Shadowkeep are an English heavy metal band formed in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

in 1999 by guitarists Chris Allen (ex-Intense and Sire) and Nikki Robson (also formerly of Sire).

History

Early recordings

In October 1999, Shadowkeep recorded their debut six-track EP at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey, England, with Belgian vocalist Rogue Marechal (ex-Halcyon) fronting the band. The EP was produced by Threshold guitarist

Karl Groom Karl Groom is a British guitarist and record producer. He is best known as a founding and the only constant member of the progressive metal band Threshold. His production and mixing credits are mainly with progressive and power metal bands. Mu ...

. A record deal with

Limb Music Limb Music is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany and specialized in various subgenres of heavy metal music. It was also known as LMP, which stood for Limb Music Products, later changed to Limb Music GmbH. The music publishing ...

followed in June 2000, and the band went on to release two albums on this label: ''Corruption Within'' (in September 2000) and ''A Chaos Theory'' (in 2002).

Concerts and festival appearances

Shadowkeep's live debut was on 17 December 1999 at the

Camden Underworld Camden Underworld is a music venue in Camden Town, London, England. The venue is a part of the World's End pub, situated in the basement of the building. It has a capacity of 500 people. History Over the years The Underworld has become the ...

in London, supporting the band Dirty Deeds. Support slots followed with the likes of

Dio Dio may refer to: Given name ''Dio'' or ''Dion'', masculine given name * Dio of Alexandria, Greek philosopher and ambassador (1st century BC) * Dio Chrysostom, Roman philosopher (AD 40–120) * Cassius Dio, Roman historian (AD 160–230) * ...

, Halford,

Symphony X Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Michae ...

Angel Witch Angel Witch are a British heavy metal band which formed in London in 1976 as part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement. Biography Formation The band formed, originally under the name of Lucifer, of guitarist and vocalis ...

Dream Evil Dream Evil is a Swedish heavy metal band, assembled by producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999. History Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone w ...

and

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the remai ...

. These major shows led to appearances at festivals in the UK (including the first ever Bloodstock Festival in 2001), USA, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands. Unfortunately a planned appearance at the

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is ancho ...

Metal Fest in Mexico in 2005 had to be cancelled when the band's drummer and singer quit at the eleventh hour. The band has since appeared at various festivals across Europe and the USA.

Line-up changes

Shadowkeep have undergone numerous significant line-up changes over the years. Mid-2012 saw the appearance of the band's tenth incarnation.

Bass guitarists

Jim Daley (who had previously played on

Patricia Morrison Patricia Anne Rainone (born January 14, 1962), better known by her stage name Patricia Morrison, is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She has worked with Bags, The Gun Club, Fur Bible, The Sisters of Mercy, and the Damned. Bi ...

's solo album ''Reflect on This'') was the band's initial bass guitarist, but he was succeeded by Steve Scott (ex-

Dragonheart ''Dragonheart'' (stylized as ''DragonHeart'') is a 1996 fantasy adventure film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Charles Edward Pogue based on a story created by him and Patrick Read Johnson. The film stars Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, Pet ...

and a founding member of

Power Quest Power Quest are an English power metal band from Southampton. The line-up consists of keyboardist Steve Williams, drummer Rich Smith, vocalist Ashley Edison, guitarists Glyn Williams and George "The Kid" Karafotis, and bassist Bradley Ediso ...

), then by Steve 'SK' Kightley (ex-Spirit Of

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

) and Fredrik Englund, before the arrival of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

-based Stony Grantham (ex-Terra Vast) in time for the

Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'' (''BW&BK'') is a Canadian heavy metal magazine. Although based in Toronto, Canada, ''BW&BK'' features writers from the US, Germany and the UK, allowing the magazine to represent metal music from an internationa ...

Festival in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

in 2004. A short tour of Texas, with Ancient Cross in support, was arranged for May 2005, as a result of Grantham's involvement with the band. Grantham has remained a full member of Shadowkeep since 2004, but as he lives in the United States, substitute bass players have occasionally been taken on for rehearsals and live concerts in the UK and mainland Europe.

Drummers

At the band's inception, Allen and Robson's former Sire colleague Russell King was drafted in on drums, but he was later replaced by Dave Edwards (ex-Pete Wadeson Band), then by

Scott Higham Scott Higham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning member of ''The Washington Post's'' investigations unit. He graduated from Stony Brook University, with a B.A. in history and has a M.S. from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Higham also earned ...

