Interview with SHADOW OF NYX

Jarod Smith

Apr 24, 2023

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Listening to my dads classical records. It inspired me, listening to Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky started me on the path that led to Shadow Of Nyx. I have a passion for metal, so I got my engineering papers. So if i wasn't doing music i think i would be involved in structural engineering.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

As a band, we all enjoy each other's company. We hang out, go to restaurants, and occasionally shenanigans of the band variety. The strong friendships we have allow us to be more direct with each other during the writing process, providing instant and honest feedback about creative ideas.

How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.

Shadow Of Nyx was formed by our drummer Chris in 2019. He had always loved symphonic metal and wanted to put a band together to explore that genre of music. We all got along almost instantly and it didn't take long for us to write our first few songs. From there it was just a matter of building our sound (something we are still doing) and tightening up as a group.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

We are based in Melbourne, Australia. As aussies, we love our live music pubs which generally play a lot of hard rock and a bit of heavy metal. Although not consciously, this music would have influenced our writing style and creative thought process.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

I brought 3 names to rehearsal one day. I read the first one out, Shadow Of Nyx, and we all agreed that was our name. It goes hand in with that gothic/sympohinc metal, it takes you to a place that's almost a fantasy.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

With a previous band it would have to be playing a stadium in Indonesia as a headlining act. Looking out to a few thousand people, who were so enthralled with the mood that they were not afraid to show it. Mosh pits going on, showed us that the music was being connected to on an emotional level. That gave all who were on stage a sense of euphoria and excitement.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

There's a great live music venue in Melbourne called 170 Russell. It is where a lot of international bands do gigs in melbourne and i’ve had the privilege of sharing this great stage with a few of them.It is really appealing to many australian metal acts, to head over to Germany and play Wacken. This is definitely at the top of our list of most desired gigs, as well as many of the stages throughout europe.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Slipknot, Epica, Nightwish, Dream Theater, Metallica, Amon Amarth, Sirenia, Kamelot, (insert list of every metal band ever here)

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Keep playing, learn from any negative experiences you may have had while playing and persist. Find a group of people you can connect with, enjoy yourself and get what you want to get out of music, not what someone else wants. Music is freedom of expression, let yourself explore it. There’s no right or wrong way.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Melodis, it was the first song we wrote that made us all stand back and go “yeah, thats it”. Up to this point in our writing we had been struggling to unlock the symphonic sound. But this song marks a turning point in our approach to songwriting as a band. It was the first song that sounded symphonic to us and that encapsulated what we were trying to achieve.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

We all enjoy playing Waiting Breathing Feeling. It's very different to a lot of our other songs but given that symphonic metal doesn't have a rigid set of rules, it fits in well. War of Necessity seems to be popular amongst our fans so we make sure we play this at a lot of our shows, usually as a start or end to our set.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Usually Timmy or Campbell comes up with an intro idea or melody/riff. It is then brought to the band as a whole where we play it out until it is a structured song idea. Then Sarah and Chris get to work on vocal melodies and lyrics while Timmy, PJ and Campbell put the final touches on any instrumental sections and the piece as a whole.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

We have 2 very specific themes we like to use in our lyrics. First and foremost is the exploration of historical and/or fantasy events. Songs like Melodis, which explores how music and melodies are passed down through time, and War of necessity, which explores the tragedy of having to fight a war for limited resources, fit into this category. Our secondary theme which is common in a lot of music is self exploration. Songs like No More Tears and Waiting Breathing Feeling are about events in our lives that some of the band members went through. These experiences left lasting impacts and shaped the people we are today, these songs are ways of exploring and expressing the emotions associated with these events.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

We released our first ever EP “Melodis” about a month ago. It features the first 5 songs we felt were ready for performance and sharing with the world. That’s not to say it is the first 5 songs we ever wrote. It took us a few songs until we felt we had found our sound.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Gigging and touring to promote the release of our EP. And we are hard at work on new material for what we hope will be our first full length album

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?