Darkstereo is working to review several new albums each week, and today’s is of a little gem we discovered over at Bandcamp.
Dan Pierson’s Shadowplay III is a marvel that moves seamlessly between styles, concepts and instrumentation. There are brushings of ethereal pads and ambience, the lovely vocals of one Katie Thompson, touches of progressive metal and great servings of atmosphere all-round.
Just when you think you’ve settled in, there are some surprises too as tracks like “Siren’s Call” shift from warm and dreamy intros, to rhythmic guitar and Dan’s excellently administered vocals, only to develop further with a more furious pace and aggressive, distorted, yet still melodic… screams. We really enjoyed the way Dan has handled the transitions in the work as a whole, and the use of a wide range of approaches, techniques and instruments.
The production is top class, and it seems that all of the six years that went into building this release, were worth every second.