(ex-

) and subsequently by Mauricio Chamucero. Divine Ruins' drummer, the late Mike Pittman, deputised for some US tour dates in 2003. Higham then briefly rejoined the band in early 2004, with New Zealander

Lawrence Paterson Blaze Bayley (born Bayley Alexander Cooke, 29 May 1963) is an English heavy metal singer. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994 (and currently since 2010, following reunions in 2007 and 2009). He was also the lead singer of Ir ...

replacing him for a short while later that same year. When Paterson also moved on (joining first Chokehold, then

Blaze Bayley Blaze Bayley (born Bayley Alexander Cooke, 29 May 1963) is an English heavy metal singer. He was the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994 (and currently since 2010, following reunions in 2007 and 2009). He was also the lead singer of Ir ...

's band, Rogue Male, Iron Knights, Raven Lord, Asomvel, I.C.O.N., Cris Martin's Rock Dawn and

Alcatrazz Alcatrazz is a heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea. Following an internal disagreement and split in 2020, there are currently two separate and distinct Alcatrazz line-ups, one featuring Bonnet, and ano ...

), Mike Pittman again helped out temporarily, until Scott Higham took his place for a third stint in the band. However, Higham departed once more, during the early recording sessions for the third Shadowkeep album, and joined

Pendragon Pendragon or ( wlm, pen dreic, ''pen dragon''; composed of Welsh , 'head, chief, top' and / '' dragon'', 'dragon; warrior'; borrowed from the Latin word , plural , 'dragon , br, Penn Aerouant) literally means 'chief dragon' or 'head dragon', but ...

, with whom he was a bandmember until April 2014. Omar Hayes (ex-Orphic Soop, The Delta Sun and Epuldugger) became Shadowkeep's drummer in 2008; he joined the

-based band Mikobi in late 2011, but also remained part of the Shadowkeep line-up until 2013. In February 2013, former bandmember Scott Higham rejoined on a temporary basis. He was succeeded by Tim Churchman (who had previously played alongside Steve Kightley in Spirit of

and The Forge, as well as with Dec Burke in Darwin's Radio, and with

John Jowitt John Jowitt is a British bass guitarist known for his work with several British neo-progressive rock bands, such as Ark, IQ, Arena, Jadis and Frost*, as well as substituting for Trevor Bolder in Uriah Heep Uriah Heep may refer to: * Uriah ...

Ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...

). On 4 December 2013, Churchman was announced to have joined the

NWOBHM The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

band Soldier. Omar Hayes then rejoined Shadowkeep for the recording of their fourth album.

Vocalists

Founding vocalist Rogue Marechal departed Shadowkeep in late 2002. He resurfaced for a one-off performance with the band Balance of Power at the Rock The Nations festival in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

on 6 August 2005. Together with ex-Shadowkeep bassist Steve Kightley and guitarist Chris Van Hayden (ex- Biomechanical), he then went on to form a new band called Chaosgenesis, adopting the name from a song on Shadowkeep's second album. His involvement in projects including Virtuocity, Prophecy and Poison Seed was to follow, before his second stint in Shadowkeep, which lasted between 2012 and 2015. Towards the end of 2002, former Sire and

bandmember Richie Wicks took up the vocalist's position, but within a few months he had left to concentrate fully on vocal duties with the

Tygers of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang are an English heavy metal band who are part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and pe ...

. His replacement was US vocalist Ronnie Stixx (ex-Terra Vast, Byfist and Divine Ruins), with whom work began on a proposed third album, which would have different working titles at various stages in the process, including ''The Awakening'', ''Ancient Prophecies'' and ''Beyond The Stratosphere''. A two-track promotional CD featuring Stixx's vocals saw the light of day in 2005, but further recordings were abandoned when Stixx left Shadowkeep later that same year. He went on to front Wycked Synn,

Vicious Rumors Vicious Rumors are an American power metal band, originally formed in 1979 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was conceived by founder and guitarist/vocalist Geoff Thorpe, and has been actively recording and touring worldwide since thei ...

, Blood Red Skies, Project Terror and Heaven Sent. His vocals can be heard on the Divine Ruins album, ''Sign of the Times'' (released by Lone Wolf Records in 2004), and on the Project Terror albums, ''Absolute Power'' (released by

Pure Steel Records Pure Steel Records is a record label based in Germany that focuses on heavy metal music. Pure Steel produces CDs and LPs. Founded by Kay Anders and Andreas Lorenz in 2006, the main interest of Pure Steel is to spread the true and independent h ...

in 2012), ''Conquistador'' (2014) and ''Apocalypse Rising'' (scheduled for release in 2016). Stixx also has a career as an actor. In late 2005, Richie Wicks returned and officially became Shadowkeep's frontman, and work recommenced on the third album, which would now be entitled ''The

Hourglass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...

