Lost in Time: Shadow Gallery – Carved in Stone

Style: prog metal, power/prog (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Symphony X, Threshold, Fates Warning, Queensrÿche
Review by: Andy
Country: US-PA
Release date: June 27, 1995

In the two years between Shadow Gallery and Carved in Stone, Shadow Gallery matured a lot. As on the debut, each melody could only have been composed by Shadow Gallery–nobody else out there has quite the same ear for composition. But Carved in Stone is not Shadow Gallery: gone are the slightly frail production, the over-reliance on arpeggiated riffs, and the amateur transitions (for the most part) of the debut; in their place, the band now confidently balance stronger instrumental prowess with careful songwriting. Furthermore, Mike Baker’s voice, which was already a highlight, aged better than fine wine between the releases. With a fresh sound recognizably their own, Shadow Gallery assert this new identity on their sophomore album. 

Starting on a high note, “Cliffhanger,” Carved in Stone kicks it off into high gear with stunning performances on all fronts. Even as a huge Shadow Gallery fan, I don’t necessarily think of the band as driven by technicality, more by compositional genius, but the solos and leads throughout “Cliffhanger” are the number one counter to that notion. Disgusting pinch harmonics as good as those of Caligula’s Horse can be found in several instances throughout the track, and the guitars and Mike Baker’s vocals take turns holding the main riff until at around five minutes in, the track bursts at the seams with instrumental craziness. This extended section of dueling solos is about the most hedonistic Shadow Gallery gets, a shame because they really really know how to handle their instruments; for instance, one of the more impressive guitar solos fits perfectly into a groovy rhythm with the bass and drums.

Other tracks transform the instrumental cooperation into interesting vocallic lines–those vocal harmonies of Shadow Gallery are back in full force, most of the choruses melodically rich sing-a-longs like on “Crystalline Dream” or “Warcry.” The importance of vocal parts to Shadow Gallery’s overall compositional approach is apparent on the multiple ballads on the album, and because of the vocal strengths–ranging from the delicacy of Mike Baker’s voice such as on the intro of “Don’t Ever Cry, Just Remember” to the powerful upper register on “Deeper Than Life”–when listening to Shadow Gallery, ballads no longer are something to fear as a prog metal fan but rather something to look forward to. 

However, my first of two complaints about the album regards the placement of ballads consecutively, an odd choice for overall flow. Not so strange as bracketing every single track with superfluous segues, though. I appreciate any attempts to make an album flow between tracks, but forcing it with an extra four minutes of uninteresting fluff isn’t worth the marginal gains. The second complaint and worse offender is closer, “Ghostship.” Split into several segments, the suite has no sense of flow, and the disjointed pieces are often frustrating even without flow–especially the extended knocking on a door near the end that overstays a welcome it never had–a low point of the entire discography of Shadow Gallery. “Ghostship” does have redeeming qualities, particularly the guitar and piano performances, but I view it as a sizable blemish to an otherwise amazing album. 

While the epic closer, what should be the zenith of any prog album, is the weakest song of the bunch, Carved in Stone really is a prog metal classic, and since it’s more in line with the following albums than Shadow Gallery was, it feels like the most appropriate place to start with Shadow Gallery for a casual fan. Choruses like the ones on “Alaska” or “Crystalline Dream” are all-timers, and the ability to write a stellar ballad introduces Shadow Gallery up as being able to write both fantastic atmospheric sections and more metal-y stuff. Carved in Stone achieves greatness, but Shadow Gallery definitely leave a little bit of creative potential in the tank…

Recommended Tracks: Cliffhanger, Crystalline Dream, Deeper Than Life, Alaska
Final Verdict: 8/10

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Shadow Gallery is:
– Mike Baker (lead vocals, R.I.P. 2008)
– Carl Cadden-James (bass, fretless bass, flute, backing vocals)
– Chris Ingles (keyboards)
– Brendt Allman (guitars, backing vocals)
– Kevin Soffera (drums)