05/04/2026
Shadow of the Talisman
May 2026
Interviewed by:
Laura Williams
Vinyl Lollipops
Photography courtesy of:
Elijah Coulter Photography
Shadow of the Talisman:
Mike Smith - Vocals
Zack Harrision - Guitar
Logan Lanning - Guitar
Tom Maceri - Bass
Kyle Williams - Drums
Laura:
Thank you for your time. Please give us the backstory about how and when your band was established.
Shadow of the Talisman:
Shadow of the Talisman started back in 2022, when Kyle and our old bassist, Eli, were looking to form a band during their time at Kettering University. Kyle reached out to Zack as they performed some shows together back in high school, and that's when the project became official! Through some connections with friends, we completed our lineup with Mike on vocals and Owen, our old guitarist, and immediately started writing originals that were a melting pot of all of our influences at the time. "The Outlaw" was the first song we wrote and later recorded, which set up the story told throughout our debut album, "As Above, So Below." We officially released our debut in February 2025 and had the amazing opportunity to play many incredible shows across South-Eastern Michigan to promote it! After some unfortunate lineup changes later that year and some acoustic shows, we found our new bassist, Tom, and new guitarist, Logan, through online networking. Since then, the five of us have been crafting our own unique sound, unlike anything that we've heard before, and are very excited with how well our playing styles and ideas complement one another!
Laura:
How would you describe your music-making process?
Shadow of the Talisman:Our musical process fluctuates greatly with every song we write. We've had Mike write drum parts, Kyle write guitar parts, and every combination in between! Lyrics are typically handled by Mike, but everyone else has had some say in words to swap or placement within the song to better help the flow. It's honestly great to have that dynamic in the band, because writing never gets stale, and each song has creative room to breathe as it filters through 5 very different musical backgrounds. For recording, we always get very rough demos on our phones to practice along to, and once they've reached a point where they're fully developed, they start getting prepped for the studio. The rhythm section always goes first, then guitars are multitracked to get the fullness our songs often need, followed by vocals and harmonies, and then any special effects are added at the end for flourish.
Laura:
Do you have a favorite song you like to perform the most? If so, can you please explain why?
Shadow of the Talisman:
We write our songs for live shows, so "So Below" has easily become a banger to end each set with. Every member gets a showcase, the song has so many memorable sections, and it wraps up everything that came before perfectly. It gives the crowd an opportunity to head bang during the intro, mosh during the mid-section's breakdown, and sing along to the lyrics at the end, so it's been a favorite for both the crowd and us.
Laura:
Can you please spill some behind-the-scenes details about how you prepare for shows?
Shadow of the Talisman:
We hate doing repeat set lists, so a week or two before each show, we often sit down and figure out what songs haven't been played in a while, what works for the show we're about to do, and what we miss playing. Outside of that, we have a pretty typical preparation routine that often transitions into long talks about how each show can be more grand and more memorable than the last, which is always fun!
Laura:
What genre of music do you consider Shadow of the Talisman to be?
Shadow of the Talisman:
We used to joke and call ourselves "chameleon metal" when AASB was our only original music, but we've been deep into writing album two recently, and we're slowly becoming a progressive-groove metal band with hints of hardcore sprinkled throughout. But that's always hard to explain, so we typically default to "alternative metal" to play it safe! One thing we'll always strive for in our sound are iconic riffs, earworm melodies, and music that never gets repetitive. Dynamics are important, and to us those elements are what keep songs engaging and always bringing people back to listen to.
Laura:
Why call the band “Shadow of the Talisman?”
Shadow of the Talisman:
It's difficult to find a memorable band name that isn't already taken, so we took some ideas we were toying with of "talisman" and "darkness" and brainstormed some iterations until "shadow of the talisman" was agreed upon. To us, it represents this mystical object that often has good attributes to it, but we wanted to turn it dark and ask the listener, what if this talisman had these dark side effects represented by the shadow? It creates some cool world-building we did on the first album, and we're hoping to continue expanding "The Shadowed" universe in sequential albums!
Laura:
What should fans expect to experience at a show?
Shadow of the Talisman:
Every show we perform is guaranteed to have high energy, crowd engagement, and a memorable performance through special effects, stand-out covers, and unrivaled musicianship. With non-repeating set lists, new songs constantly being worked in, and a pool of covers the crowd is guaranteed to love, every show is unique, and the dynamics are what make our shows special to attend. We truly are a live band, so definitely don't miss out on any upcoming performances!
Laura:
Typical question here. Who has influenced you the most via music?
Shadow of the Talisman:
Our top three influences are easily Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, and Metallica. A7X has the mainstream progginess and dynamics, Pantera has the groove and aggression, and Metallica has the thrash and memorability we can't help but convey through our music. But these are just bands we all collectively enjoy; The Misfits, Lynrd Skynrd, Haken, Rush, and Code Orange are just some of the other artists we're inspired by, let alone the vastly different genres of classical, EDM, and country we all dabble in. We're fortunate to have such a wide range of influences, and it's really incredible to hear how some of these inspirations have inspired parts in our original music!
Laura:
How can fans and future fans locate, listen to and buy your music?
Shadow of the Talisman:
shadowofthetalisman.com is the #1 way to access all of our music and streaming platforms, and it gives people insight into upcoming shows, who we are, and other cool features only our website offers! But we can be found anywhere using the tags and , or a simple browser search spits out all the information one could possibly need about our social media and streaming platforms.
Laura:
Is there anything else you would like your fans to know?
Shadow of the Talisman:
If you're looking for new music that truly stands out, consider giving us a follow or catching us at a live show because we promise you'll hear something you like! We make music for any and every metal head out there, so consider joining "The Shadowed" and see what we have to offer.
Laura:
What’s coming up next for Shadow of the Talisman?
Shadow of the Talisman:
There are a ton of exciting things in the works for the band! New merchandise, new music, new shows, new cities, new everything, and we can't thank the Michigan Metal Scene enough for sticking with us and welcoming us back as they have. We are truly thankful our music is finding its way, and we're excited to be taking everything to the next level in the coming months. We can't emphasize this enough, but the new music we're planning on releasing is incredible, and we can't wait to unveil these new songs at live shows... so be sure to come out, because who can turn down new music and new merch! Again, all updates can be found at:
shadowofthetalisman.com
and your favorite social media platforms.
Thank you for this opportunity to interview Laura, and for supporting us and all of our friends in the Michigan Metal Scene!
Laura:
Thank you for your time. It’s my pleasure!
Laura Williams
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