Effect''. The album is a conceptual piece, based around a time in the not-too-distant future when the sun is prematurely dying, and positing the subsequent effects that this phenomenon might have on the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

's population. ''The

Effect'' was eventually released on Dutch label Melissa Records in November 2008. At this point a reviewer from the UK's '' The Sun'' newspaper described the band as, "The new

New Wave of British Heavy Metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

Band history, 2008–2011

Richie Wicks departed the band in 2009. He went on to form a

-era

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a Musical ensemble, music group, Singing, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style ...

called Heavenly Hell, before joining

covers band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. Ne ...

No Way Out on bass, in March 2011. His replacement was Matt Oakman (formerly of Structured Chaos and Born of War), who made his live debut with Shadowkeep at The Pipeline venue in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 6 February 2010. As of 2008–2011, keyboard player Scot Collins (ex-Tainted Grace) completed Shadowkeep's line-up. Collins has also been a member of the bands Duplex Gage and

Massive Ego Massive Ego was a British Darkwave musical group formed in 1996 by singer and ex-model, Marc Massive (also the owner of the Public Disordar label) and Andy J Thirwall. The band has changed its sound and image since its formation. The original r ...

. Journalist Mark Fielden deputised for Stony Grantham on bass guitar during live shows on Shadowkeep's 'With Force We Come' UK tour in 2010. Grantham was obliged to remain in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

at this time, due to ongoing commitments with other bands: Drifter (an

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

tribute band, with Erika Tandy on vocals) and Sad Wings (a

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

tribute band, featuring vocalist

Jason McMaster Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

). Shadowkeep played a co-headlining gig alongside

Pythia Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythone ...

at the

Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel Island, Queensland *Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated communi ...

music venue in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable a ...

, Surrey, England on 1 May 2010. On 28 August 2010, the band appeared at the Bridgefest 2010 rock festival in

Canning Town Canning Town is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London. The district is located to the north of the Royal Victoria Dock, and has been described as the "Child of the Victoria Docks" as the timing and nature of its urbanisation wa ...

, which was headlined by

Pagan Altar Pagan Altar is an English doom metal band formed by Terry Jones and his son Alan in 1978 in the borough of Brockley in London. History Alongside Witchfinder General, they are one of the few new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands ...

and

. Shadowkeep were chosen to headline the third day of the Fyreball Festival at the Westcoast Bar in

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significant m ...

on 4 September 2011, but this event was cancelled ahead of time when its promoter, Fyrelyte Events, ceased operations. No further live appearances were forthcoming from Shadowkeep during 2011.

Band history, 2012–2016

In March 2012, former Shadowkeep members Richie Wicks and Mark Fielden joined forces with Keith Herzberg (ex-

), Gary MacKenzie (ex-

Praying Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They hav ...

), Andy Blackwell and Jason Rice to form a

classic metal Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

called

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

& Purple. During 2016, Wicks was frontman for a

called Snakebyte; as of 2021, he was a member of various bands, including Acoustica, Scavenger's Daughter, No Angel and (from 5 June – 6 September) Kev Riddles'

Baphomet Baphomet is a deity allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templar. that subsequently became incorporated into various occult and Western esoteric traditions. The name ''Baphomet'' appeared in trial transcripts for the Inquisition of the Knight ...

. In April 2012, Chris Allen and Nikki Robson travelled to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, to meet up with Stony Grantham and to take part in a tribute concert for guitarist René Solis of the band Texas Trash, who died in January 2012. The gig took place on 7 April 2012, with the band Methuselah also on the bill. In June 2012, Shadowkeep announced on their official Facebook page that original singer Rogue Marechal was to rejoin the band, and that work was to begin on the fourth Shadowkeep album. On 16 July 2012, vocalist Matt Oakman officially departed Shadowkeep; he went on to join the bands Dangerous Breed, Gridlock and Stormborn (with whom he was a bandmember until 30 August 2019). In February 2013, it was announced that Omar Hayes was no longer in Shadowkeep's line-up, due to his unavailability for upcoming festival dates. Taking his place for consecutive gigs at the Chameleon Music Bar in

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

on 16 March 2013 (with The More I See and

band Overdrive) and at the Wizzfest 2013 festival in

Aalter Aalter () is a municipality located between Bruges and Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and large ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

on 23 March 2013 was former bandmember Scott Higham, although this proved to be a temporary arrangement. Bassist Jack Kirby and keyboard player Tim Hall (from Overdrive) also guested with the band at their

gig. Shadowkeep performed at the Q's Entertainment venue in

Redhill, Surrey Redhill () is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead within the county of Surrey, England. The town, which adjoins the town of Reigate to the west, is due south of Croydon in Greater London, and is part of the London commuter belt. The ...

on 7 September 2013, at the Little Devil venue in

Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-lar ...

on 13 September 2013 with

Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armoured warfare, armored and motorised infantry, motorized or mechanised infantry, ...

