Whispers in the shadow
Encyclopedia
Whispers in the Shadow is a Gothic Rock
Band from Austria, formed in 1996. The bandname is inspired by the story The Whisperer in Darkness
by
H. P. Lovecraft
. The lyrics deal mainly with occult and mystic concepts.
& Veneno para las Hadas) in 1996.
They soon developed into a full line up and released the first album called "Laudanum" in 1997 followed by the second Album "November" in 1999. These first two records have been very influenced by the sound of early The Cure
recordings such as "Pornography".
In 2000 they released the third album "A Taste of Decay" which was a departure to a more rock orientated sound. Followed only one year later by "Permanent Illusions" which was even more far away from the Gothic Rock origins of this band. Psychedelic
and progressive rock
bands such as Pink Floyd
had a major influnce on the sound of this record.
After touring all across Europe in 2001 they released the first live album called "Everything you knew was wrong" in 2003, but several line up and record label changes forced them to take a break.
Whispers in the Shadow returned in 2007 with the live recorded "A-Cold-Night" followed by the re-releases of the first two albums "Laudanum" and "November", remastered with new coverartwork and unreleased bonus tracks.
In 2008 they finally released the fifth studio album, the first one in seven years, called "Into the arms of chaos". This album can be seen as a new beginning and is produced by John A.Rivers at Woodbine Street Recording Studios
. He also worked with bands such as The Chameleons
, Clan of Xymox
, Love and Rockets
, Dead Can Dance
or Sopor Aeternus and created a more harsh and powerful but still dark and psychedelic sound, which was described by the press now as "Goth-Floyd" a mixture of the traditional Gothic Rock
sound like Fields of the Nephilim
with the soundscapes of Pink Floyd
.
In 2010 they release "The Eternal Arcane" the 2nd Part of a 4 piece cycle about the occult concept of alchemy
.
In 2011 a Live DVD called "Searching for Light" sees the light of day and they are touring with Vendemmian and Merciful Nuns throughout Europe.
In April 2011 they release a new 6 track EP, "The Lightbriner" which includes a coverversion of the Leonard Cohen
classic "First we take Manhattan" as well as other unreleased tracks. The main theme of the EP is the Fall of the archangel
Lucifer
.
The lyrics are inspired by Chaos Magic
and Occult
writers such as Austin Osman Spare
, Aleister Crowley
, Dion Fortune
, Kenneth Grant
, but also writers from the Weird Fiction
genre like Algernon Blackwood
, Arthur Machen
and the Cthulhu Mythos
by H. P. Lovecraft
.
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
Band from Austria, formed in 1996. The bandname is inspired by the story The Whisperer in Darkness
The Whisperer in Darkness
"The Whisperer in Darkness" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in Weird Tales, August 1931. Similar to "The Colour Out of Space" , it is a blend of horror and science fiction...
by
H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. The lyrics deal mainly with occult and mystic concepts.
History
Whispers in the Shadow was formed as a solo project by Ashley Dayour (Vocals, Guitars, also known as guitarist for L'Âme ImmortelleL'Âme Immortelle
L' Âme Immortelle is an Austrian band. Many of L'Âme Immortelle's songs feature melancholy or lovelorn lyrics in German or English, and juxtaposed harsh male and emotional female vocals...
& Veneno para las Hadas) in 1996.
They soon developed into a full line up and released the first album called "Laudanum" in 1997 followed by the second Album "November" in 1999. These first two records have been very influenced by the sound of early The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
recordings such as "Pornography".
In 2000 they released the third album "A Taste of Decay" which was a departure to a more rock orientated sound. Followed only one year later by "Permanent Illusions" which was even more far away from the Gothic Rock origins of this band. Psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
bands such as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
had a major influnce on the sound of this record.
After touring all across Europe in 2001 they released the first live album called "Everything you knew was wrong" in 2003, but several line up and record label changes forced them to take a break.
Whispers in the Shadow returned in 2007 with the live recorded "A-Cold-Night" followed by the re-releases of the first two albums "Laudanum" and "November", remastered with new coverartwork and unreleased bonus tracks.
