Shumaun is a progressive metal band from Virgina. This September they will be releasing a third album Memories & Intuition, from which they are now showcasing the second single, “Under The Sun” ft. Pain of Salvation drummer Leo Margarit, with a captivating lyric video.

“The opening guitar chords were very much inspired by the guitar work of Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins,” says Farhad Hossain. It is also good to note that unlike their previous album “Memories & Intuition” is not a concept album, but more thematically driven. The band explains the track further:

“Several aspects of the song are almost experimental. The backing vocals are not just doing harmonies, but they add another dimension to the lead vocals.” adds Tyler Kim.

“The music paints a dark mood, and the vocal melody is hauntingly beautiful and catchy. I love the breaks before the choruses. The ‘Shumaunic’ signature makes its way into the choruses since they’re in 7/4 time, yet doesn’t sound odd because of the groove. One of my favorites on the album for sure,” Jose Mora elaborates.

Shumaun is progressive, but not pretentious. They're accessible to fans who wish to subject themselves to the melodic and ambitious soundscapes painted by the band. This is demonstrated through the single “Memories of Water”. According to the band, it really embodies what Shumaun is all about: writing progressive inspired tracks with memorable melodies and catchy hooks that anyone can sing along to. They continue to explain the album in their own words:

“I think this album is even more song-oriented than the previous two. It still contains many of the progressive characteristics of our previous songs with regard to odd time signatures and layered instrumentation, however, it's a bit more refined and vocal driven, though there are a couple of instrumentals on it with some crazy progressive moments. I think there’s material on this album that’ll resonate with many prog fans, however, I feel the material won’t get lost on the average music fan who doesn't necessarily listen to progressive music of any kind. It’s certainly my favorite Shumaun album to date.”

Alongside the regular band lineup, on this album, Shumaun employs the talents of legendary drummers Thomas Lang (Peter Gabriel, Paul Gilbert), Atma Anur (Jason Becker, Tony Macalpine), and Mark Zonder (Fates Warning, Warlord). Drummers Leo Margarit (Pain of Salvation) and Chris DeChiara also contributed.

Shumaun started as a solo project of Farhad Hossain, who at the time was playing with Iris Divine and needed another creative outlet for music that didn’t fit in the “prog rock/metal” genre. However, he was unable to stray from his roots of progressive rock and began the writing process for Shumaun’s first album.

Tracklisting:

“A Subtle Invocation”
“Prisoners”
“Memories Of Water”
“Jabriel’s Song”
“Invincible”
“Under The Sun”
“The Pursuit of Happiness”
“Tides”
“Intuition Underground”
“Breathing Light”
“A Planetary Shift”
“The Day We Said Goodbye”

"Under The Sun" lyric video:

“Memories Of Water”:

Album teaser: