Blending prominent synthesizers, heavy guitars and originally drum machines, Nightshade adventurous eclecticism has been standing out in the metal scene for 25 years.
Chief songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Wacinski, vocalist Dave Genillard and bass player Al, three outsider 90’s teenagers with an affinity for heavy music and a rebellious need to craft a different sonic art, founded Nightshade in 1998.
Emerging out of the burgeoning 90’s Swiss black metal scene, the group forged their own electronic-industrial dark metal style with extravagant cosmic synths, imagery and lyrics. While vocals appealed to extreme metal fans, the songs also had an undeniable sense of rhythm and melody that stood apart from most metal acts of the time and infused a combination of curiosity, talent and musical freedom.
Following their debut LP “Nebula Trance”, the band started performing regularly at shows and festivals in Switzerland and abroad, establishing its own outsider’s anthems among the swiss underground metal scene.
In 2006, with the rapid evolution of metal, guitar assaults started to reign supreme and the band reformed as XICON with Thomas on drums and new musicians, toured and recorded two albums, to finally disband in 2011 after Thomas called it quits.
On Halloween of 2019, Nightshade was reimagined as a duo by David and Thomas, taking the duties on guitar, synth and drums. “Sounds Of Dark Matter” (2021) emerged out of the spirit of their 1999 debut EP and sonic aesthetics.
