Upon Shadows is a band based in Finland, originating from Uruguay, that is a must-listen for any Metal fan. Their sound contains elements from both Extreme Metal and post-Industrial Metal with a dark melancholic sense. The duo, consisting of Tamara Picardo and Natalia Arocena, have recently released a new single entitled “Virtus Dormitiva”.
I had the chance to chat with the mastermind behind Upon Shadows, Tamara Picardo. Hope you enjoy this interview as she tells us about her music, herself, and her life.
Hello Tamara. How are you doing? I Hope COVID-19 and its relatives are not affecting you too much!
Hello, I’m fine, hope you are too. At the moment, I’m visiting my family after two years without being able to travel to my country due to the pandemic.
I was reading some of your quotes about Upon Shadows, and it’s clear how passionate you are, not only about having people listen to your music but also receive the message you’re trying to deliver through it. Would you like to tell our readers a bit about Upon Shadows and what they could expect if they go to their favourite streaming platform right now and listen to your music if they haven’t yet?
We are a Female Dark Metal duo, formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2002 (and based in Finland since 2013) by Natalia Arocena on bass and Tamara Picardo on guitars, keyboards, vocals and drums.
Upon Shadows is a mixture of Extreme Metal and Dark Ambient. With a strong presence of keyboards, poetry and a lot of darkness.
It is music with emotional commitment where each album or single has a different concept. We have 7 albums, several singles and EPs that are available on all digital platforms but also for free download at my blog: https://tamarapicardo.blogspot.com/
You’ve been directly involved in literally every stage of your music creation. From composing to singing and playing most of the instruments to producing the music and you even created the artwork. WOW.
What of these aspects did you enjoy doing the most?
I enjoy all the processes but what I love the most is creating the arrangements. Once all the music skeleton is done, I can focus on the words and the melodies to create the ambience, adding all the details and final touches for the lyrics to embrace the music. The moment in which I feel a song is ready is pure magic and the reason to keep going on.
Would you like to tell us a bit about your musical background? Which artists did you grow up listening to and what inspired you to become a musician yourself?
I grew up listening to Kiss and Van Halen who were like gods in my country when I was a child, among classical music, tango and local rock bands. Later when I was at the high school when metal music was starting, right away it took my attention and captured my soul forever. Many bands have been very important to me over the years but Morbid Angel was the one that made me want to create music and be an active part of extreme metal music. I studied four years of piano, solfeggio and rhythmic in a music academy in Montevideo, and the rest I learned by myself. In 1995 I started to play the keyboards in a local Melodic Death Metal band called Eclampsy, and later in 2002 I left the band to start Upon Shadows. The bands that inspired and influenced me the most are Abigor, Necromantia, Impaled Nazarene, Samael and dark music bands like The Whores of Babylon and Sisters of Mercy.
I don’t want to bore you with so many questions but I bet our readers would love to get to know you more as a person. So I’m going to ask you to pick between two things.
Tea or Coffee?
Tea.
Cats or dogs?
Dogs.
Marvel or DC?
I prefer Manga
Megadeth or Metallica?
Metallica
“Stairway to Heaven” or “Bohemian Rhapsody”?
Both.
Vacation in the mountains or sea?
Vacation in the sea.
Living in a city or the countryside?
A small city is the best for me.
That’s it! Thank you for the interview, Tamara! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks to you Vanessa and FemMetal for the opportunity to present my music to your readers. I would like to invite those who have never heard about my band to check out Upon Shadows latest single called “Virtus Dormitiva” and let me know your thoughts on our YouTube channel or in our Facebook page.