In 2008 they finally released the fifth studio album, the first one in seven years, called "Into the arms of chaos". This album can be seen as a new beginning and is produced by John A.Rivers at Woodbine Street Recording Studios
Woodbine Street Recording Studios
Woodbine Street Recording Studios is a recording studio located in the town of Leamington Spa, UK. There are two recording rooms, the first being the main 31 square metre one. The second is a 13.6 square metre 'live' room which is wood panelled, optimising it for the recording of drums...
. He also worked with bands such as The Chameleons
The Chameleons
The Chameleons were an English post-punk band that formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever...
, Clan of Xymox
Clan of Xymox
The band Clan of Xymox, also known as Xymox, formed in the Netherlands in 1981. Clan Of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters - Pieter Nooten, Ronny Moorings and Anke [also Anka] Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious independent UK label, a...
, Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets (band)
Love and Rockets were an English alternative rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash , David J , and Kevin Haskins . Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy had embarked on a solo career after Bauhaus split in 1983...
, Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are an ethereal neoclassical duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London in May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Their 1996 album Spiritchaser reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart...
or Sopor Aeternus and created a more harsh and powerful but still dark and psychedelic sound, which was described by the press now as "Goth-Floyd" a mixture of the traditional Gothic Rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
sound like Fields of the Nephilim
Fields of the Nephilim
Fields of the Nephilim are an English gothic rock band formed in Stevenage, Hertfordshire in 1984. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Carl McCoy, saxophonist Gary Whisker, Tony Pettitt on bass, guitarist Paul Wright and drummer Alexander "Nod" Wright...
with the soundscapes of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
.
In 2010 they release "The Eternal Arcane" the 2nd Part of a 4 piece cycle about the occult concept of alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
.
In 2011 a Live DVD called "Searching for Light" sees the light of day and they are touring with Vendemmian and Merciful Nuns throughout Europe.
In April 2011 they release a new 6 track EP, "The Lightbriner" which includes a coverversion of the Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
classic "First we take Manhattan" as well as other unreleased tracks. The main theme of the EP is the Fall of the archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
.
The lyrics are inspired by Chaos Magic
Chaos magic
Chaos magic is a school of the modern magical tradition which emphasizes the pragmatic use of belief systems and the creation of new and unorthodox methods.-General principles:...
and Occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
writers such as Austin Osman Spare
Austin Osman Spare
Austin Osman Spare was an English artist who developed idiosyncratic magical techniques including automatic writing, automatic drawing and sigilization based on his theories of the relationship between the conscious and unconscious self...
, Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
, Dion Fortune
Dion Fortune
Violet Mary Firth Evans , better known as Dion Fortune, was a British occultist and author. Her pseudonym was inspired by her family motto "Deo, non fortuna" , originally the ancient motto of the Barons & Earls Digby.-Early life:She was born in Bryn-y-Bia in Llandudno, Wales, and grew up in a...
, Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant was a British occultist, novelist, and poet, who with his partner, the artist Steffi Grant, headed the magical order previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis but which is now referred to as the Typhonian Order.-Occult background:Grant's occult experiences began in 1939...
, but also writers from the Weird Fiction
Weird fiction
Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction written in the late 19th and early 20th century. It can be said to encompass the ghost story and other tales of the macabre. Weird fiction is distinguished from horror and fantasy in that it predates the niche marketing of genre fiction...
genre like Algernon Blackwood
Algernon Blackwood
Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE was an English short story writer and novelist, one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre. He was also a journalist and a broadcasting narrator. S. T...
, Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
and the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
by H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
.
Discography
- 1996 - Descent (Demo-Tape, Compilation)
- 1997 - Laudanum
- 1999 - November
- 2000 - Autumn Leaves and Trippy Dreams (Live-EP)
- 2000 - A Taste of Decay
- 2001 - Permanent Illusions
- 2003 - Everything You Knew was Wrong (Live-double-Album)
- 2007 - A Cold Night (Live in Vienna, 25.10.2006)
- 2008 - Into the Arms of Chaos (How to Steal the Fire from Heaven)
- 2008 - Into the Arms of Chaos (Ltd. Edition with 70min DVD inkl. Live-Concert 2008)
- 2009 - Borrowed Nightmares and Forgotten Dreams (the remixed, the reworked and the abandoned)
- 2010 - The Eternal Arcane
- 2011 - Searching for Light (Live DVD)
- 2011 - The Lightbringer EP + ltd. Bonus EP Music for Rituals Vol.I. - The Babalon Workings