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ShadowStrike’s<\/strong>\u00a0debut EP\u00a0Infinite Power\u00a0<\/i>was a minimal flusher<\/a>\u00a0and even managed to strike a chord with a few of the power-hating ToH\u00a0regulars. I dug it so much that I asked guitarist\/lead vocalist Matt Krais to answer a few questions for us. Check out the exclusive ToH ShadowStrike interview!<\/p>\n

First, because I’m curious, my built-in nerdcyclopedia notices the term \u201cShadow Strike\u201d from World of Warcaft, Mass Effect, Guild Wars 2, & Star Wars: The Old Republic. Any geeky explanation for the name, or did you dudes just like the sound of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah we noticed that too shortly after picking the name. I guess the story goes we were stuck between two names, “ShadowStrike” and “ShadowStorm,” but we decided on ShadowStrike because we liked the name. I’m convinced we had some hidden subconscious gamer mumbo jumbo brewing though, because the term shows up in many games including one of my favourites ,”Shenmue” on the Sega Dreamcast. I think it’s safe to say that if people want to see it as a gamer term, we’d embrace it.<\/p>\n

I’d say it’s a good match not only because it sounds undeniably Power Metal, but because it seems like some of that \u201csubconscious gamer mumbo jumbo\u201d may have made its way into your music. There’s plenty of 8-bit\/chiptune in your latest EP and I consider them a real highlight. How did you decide to include them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, my idea behind it was that I wanted to write music in the style of those old games we love so much. If you do some digging around in the metal world, bands only really cover or do arrangements of well known game themes. I wanted to take it one step further and make our own game sounds. We all liked the idea (and of course games) so it was a good fit. At one point we even started writing a full-fledged instrumental OST song for our own fake video game called “ShadowStrike,” complete with shop and air ship themes haha. Never got around to finishing that one, though.<\/p>\n

I and a few of the other guys at ToH are big fans of old games, and I think it’s safe to say that you guys nailed the feel of their soundtracks. In my review of Infinite Power<\/em>, I compared the chiptunes on \u201cLast Fire World\u201d to Castlevania and Shadowgate. It hit me with some real nostalgia. Were there any game soundtracks in particular that influenced you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a lot of game soundtracks haha. Probably more than I can remember. The ones you listed as well as Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy , Mega Man, Tetris, Sonic. I can go on and on. Haha.<\/p>\n

Being the nerd that I am, I’d love to talk about video games for the rest of the interview, but I guess I should switch gears. Games aside, it sounds like your musical influences are drawn from all across the power metal spectrum. I know you guys are from Long Island, but your focus on keyboards and big melody sounds very European in approach while still managing to be unique. What bands most influence you and how have you incorporated that influence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah absolutely. Our other influences really go beyond just other bands. I mean, you can probably tell which bands have inspired us in different areas of our writing, but our overall sound has been impacted by many different kinds of music as well as cultures. All our families are heavily influenced by European traditions and motifs, so it definitely rubs off on our writing I believe. Other influences span from progressive rock and metal, jazz, classical music, Japanese rock and metal and even Disney music. We all have our own way of expressing our hearts and inspirations and putting them into the context of power metal. Whether its that proggy trash riff in “Gales of Winter” or that bombastic Disney sound in “The Journey Begins,” I think we have a broad, unique sound that people may not catch on the surface, but it is there for sure.<\/p>\n