life as we experience it. The human psyche is no different, emotions running rampant from the depths of despair, rage, and aggression to the heights of ecstasy, joy, and fulfillment of the spirit. Sometimes, the line between the extremes is very thin indeed, as love and hate… pleasure and pain collide and find solace in that minute shades of gray that yield some of the most intriguing works of art, simultaneously repellant and alluring. Such is the case with White Shadow, a band whose very name and musical style conjure up these dichotomies, reveling in the blackest recesses of the mind while providing a source of light to which listeners can escape.



White Shadow began life in May of 2006 in Southern Maryland, an area clearly deficient of any notable local music. Band leader DXNero, having developed an affinity for the industrial rock and metal of years past, sought to remedy this; still a senior in high school, he gathered a handful of like-minded musicians to form a band. The rest, as they say, is history… sort of. After all, the dream usually begins very much the same for many; start a band, play some shows, record an album, get famous. Indeed, White Shadow’s path was not so different in the beginning, with the band extensively playing the Southern Maryland live circuit well into 2007 before real life kicked in. Not content to let the band remain a flight of youthful fancy, entering college necessitated a move to Baltimore, sparking new opportunities to develop a more considerable fan base with the band’s heavy dose of guitar driven industrial.



2007 marked the first major milestone for White Shadow with the release of the debut album – Mindbreak. Despite the album being little more than a demo, produced and recorded entirely on a home system, Mindbreak does its part to introduce the band’s musical aesthetic to first time listeners, from the mechanized beats and ominous atmospheres of “Cannibal” to the guttural guitars and danceable melodies of “Remnants.” The vocal interplay between DXNero’s sinister bellows and live percussionist Sinnocent’s despairing croons was readily apparent throughout the album, with Crawford supplying a heavy dose of low-end power on the bass. The twin guitar attack, while suffering from the sub-par production, demonstrated the band’s sheer live power, drawing influence from the likes of Deathstars, Rammstein, Die Krupps, and others in the Neue Deutsche Härte movement of industrial metal. However, shortly after the release of Mindbreak and during the writing stages of the next release, White Shadow would suffer its first loss as guitarist and one of the album’s principal songwriters Tiberius departed from the group, leaving Nytro to take over guitar duties from then on.



The departure of one of the band’s key creative forces at the time did little to deter White Shadow’s resolve. With new material already in the works, driven primarily by DXNero and Crawford, the band took the next step and began recording in Waldorf’s Nightsky Studios under the supervision of Ron Vento, best known for black metal band Aurora Borealis. It was at this time that the band encountered a studio tech interning at Nightsky by the name of Wahkeen, and before long, his experience with live keyboards and programming became an essential component in the band’s development. Deus Destroyed was completed and released in 2008, marking a paradigm shift in the band’s production and sound. From the industrialized metal fervor of “System Overhaul” to the gyrating eroticism of “Lust,” Deus Destroyed showed White Shadow moving toward harsher yet more mature thematic sensibilities, aided by a production sheen that amplified the power of the band’s performance both on stage and in the studio. This was best heard in the updated versions of “All Has Fallen,” “Deviant,” and “A Side of Me,” all originally from the Mindbreak album. Another milestone came later in the year when White Shadow garnered an opening spot for My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, whose influence can especially be heard in the band’s use of old-school industrial dance floor rhythms, combinations of funky bass and heavy guitars, and sexualized lyrics. Throughout the next year, White Shadow would share the stage with fellow Maryland acts Cassandra Syndrome and Machines of Living Death, forging a communal alliance in the spirit of the classic industrial bands that inspired them.



Never one to rest on their laurels, the band members began working on new material, but once again returning to a self-produced aesthetic that with the inclusion of updated equipment and advances in home recording technology promised to be a dramatic improvement over past efforts in the same vein. Once again with DXNero and Crawford taking on the bulk of the songwriting and production, with Nytro and Wahkeen contributions also adding to the momentum, a rigorous outpour of new material began to emerge, finally resulting in the spring, 2010 release of the band’s third album – The Wastelands. Composed of entirely new material, The Wastelands marks the next step in White Shadow’s artistic progression, from the harrowing melodic fury of songs like “Devourer,” “Burn Baby,” and lead-off single “Machine,” to the instrumental ambience of “The Siren” and “A Sea of Mistakes,” and to the crushing industrial metal assault of “Reach Out” and “Cutthroat.” The album demonstrates the band’s capacity for self-refinement and dedication to craft, standing out in the underground industrial echelon as a truly independent entity. Due to internal pressures, Sinnocent would become the second original member to depart from White Shadow, leaving the current lineup of DXNero, Crawford, Nytro, and Wahkeen to forge ahead with further live performances to promote The Wastelands. At this time, the band has garnered another high-profile show opening for Slick Idiot and Mona Mur during the Sucksess tour in June of 2010.



For a band with such a visual aesthetic and lyrical themes set in darkness, the future is looking extraordinarily bright for White Shadow. With a new EP and a concept album currently in the works, as well as plans for future live performances looming on the horizon, the next decade promises to cast a White Shadow on the industrial rock underground. Stand in the shade and face the light!



Discography



Mindbreak, 2007. Recorded, Produced, and Released by White Shadow

Sinister Music Volume 42, 2007. Compilation album featuring "PDM"

Deus Destroyed, 2008. Recorded at Nightsky Studios, released by White Shadow



Lunar Sea, 2009. Compilation released by Shinto Records featuring "Deviant"



Machine (Single), 2009. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by White Shadow



The Wastelands, 2010. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by White Shadow