New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The composer of legion metal and Gothic rock known only as the Dark One has released his long-awaited, flagship LP record album, titled, "The Wandering Shadow." The album is comprised of 16 original tracks for an approximate total listening time of well over an hour. An extended edition of the record has been concurrently made available to fans online, boasting fully 19 tracks for over 100 minutes of excellently dark, bleak, and grisly exaltation. A profoundly personal and passionate exploration through the imagination of a man stricken with grief and frustration, "The Wandering Shadow" is at once a well-told tale, a sonic journal, and a collection of some of the richest music produced this year.
The Dark One cites as main artistic influences post- dark wave bands such as Korn, Fear Factory, Machine Head, Dimmu Borgir,
Slipknot and Evanescence. Elements of each are easily found in his "The Wandering Shadow," though the record also has moments of delicate beauty like roses among thorns. This widely varied nature of the album contributes to its complex character, which, like the roses, stems from the Dark One's own painful experiences.
"After my ex-fiancee and I split," writes the Dark One, "I was going through a rough time and this being my only relationship, I felt like giving up and dying. I spent 5 months working on the self-destruction of my body until one day I started singing songs... I found it was something I enjoyed; it made me happy to be singing."
In time, the album itself became his medicine.
"Eventually I began working on 'The Wandering Shadow.' It started off as a simple and raw display of instrumentals and evolved. As it became a part of me, I slowly found that despite the hardcore nature of this stuff, it felt like a cathartic release, and what was originally a raw product would go through a year of production. As my music evolved, my physical health began to get better. I believe 'The Wandering Shadow' saved my life, and I [have given] it the best possible quality I can give it."
Concerning the actual themes of the record, the Dark One explains candidly that it is "a story of a life narrated by demons and shadows. It tells a story of pain, sorrow, losing the only person the storyteller has loved. It talks about 'The Dark One' and 'The Shadow' and how they all work within the music and the evolving of a person..."
Ironically and triumphantly, the Dark One has found that his panacea can be a cure-all for others, too. The patient turned doctor, the student turned philosopher, the aggrieved become the celebrator.
"I want to share with people not only my story, but that Metal can save a life."
The stalking, haunting horror and delight of "The Wandering Shadow" by the Dark One is available online worldwide beginning 18 October 2013. Fans of industrial music, heavy metal, alt- rock, Goth rock, and dark wave won't want to miss out.
The LP "The Wandering Shadow" is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes or www.top40-charts.com for convenient purchase and download.
