Soul Shadow

SOUL SHADOW BIOGRAPHY The story is the same for us. A young father has a son that becomes his whole world. To raise and teach and protect. To share his wisdom and bestow upon him the life lessons the father has learned, and to become his best friend and companion, to continue the legacy of his name, given to him by his father, and his father’s father, and so on. Kyle grew up in Kettering, Ohio as the youngest of four children, born into this world on July 2nd, 1967. At an early age, influenced by his much older siblings and cousins, Kyle instantly felt a connection to music. He spent most of his High School years and after learning to play various instruments and playing in bands in basement parties, garages, small clubs, etc. His love for music would always outshine anything else in his life, and still does. On November 30th, 1993, his only son was born, 6 years after Kyle’s daughter Alexandra. Aaron Tyler was raised in a loving home filled with great music from all genres, great friends, many whom played instruments themselves, and parents who had a strong urge of adventure and imagination. Tyler started playing drums at 7, basically learning from his father and watching other drummers play. The first original song, written by Tyler and Kyle, playing a 12 string bass, was when Tyler was 8. As Kyle practiced with bands in his home, mainly as a drummer or bassist, Tyler was always there, watching, learning, absorbing everything he could about music. Like his father, Tyler started branching out and began learning how to play guitar, but at the much younger age of 12. Tyler and Kyle played together bass and drum sections of songs from bands like Slayer, Tool, Shinedown, Metallica, Megadeth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, and wrote their own riffs and songs. Kyle always told him “If you practice and become a better drummer than me, then I’ll let you play in my band!” We moved into a house in Dayton after living in Massachusetts for 8 years, moving there for work and to spend time with other family and friends. Moving back home directly after Tyler graduated high school at age 18. As Tyler and Kyle were unloading our truck, a guy with black t shirt and jeans, hair down to his waist, came out and introduced himself, saw we had musical gear, and asked if both of us played. We said indeed we did, and we were father and son. “That’s funny!” he said, “I play in a metal band with my son!” His name was Shad Ankeney and his son was Justin, and only 15… As said earlier, the story repeats itself, kind of. Shad was born on December 4th, 1974 in Dayton Ohio, moved out to California for a bit, but returned around his junior high school years, listening to bands that were popular in the 80s, but it was always the sound of the guitar that attracted him to music. His four other siblings were always listening to many different bands and Shad liked a few, disliked several. That led him to heavier bands such as Megadeth, Metallica, and Testament, where it excited him listening to blistering leads and haunting melodies of metal guitar. His only son, Justin, was born on January 18th, 1997, the oldest of Shad’s five children. Justin grew up watching his father play guitar, always playing in his spare time, while he worked on the computer, while they watched TV, sometimes while they ate dinner. He was driven by a fury to learn this instrument he grew up cherishing, and is still often found at home playing and learning new chord and scale phrasings and theory. With a house filled with music, Justin fell into the swing by playing the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games, learning the songs that his father had grown up listening to, creating a stronger bond of music than before. Justin really liked playing the bass lines on those video games better than the other instruments. So Shad introduced him to Metallica’s Cliff Burton and their 1st three albums. Justin was enthralled and had to have a bass. Having given a bass guitar for his 15th birthday, Justin, like Shad, devoted all his spare time in learning riffs, scales, chord progressions, etc., and started playing with his father, songs by Metallica, Pantera, AC/DC, Avenged Sevenfold, and White Zombie. By the summer of Justin’s 15th year, he had joined his dad’s band as the full time bassist. Shad and Justin had played on a few stages at local bars, including McGuffy’s House of Draft, by the time he turned 16. After Kyle and Tyler moved in right next door, Kyle invited them over to jam as a four piece, Kyle on vocals and guitar, Tyler on drums, Shad guitar, Justin bass, respectively. They finally agreed on a few cover songs by Metallica, Slayer, and others, but the first song they learned together was Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth. They still play it from time to time on stage! But with Shad and Justin’s band, and Kyle playing in a few projects, it just never worked out for them. On October 31st, 2013, after Shad and Justin’s current band parted ways, Justin convinced his father into playing with Kyle and Tyler, and approached Kyle with a new adventure of a musical dream. Of course, Kyle and Tyler agreed and Soul Shadow was selected together as the band name, their sons representing shadows of the father’s souls. Two fathers, and their two sons. We are Soul Shadow! Original American Metal from Dayton Ohio! TWO fathers, and THEIR SONS, writing and playing together...Shadows of the Souls...