Artist: SHADOW GALLERY
Album: PRIME CUTS (DIGI US-IMPORT)

Release date: 2007
Media type: CD

Magna Carta Records is proud to present Shadow Gallery: Prime Cuts. The band was known as one of the leaders of the progressive metal scene of the 1990’s. Prime Cuts features eleven tracks hand-selected by the band from their previous four albums and a special twelfth track.

Longtime Shadow Gallery fans will be excited to hear “Rule The World,” a lost recording from the Carved in Stone studio sessions. This track was originally set to be released on that album but was eventually eliminated from the running order. Years later the band has given the song a second chance by releasing it on the Prime Cuts compilation.

Shadow Gallery made a name for themselves during the early 1990s by helping to create and expand the progressive metal scene. However, few know that Shadow Gallery derived their name from the now famous V for Vendetta graphic novel by Alan Moore. At the time the band chose their name, the novel was unknown in the mainstream, but after it was made into a movie in 2005, it became an big success.

If you’ve read any of the press surrounding this band through the years, a lot of attention was paid to their technical skills. There is no doubt that Shadow Gallery can play their instruments. However, their real craft comes from their ability to create stories within their beautifully melodic music, which allow them to connect with their audience on a deeper level. The band was greatly influenced by the subject matter depicted in V For Vendetta and by the current social climate present in the world today. When the band began writing lyrics for Shadow Gallery it became a major undertaking because they decided to take their cue from writers like Huxley, Orwell, and even Moore.

The resulting albums were filled with stories about a society facing very real perils. While SG used exaggerations and embellishments to create an interesting story, much of what the lyrics discussed had very real implications that still hold true today and are possibly more important statements now than ever before.

Shadow Gallery: Prime Cuts will offer a great retrospective on the last decade. Specially edited versions of old favorites like “Colors” from Legacy made it possible for the band to include twelve tracks into one album. The number of tracks may not seem that impressive to those unfamiliar to progressive metal, but it is a major feat especially for these guys. Typical album length in the past included six songs, due to the length of the tracks. However, Shadow Gallery was determined to create the best comprehensive compilation possible and dissected their songs to determine where they could be edited down for length concerns. The result was an album that could never have existed before today.

TRACKLIST:

01. Mystery
02. Ghost Of A Chance
03. Deeper Than Life
04. Hope For Us
05. The Crusher (EDIT)
06. Colors (EDIT)
07. The Final Hour
08. Say Goodbye To The Morning
09. Don't Ever Cry, Just Remember
10. New World Order
11. Legacy
12. Rule The World (UNRELEASED DEMO)

LINE-UP:

Mike Baker - Vocals
Gary Wehrkamp - Piano, guitars, keyboards, vocals
Brendt Allman - Guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Carl Cadden-James - Bass, vocals, flute, fretless bass
Chris Ingles - Piano, keyboards

Joe Nevolo - Drums
Kevin Soffera - Drums