Martina Penzenauer - Shadows' Grey
Interview by Si Smith
School physics teachers often pose the question to their class: why are shadow's grey?If you have ever asked yourself this question, then here is the answer in musical form. Shadows are grey because something is blocking out the light and causing a shadow in your perception. Shadow's Grey have succeeded in bringing us an album which portrays how certain things in life and love can block out the light for us and cause shadows on our hearts. I spoke to the "caressing voice of an angel's heart", Martina Penzenauer, to learn more.
First, a big thank you for this interview and greetings from all at Femme Metal.
Thank you very much. It is an honour to be interviewed from Femme Metal.
You started off as Scargod in 2007 - apart from this there doesn't seem to be much information about you anywhere! How did you guys all get together as a band in the first place?
At that time I sang in a band called Wydfara’s Prophecy and we recorded an album at the SoundSpur Records Studio. It is the same studio where Maze has been producing his ideas with Dominik. The owner of the studio just asked me if he could call me if a band or someone needs a female voice and I said yes. One day he asked me if I had time to sing for a project called Scargod. And that is how we came all together…
The name change to Shadow's Grey must have been a chance to redirect the band with a new focus - how did the music and the band change as a result?
A lot of things changed. At first we got a new main singer, who is Albert. With him everything gets a bit more vulnerable and there is not so much anger as before. Although I think that the whole album is about the next level of desperation. At first there is anger and then there is the vulnerability. Every band member had to put more into the band than before, especially monetary. And we also work more on a professional and steady presence in the media. We had the chance to make a video with a professional company from Germany insane4frame and that was just amazing!!!
It seems that Austria has a reputation for good female fronted music - if Visions of Atlantis, Edenbridge and Dreams of Sanity are anything to go by - not to mention general symphonic bands like Serenity - what do you feel your band has to offer that is different from all these others?
First of all, it is good that there are more female fronted bands because the acceptance is still not the same as with pure male bands. I mean, come on, maybe women are more likely to sing clean, but that does not mean that they can not be as tough as some of the guys. We can also rule the stage or mess around. A difference between some of the named bands could be that I try not to use my voice too opera-like or too classical. Other distinctions could be the way Albert and I sing the songs. Sometimes it is just him, sometimes it is just me.
Your debut release "Bonjour Tristesse" hit the streets in January 2011. How has the general reception been so far?
Pretty good. I am very satisfied with the reviews and my friends and family enjoy it very much. Even my grandparents listen to the music. And it is not as hard as things I have done before and so a lot of people who never listened to my music already bought the album.
The album begins, as many of your songs do, with a slow, melodic introduction. What kind of emotions would you hope listeners would feel upon listening to your music?
I think at first there should be a tension, some kind of feeling which leads you to listen to the song very carefully. That is what I mentioned before with the vulnerability of the songs. I mean if it is an angry song it should be right in your face.
The song "Gone" has become a single from the album: have you been able to get much airplay in Austria? Is there any specific significance behind the children's vocals?
The children's choir is near Maze’s hometown, so he just asked them and they were very excited about that. You can also see them in the video and they were super cute. The single "Gone" has been played on the biggest radio station in Austria. I hope we can go on like that, but with that kind of music it is not so easy to be played.
The album contains a number of ways of perceiving love as an emotion and an experience. Are there any particular songs that are closest to the hearts of the band, and why?
Nearly all songs are written by Maze. He had a very hard time a few years ago, ending up in a psychiatry and struggling with his whole life and family. So he really knows what he is writing about and most of the stories told in the songs are real life experiences of him. A very important song to me is "Farewell", because I wrote the lyrics. The lyrics are actually from another project with a friend of mine, but they fitted perfectly to the piano sound.
It has to be said, Martina, that your voice seems to blend very well into this genre, and some of the harmonies achieved on this album are quite unique. Do you get involved in any of the composing and lyric-writing, or do the boys keep this to themselves?
Most of the lyrics are written by Maze. But I am totally free in how to sing them. So my singing melodies are my part of the composing.
Both Martin and Dominik describe their skills as "songwriting of the highest level". Judging by the melancholy nature of the lyrics they produce, what are they like to actually work with? Please tell us some stories!
Maze has a lot of crazy ideas and Dominik has the wonderful ability to understand him and put them into music. He is a very gifted musician, with an enthusiasm about the smallest parts, that I really love. When we are all together we have so much fun. We are laughing all the time about stupid jokes and speak more about the bright sides of life, then the dark ones. But that makes sense, because if you would just speak, think, write and sing about the hard times you would go crazy.
Ok, Martin and Dominik are great at giving us their credentials - but what about you? Your voice seems to express emotion particularly well, and it sounds like you have had much experience in singing outside of Shadow's Grey. What is your musical background?
I started with classical singing lesson at the age of 14. I had a very good teacher and I learned a lot, even if I never felt completely satisfied in the classical genre. I also started to sing in a choir, which was a very good experience for me. Out of this choir, some girls and I decided to start an Acapella Vocal Quartet which is called "Fo(u)rtissima". We sing more pop or jazz songs, but also some Austrian folk songs and it is a very nice alternation. My first experiences with metal I made in 2005. Through my cousin I started to sing in the metal band Wydfara’s Prophecy which was Melodic Thrash Metal. We played a lot of live gigs and we had so much fun, but we decided to quit in 2009. But we are still good friends and we always thinking about doing something together again. With one of the guys I also had a solo project called Geniva, which is also my pseudonym. We covered on our very own way pop songs and had some own arrangements. This is also a project that is not active right now, but maybe one day, I have time for that again.
There is quite a prominence of the male vocals from Albert ("the true voice of an embittered man") on this album - more so than in some bands of the genre -is this something that will continue? How did you try to achieve the right balance between the male and female vocals?
Especially this album is a bit more about the male voice, because Maze wrote the lyrics about real themes and he is a man, so it was logical to let Albert sing more. But actually I like it. Maybe next time it will be a bit more about the female voice, but I like the balance as such.
The album as a whole is quite a grandiose and rich-sounding tapestry. Have you had a chance to recreate this on stage yet? Would you be planning any live performances for the near future?
Thank you for the compliment. Unfortunately it is not planned to be live on stage. Albert is working as a DJ and during the season he has to work 7 days a week the whole night. Also Dominik is a very busy man with all his projects. Maze has 3 kids and I would love to play live, but I can’t do it alone. So hopefully a lot of people will buy the CD, that we will have to start playing live gigs. I miss being on stage as a metal girl, flying hair, sweaty guys…
Finally, I would like to say a great thank you, and is there any special message you would like to give to potential fans out there? Why should people check out Shadow's Grey?
Buy the CD, watch the video on YouTube and see us making music with passion. You should listen to Shadow’s Grey, because we have our own way!
Thank you again, and we wish you success in the future!!
Thank you very much!
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