, and at the Swordbrothers XII festival in

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the '' Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing villa ...

on 14 September 2013 with

Morgana Lefay Morgana Lefay (known as Damage from 1986 until 1989) is a Swedish power/thrash metal band from Bollnäs. It is named after Morgan Le Fay of the Arthurian cycle. History Morgana Lefay independently released their first album, ''Symphony of ...

and

Rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

. Tim Churchman joined them on drums for this series of gigs. During 2014, Omar Hayes rejoined the band for recording sessions. As of early 2014, the band were reportedly composing their fourth studio album, which was initially set to be recorded at Karl Groom's Thin Ice Studios during 2014 and 2015, with its release provisionally scheduled for 2016 or 2017. A live show (recorded in Belgium on 23 March 2013) was also being prepared simultaneously for a potential release on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

, but this particular project did not come to fruition. In late 2015, Rogue Marechal left the band before the completion of the fourth album, prompting a search for a new lead singer. Bass guitarist Steve 'SK' Kightley temporarily rejoined Shadowkeep in the studio during 2016, with Stony Grantham continuing to be involved in writing and recording with the band. In 2016, Grantham also joined the long-running Texas-based band Byfist, with whom he recorded the album ''In The End'', which was released on

in September 2020.

Band history, 2017 onwards

In January 2017, it was announced that

Helstar Helstar is an American heavy metal band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1982 by guitarist Larry Barragan. They were an influential force in the American power metal genre emerging in the mid-1980s. History Early days and Combat-era (1982–1986) H ...

vocalist

James Rivera James Rivera (born April 15, 1960) is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the heavy metal band Helstar. He was also the singer for Seven Witches between 2002 and 2005. Biography Rivera got his start singing with power/speed met ...

was to join Shadowkeep and would record vocals for the band's fourth album. The eponymous album ''Shadowkeep'' was released on

on 28 March 2018. A short promotional tour of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands was arranged for March 2018, with concerts taking place in Osthessen (at the seventh Full Metal Festival, which was co-headlined by Accuser), and in

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'' ...

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany ** Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Old ...

Lünen Lünen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund, on both banks of the River Lippe. It is the largest town of the Unna district and part of the Ruhr Area. In 2009 a biogas plant was built to provide electric ...

and

Nijverdal Nijverdal () is a town of approximately 25,000 inhabitants in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is the commercial centre of the municipality Hellendoorn. Nijverdal (which means ''Industrious Valley'') was founded in 1836 on the territory o ...

. The band were due to return to the USA during October and November 2018, for a number of shows which were scheduled to take place in

with

Nasty Savage Nasty Savage is an American thrash metal band from Brandon, Florida, formed in 1983 by vocalist "Nasty" Ronnie Galletti. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Galletti and guitarist David Austin remaining the only constant members ...

; however, the UK-based members of the band were unable to travel to meet these arrangements. As Shadowkeep's scheduled appearance on 27 October at the 2018

Pure Steel Pure Steel is the only pacer to win the A G Hunter Cup, a race over 3,050 metres and the richest handicap race for pacers in the world, three times, in 1977, 1978, and 1980. He was the first Standardbred horse to win A$500,000 in Australia. P ...

Metalfest in

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area. The population was 5 ...

similarly could not take place, James Rivera's Metal Asylum headlined the event on that date instead. In 2019, the

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band Ark Ascent – featuring multi-instrumentalist and occasional stand-in bassist for Shadowkeep, Jack Kirby, alongside former Shadowkeep vocalist Rogue Marechal, DGM bassist Andrea Arcangeli and

Sirenia The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea-cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The Sirenia currently comprise two distinct ...

drummer Michael Brush – released their debut album ''Downfall''. Some of the tracks that were included on the album had initially been part of a collaborative project called Prophecy. During 2020, Shadowkeep alumnus Omar Hayes formed a

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science ...

