Shadow Reichenstein

Shadow Reichenstein is a Dallas, Tx. based recording artist created by C. E. Malone II- singer/songwriter and creative director of the band. The music of Shadow Reichenstein has attracted fans of many different genres over the years, from Goth, Rockabilly, Garage and Surf to Hard Rock, Punk and more recently Metal. Mr. Malone began recording the first Shadow Reichenstein demos and developing the c oncept of the band back in the mid nineties. During these same formative years he adopted the pseudonym Shadow Reichenstein for himself after being impressed by the surname Reichenstein carved into a tombstone in a nearby cemetery. After years of recording and perfecting the material Shadow recruited close friends Jim Thomas on guitar, Robert Galvan on bass along with a neighbor and local musician Chris Vivion on drums to complete the first band line up. They played their first official show as a band on Halloween of 1999. This show was a near perfect performance however, the original drummer Chris was replaced soon after in favor of Mark Baker a musician with whom Shadow had played with previously in another local band. This initial line up of the band soon became regulars in the Deep Ellum music scene gaining notoriety for their over the top stage shows and endless promotional efforts through flyers and graffiti. The next step for the band was independently recording and releasing the first Shadow Reichenstein CD titled “It’s Monster Rock”. This first CD relying heavily on Horror themes, surf guitar and music of the 50’s and 60’s gained them fans in the underground Rockabilly/Garage and Gothic Rock circles popular at the time. The first review ever earned them 5 skulls, the highest rating possible by "Rue Morgue Magazine". This review was given to a CDR with a photocopied insert in a flimsy plastic sleeve. After a few years with the band, Mark Baker eventually left playing with numerous well known bands including Ministry leaving Shadow to recruit yet another local musician Brian "Boog Nasty" Klein for the new drummer position. Now with a new member in the line up, the band recorded the second release, a three song EP titled “Bela was a Junkie”. This new CD remained true to the Horror themes but showed a slight departure from the more vintage sound of the earlier material in favor of a more aggressive Punk/Rock-n-Roll approach. Although released on a shoe string budget, “Bela was a Junkie” received excellent underground exposure, reviews and made its way on Deathrock DJ set lists in the U.S., U.K. and abroad. Around this same time the band found it necessary to recruit a more permanent bass player having spent most of their time playing with less dedicated musicians. Boog suggested a friend named Bob Kakaha who had been in a well known local Dallas band Hellafied Funk Crew. Shadow’s dislike for HFC’s particular style of music created some natural hesitancy but was soon overcome after an alcohol induced night of hell raising together with Mr. Kakaha. With Bob’s addition to the band, they continued to play more and more and eventually ventured as far away as New York and Los Angeles for the Drop Dead Festival as their recognition continued to grow without the support of a record label. Bob was an excellent player and after about a year with the band was eventually recruited as Bobzilla to Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul of Pantera’s new band Damageplan. After Bob’s departure Shadow struggled through several bass players, the departure of long time guitar player and best friend Jim Thomas and the passing of an old friend and ex-member Robert "Chili" Galvan. These trying times coupled with the resulting down time proved very difficult and caused some second thoughts about the future of the band. Even through these uncertain times Shadow continued to audition replacements and search for new players before finally emerging stronger than ever with two new members, Curt Saxon on guitar and James Ogre on bass. Curt had been an acquaintance and co-worker of Shadow’s for several years where as James was a simple recommendation by a close friend. After months of rehearsing together Shadow booked a show and promoted it as “The Return of Shadow Reichenstein”. Even with two brand new members the show proved to be a welcomed return resulting in an excellent turn out and served as a rebirth of the band. Soon after Shadow agreed to a hand shake record deal with the up and coming German Horror Punk label Fiend Force Records and released the highly anticipated “Werewolf Order”. This new record showed a drastic maturity in song writing and departure from the band's earlier material. While still maintaining the dark elements of the previous releases, the new material saw Shadow moving stylistically more toward Rock and Metal. This has allowed the band to maintain their following in the more Gothic circles while also gaining the attention of larger audiences. Coupled with over the top live performances, costumes and stage visuals, Shadow has since received even more praise from numerous magazines and websites including "Gothic Beauty” and "Rue Morgue" and been featured on countless DJ's setlists and compilations including the popular "This is Horror Punk" and "New Dark Age" series CD's. In 2006 Shadow played both Fiend Fest Los Angeles and Fiend Fest Germany headlining the latter along with a 2 1/2 week tour of Germany and one show at the Terra Gotha Festival in Holland. In 2007 Shadow recruited current drummer Mr. Ray Gunn on the recommendation of former band mate and close friend Bobzilla. A heavy hitting seasoned veteran in the scene, Ray Gunn was the much needed addition completing the current Shadow Reichenstein line up. In the fall of 2007 Shadow Reichenstein successfully returned to Europe twice for a total of 2 months performing 43 shows and festivals in 6 different countries. In the Summer of 2008 the band returned to Europe, this time venturing into England as well as Germany for more shows including the Summerbreeze Festival in Germany and The Rebellion Festival in Black Pool England. Shadow Reichenstein has matured and evolved into a world class rock band with a look, sound and style that is perfectly intertwined and comparable to such greats as Kiss, Motley Crue and Marilyn Manson. Sir Shadow Reichenstein III Curt A. Saxon James Wolfgang Ogre Mr. Ray Gunn Shadow Reichenstein http://www.myspace.com/shadowreichenstein http://www.shadowreichenstein.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Reichenstein/128843010464423 Read more on Last.fm. 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