Eden Shadow is an art / progressive rock project by led by young composer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Mark Elliott, hailing from Cardiff in Wales. The new album, “Melodies for Maladies,” has just been released and it can be said that this record is one of the 2016’s hidden gems.
In an interview for Progarchy, Ryan tells us about the album and his future plans with the project.
Alright, first thing is first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how’s life?
It is great thank you. Very musical, be it creating, performing or teaching music. That’s the way I like it to be!
Speaking of new music, you have an album. What can people expect from “Melodies for Maladies”?
Big dark riffs! It is a very riff driven album and significantly more metal than my previous records. Despite plenty of riffs, there is a lot of contrast with plenty of symphonic moments and space, which is why I suppose you would define it this record as a ‘progressive’ record. I love to write music with plenty of contrast in feel, dynamics and tempo.
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The Cure’s Disintegration is a lush, beautiful masterpiece. When it was released in 1989, the band was cresting a wave of popularity, and rare was the college dorm room in America that didn’t have a copy of their singles comp, Staring at the Sea (1986), sitting next to the deck, while Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987) was radio ready. Robert Smith had become an unlikely hero, a post-punk goth who had paid his dues and, with a colossal songwriting talent, was reaping the rewards of someone who virtually created his own genre. Nobody else sounded like the Cure. Neither psychedelic nor prog nor punk, but fearless in their approach, comfortable in their painted skin. On Disintegration the band slows the tempos, backgrounding Smith’s economical lyrics with huge keyboard/guitar drift pieces that seem to exist in the gloaming. A perpetually wilting flower, the first-person character in Smith’s work has had a long shelf life, and would rot if it weren’t for Smith’s genius with song and his ability to effortlessly write pop hits at will. Entreat is from the tour supporting the album, recorded at Wembley in ’89, and consists of the all the songs on Disintegration in the same running order. It had a very limited release originally, but pieces of it emerged here and there on CD singles taken from Disintegration (I first heard parts of it on the Pictures of You EP), and was eventually, finally bundled with Disintegration on the 2010 re-release. Entreat was a bold move, a full performance of a newly-released record, and demonstrates just how confident Smith and his band were in the new songs.
For those of you who have not had the chance to listen to the new Glass Hammer album, VALKYRIE, do so.