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

duo called The

Hayabusa was a robotic spacecraft developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to return a sample of material from a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa to Earth for further analysis. ''Hayabusa'', formerly known as MUSES-C ...

with guitarist Kenji 'Jammer' Suzuki. Their debut album ''Re-entry'' was released on 12 March 2021. Since late 2021, former Shadowkeep vocalist Matt Oakman has been working with guitarist Robin Brancher (founder member of

band Desolation Angels), as part of a project entitled DA. Whilst Shadowkeep have been inactive since 2018, bass player Stony Grantham has continued to record and perform live in the USA with Byfist, and vocalist James Rivera has maintained a busy touring schedule with his other bands, including

and James Rivera's Metalwave. Grantham and Rivera have also been involved in a recording project called ''Texas Metal Outlaws''.

Members

Current line-up

* Chris Allen – guitar (1999–present) * Nikki Robson – guitar (1999–present) * Stony Grantham – bass guitar (US; 2004–present) *

– vocals (2017–present)

Past members

Vocals

* Rogue Marechal (1999–2002 / 2012–2015) * Richie Wicks (2002 / 2005–2009) * Ronnie Stixx (2003–2005) * Matt Oakman (2009–2012)

Bass guitar

* Jim Daley (1999–2000) * Steve Scott (2001) * Steve 'SK' Kightley (2002 / 2016) * Fredrik Englund (2003) * Mark Fielden (2009–2011, UK live substitute) * Jack Kirby (2013, UK live substitute)

Drums

* Russell King (1999) * Dave Edwards (2000) *

(2001–2002 / 2004 / 2005–2008 / 2013) * Mauricio Chamucero (2003) * Mike Pittman ''(d. 27 August 2007)'' † (2003 / 2005, US live substitute) *

(2004–2005) * Omar Hayes (2008–2013 / 2014–2018) * Tim Churchman (2013)

Keyboards

* Scot Collins (2008–2011) * Tim Hall (2013, UK live substitute)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

*''Corruption Within'' (2000) *''A Chaos Theory'' (2002) *''The Hourglass Effect'' (2008) *''Shadowkeep'' (2018)

EPs

*''Shadowkeep'' (1999)

Appearances on compilation albums

*''Dark Tower'' – track No. 1 on ''Metal Crusade Vol. 1'' (CD compiled by ''Heavy Oder Was?'' magazine, 2000) This track also appears on a number of other compilation albums. *''The Trial of Your Betrayal'' – track No. 14 on ''Dynamit Vol. 23'' (CD compiled by ''Rock Hard'' magazine, 2000) *''

Queen of the Reich "Queen of the Reich" is a heavy metal song first recorded in 1981 for a demo tape by "The Mob", later known as Queensrÿche. "Queen of the Reich" was first recorded on ''Queensrÿche'' (a.k.a. ''Queensrÿche EP'') along with "The Lady Wore Black" ...

'' – track No. 2 on ''Rebellion: A Tribute to

Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...

'' (

Dwell Records CMH Records is a Los Angeles-based, independent country and bluegrass label with several subsidiary labels, including Vitamin Records, Crosscheck, Dwell, and Rockabye Baby!. The label release diverse styles of music including string quartet tribut ...

, 2000) *''Believe'' – track No. 8 on ''

Limb Limb may refer to: Science and technology * Limb (anatomy), an appendage of a human or animal *Limb, a large or main branch of a tree *Limb, in astronomy, the curved edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body, e.g. lunar limb *Limb, in botany, ...

Promo CD Vol. 3'' (

, 2002) *''Fear and Loathing'' – track No. 15 on ''Rockdetector: A-Z of

Power Metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

'' (CD provided free with the book ''A-Z of

'' by Garry Sharpe-Young, published by

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as we ...

in 2003; ) *''Cast Out'' – track No. 22 on ''

Louder Than the Dragon Wizard is a German power metal band, formed in 1989 by the drummer Sören "Snoppi" van Heek. The band was often called "Germany's answer to Manowar". Most of the band's lyrics are about battles, metal, war and steel. There are some exceptions, f ...

'' (

, 2004) *''Ten Shades of Black'' – track No. 7 on ''

ProgPower UK ProgPower UK is a progressive and power metal festival held annually in the United Kingdom since 2006. Its latest edition, which would have taken place in the Anson Rooms at the University of Bristol on 28 March – 29 March 2008, headlined ...

2006 – Official Festival CD Sampler'' (CD given out free to

festival attendees on 25 March 2006) *''Keep It True IV'' – live footage of Shadowkeep appears on the bonus disc of this DVD release ( Steelpride Records, 2005)Review of ''Keep It True IV'' DVD
at www.metalcrypt.com, 25 July 2006

References

External links

*
Shadowkeep at MusicMightShadowkeep's entry in Encyclopaedia MetallumShadowkeep's entry in Librarius Metallicus
{{Authority control English power metal musical groups English progressive metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1999 1999 establishments in England Musicians from Guildford