WELCOME TO THE SHADOWSPHERE
- The Early Daze -
It all begun with Luis Goulão. As a youngster, he used to dream with having a metal band and playing all around the world. Bands like IRON MAIDEN and W.A.S.P. turn on his passion for playing guitar. And so it began in 1991.
After some bands, and a 2 year period aside from the metal world, Luis decided to come back and finally formed the project of his life – SHADOWSPHERE. Along with some friends the project gained wings to fly. Hugo (guitar), Fernando (bass) and Nuno (drums) were the first line-up to meet up with Luis (guitar & vocals) back in October 2000. Mainly influenced by Thrash Metal from the 80’s, Swedish Death Metal and some traditional Metal, SHADOWSPHERE arrived!!!!
- What Dreams May Come -
André Silva replaced Nuno in early 2001. This was the formation that recorded the track “Lusitania” included in the tribute to Tarantula’s 20 years’ career released in 2001 by Recital.
During the year of 2001, the band performs some concerts and prepares the edition of a promo-CD to be released by the end of that year. In the meantime, in September, Fernando is replaced by Pedro Vieira, and immediately the band records a set of 4 tracks to be released under the name of “Death and Dreaming”, in October. These tracks were recorded in the Floyd Studios under the guidance and production of Nuno Loureiro (Painstruck), who had already produced the Tarantula track in the same studio. In spite of the very positive reviews, the band decides to delay the edition of “Death and Dreaming”.
By June 2002, Paulo Gonçalves replaces Luís only in the lead vocals. Although this was regarded as a breath of fresh air to the sound of the band, Paulo’s entry did not set aside the stigma of change and Pedro is replaced in September by Rui Neves.
With the formation properly reviewed, the band then decides to record another song and edit the opening EP “Death and Dreaming”. Once again they record in the Floyd Studios with Nuno Loureiro and the release takes place on October 26th in FNAC – Chiado, Lisbon, in front of over 150 people (an almost unheard-of feat in Forum Chiado...).
One year later, the band suffers another line-up change and the band had to quickly recruit another guitarist, Filipe Sousa, to replace Hugo Fernandes. Still the band decides to enter the Floyd Estudios as a quartet, in September 2003, in order to record their first album, entitled “DarkLands”. The production was once again in charge of Nuno Loureiro and the release was in January 2004.
Due to “DarkLands”, the band started a series of gigs of promotion, which lead them to about 40 gigs in 2004/2005 supporting Moonspell, Desire, Temple, Icon The Black Roses, ThanatoSchizo, Decapitated, Primordial, Nightrage, etc… Reviews from all over the world compared SHADOWSPHERE to the talents of SOILWORK, AT THE GATES and IN FLAMES.
And then came the time for another release. Joining Nuno Loureiro in October 2005, the guys recorded the forthcoming work and had it mixed and mastered in Sweden by Dan Swanö, who did a great work, helping the creation of SHADOWSPHERE´s own sound.
And so, after a few delays, “Hellbound Heart” saw the light of day in May 23rd 2006. A short time after, Filipe leaves the band.
The “Hellbound Tour” begun with a great gig, opening for DISMEMBER, and continued throught 2006, finishing in early 2007 opening for Malevolent Creation and Rotting Christ. “Hellbound Heart” had the best of reviews around the world, specially in countries like Canada, U.S.A., Finland, Germany and Russia. After the last gig of the “Hellbound Tour 2007”, the band decides to take a break. Meanwhile, André leaves the band.
The band had a 3-year-period of inactivity and returns in October 2010 with a full line-up and a lot of plans for the forthcoming years. Through the first half of 2011 SHADOWSPHERE performed some gigs and begun the writing of what would be the 3rd album of the band. In late 2011, the band entered Poison Apple Studios to begin the recording of “Inferno”. The chosen producer was Tiago Canadas, who recorded and mixed the album from November 2011 and January 2012. Then came the big step: “Inferno” flew to the U.S.A. to be mastered by Jim Fogarty at Zing Studios (Killswitch Engage’s Adam Z Studios), a place where Killswitch Engage, A Day To Remember, Unearth, All That Remains, among others had recorded some of their albums.
Finally, in March 2012, “Inferno” sees the light of day. The release party was at Cinema São Jorge, which is one of the most antique, acclaimed and well-known music and cinema houses in Lisbon. Since then, the band put on a series of gigs by the name “INFERNO CAMPAIGN 2012/2013”, which took the band throughout Portugal and Spain too.
In late 2012, the band recorded “FOCUS SHIFT”, a cover version of Dark Tranquility’s famous song, to be included in a tribute album edited by the Spanish label Suspiria Recs. This tribute was released in January 2013 and had excellent reviews around the world and by the band members themselves.
Meanwhile, SHADOWSPHERE is back in studio again to record an EP due to be released in October 2013. This process is taking place at Wrecords Studio, owned by MORE THAN A THOUSAND’s drummer Wilson Silva, who is responsible for producing, mixing and mastering. Wilson was also in charge of the recording “FOCUS SHIFT”.
After the end of the “INFERNO TOUR 2012/2013” the band went back to studio to record an ep by name of “Damnation A.D.”. This ep is composed of 5 songs:
“Red Dawn (Back In Gehhenna)
“Damnation” 2013 (re-record of this old song),
Love Gun (KISS cover version)
Holy Diver (DIO cover version)
Focus Shift (Dark Tranquility cover, as a bonus track)
Once again the band worked with Wilson Silva at Wrecords Studio that mixed and mastered the ep.
The ep release party took place at República da Música in Lisbon in September 14th. This ep took the band in a small venue tour up until December when the band played at their Special Christmas Festival – “X-MAS BEAST FEAST 2013” – in Almada.
January 2014 saw the band back in studio to re-record the first album “DarkLands”. Wilson Silva at Wrecords Studio again took care of all recordings, mixing and mastering.
In October 2014 the band released “DarkLands MMXIV” and tour extensively up until December 2015, with Theriomorphic and with the original drummer André Silva.
In 2016 Luis Miguel Goulão moved to Oporto and together with Ricardo Trincheiras, Susana Brochado and Orca Delorca are composing the so desired follower of 2014´s “DarkLands MMXIV”