|
SHADRANE
is the metal/progressive band-project of
Vivien Lalu (Lalu, Hubi
Meisel), Joop Wolters (Dutch
guitar virtuoso) and the legendary brothers
rhythm section of Matt
and Gregg Bissonette (Joe
Satriani, Steve Vai etc). From a vocal perspective
SHADRANE makes use of different singers,
according to the tracks needs with vocals
coming from Göran Edman
(ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, Street Talk, Brazen
Abbot), Björn Jansson
(Tears Of Anger, Ride The Sky, Beyond Twilight)
and Henrik Båth (Darkwater)
along with some backing vocals from Martin
LeMar (Tomorrow’s Eve). Musically
“TEMPORAL”
is a blend of prog-metal (Temporal, She
Writes), power-metal (Betrayal, Morpheus)
and more pop driven rock (Rainy, Consider
It) - yet Shadrane’s own personality
shines through all the compositions. Lyrically
the tracks don’t follow the story’s
order; yet the songs are inspired by the
concept/story, but they’re not telling
every event in chronological order like
a movie would do.
On
the album Vivien comments, “I’ve
always been influenced by dramatic movies
and orchestral scores in general. I would
make a movie out of the story if I could.
I was inspired by my grandparents’
tragic life when I wrote it. I wanted to
write an album about the stupidity of war,
but also love, grief, mourning and redemption.
I believe that nothing last forever, that
“everything is temporal”. Not
too happy, I admit, the complete opposite
of my debut “ONIRIC METAL” (released
under the Lalu moniker) where I stated that
“love is eternal”. I have a
totally different state of mind today, than
the day when I started to write the concept/music.
Many people around me (both family and friends)
have died during the making of the album
and while there were bad times for my wife
and I, it made my brain work a lot. Fortunately,
there was also the birth of my daughter
which happened during the production, so
I “brainstormed” even more.
I guess all these things influenced the
compositions and the story writing (in many
ways)”.
TEMPORAL
STORY CONCEPT
By Vivien Lalu
with the precious help of Daniel Z. Klein
Our
story takes place between 1940 and 1942.
Jack Daker, a US Navy Commander in charge
of the secret US submarine “Morpheus”,
is spending his shore leave with his troops
on Hawaii. 2nd Lt. Paul Brodsen is one of
the men under Daker's command; he is a nervous
man who has always been jealous of Daker
and who harbours a secret hate against him.
The
Japanese New Year falls into the time of
the shore leave, and amid the colourful
celebrations, Commander Jack Daker meets
Madoka Okuyama, a young girl of Japanese
heritage. They quickly develop feelings
for each other, and a long relationship
begins. This only serves to further fuel
Brodsen's jealousy.
After
Daker and his men have left Hawaii, the
American continues his relationship with
Madoka through letters. Later in 1941, the
Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and Commander
Daker realizes that Madoka is no longer
safe where she is. He decides to secretly
move her to his house in America, where
he hopes she will be safe. He goes to Hawaii
personally and escorts Madoka to his home
in Woodlake Pines, USA—secretly, of
course, as by this time people of Japanese
nationality were no longer permitted to
enter American territory. Brodsen learns
of Daker's treason, but decides to bide
his time.
While
Madoka lives alone in the old Daker residence,
Jack is aboard Morpheus, fighting the Japanese.
It is during one of these dangerous missions
that Lt. Brodsen kills his commanding officer,
Jack Daker. As they are about to fire at
a Japanese civilian vessel (there are rumours
that it's transporting weapons) Daker aborts
the firing sequence, thus causing a malfunction
of the torpedo chamber doors. The submarine
begins to flood and it is only after she
has taken tons of water that the doors can
be sealed again. During the general confusion,
Brodsen overwhelms Daker and kills him by
forcing his head under water, making it
look like a drowning accident. Morpheus
finally reemerges, and a little while after
control is restored—with Brodsen as
the new commanding officer—they resume
the attack, this time successfully.
Madoka
learns of Jack's demise from his butler
Richard and is completely devastated. She
attends his funeral masked in black and
cries for him a last time. She had learnt
that she was pregnant and had been looking
forward to telling Jack the next time they
would have met. The next day, she cuts her
hair off, looks at her reflection in the
mirror, and smashes the glass. Just as she
is trying to take her own life with a shard
of glass, the policemen Brodsen had informed
about the presence of a Japanese national
in hiding storm the Daker residence and
take her to Manzanar, the Japanese internment
camp.
A
little later, Paul comes to visit the Daker
residence, announcing himself as a good
friend. Richard leaves him to look through
the deceased's effects, where Lt. Brodsen
finds the box of letters Daker had been
sending to Madoka during most of 1941. Curious
as he is, he starts reading some of them,
and soon discovers that Commander Daker
was disillusioned and unhappy with his post
in the Navy, and that he was hoping to retire
soon. He also mentioned Brodsen, and that
he would be happy to see Brodsen as his
successor. Daker goes on to explain to Madoka
in his letters that he felt a little bad
about treating Brodsen as roughly as he
did, but that he thought it necessary in
order for the Lieutenant to be ready for
the commanding position when the time came.
Generally, Daker is speaking of Brodsen
in the warmest of tones. Reading this, Brodsen
feels regrets awakening in his heart for
the first time and finally falls to his
knees, crying.
At
Manzanar, Madoka is suffering. She receives
no real treatment for her pregnancy and
grows weaker day by day. During one of her
many sleepless nights, she sees a dark silhouette
in the room. The figure bids her to follow
him. The mysterious stranger helps her escape,
but unfortunately, he is wounded by one
of the camp's guards. Finally they make
it outside and to a car. The stranger, masked
still, drives them back to Woodlake Pines,
to the Daker mansion. They park in front
of the old house and he reveals his face.
It is none other than Paul Brodsen, who
confesses right away to murdering Jack Daker.
He explains that he thought the submarine
would sink and that all would be lost, so
he wanted to kill Jack with his own hands
before he died. He never expected to survive
that day. He is contrite and apologizes
from the bottom of his heart. Madoka, however,
is too shocked to say anything. Relieved
of his guilt, Paul Brodsen dies in the car.
Madoka finally comes out of her shock and
cries out, awakening Richard, who hastens
out of the house to see what that cry was.
Madoka
recovers, but her only companions are painful
memories and loneliness. One day, following
an impulse, she starts writing about her
life with Jack, but in her version, Jack
never dies. She spends a number of months
writing, and the night after she finally
finished the book, she falls asleep, exhausted
but happy. When she wakes up, it is midnight
and raining outside. There is a silhouette
outside window, and at first Madoka assumes
it to be Richard. She approaches the window,
opens it, and discovers the silhouette to
be Jack—but not the Jack she knew.
This Jack is an old and happy man. He thanks
her for a wonderful life and vanishes after
kissing her a last time. She falls unconscious.
When
she wakes up in the morning, she is still
uncertain whether the Jack she saw was real
or still part of her dream. But the window
is still open...
Marketing
& Promotion
» Superbly crafted progressive metal
album featuring a cast of respected names
from the metal world.
» Shadrane mastermind Vivien Lalu
is a successful TV and movie score composer
in France, having done music for various
TV shows and live orchestral music for the
French blockbuster “Seuls Two”,
which was released in France in May 2008
and won the 2nd place on French theatres’
top 10, just after Narnia II.
» Reviews / Interviews in all leading
rock/metal press.
» Shadrane are available to make custom
station ID’s for your radio station,
to arrange yours contact promo@lionmusic.com
|
