Doomed Confessionary: Travis, Aaron & Geno (Shadow and Claw)
Photos by Adam Gener
Chaotic, contemplative and fierce, Shadow And Claw emerges from Boise, Idaho as a new force of Northwestern heavy metal. With their blend of Cascadian black metal, high desert sludge, and meditative ambience, the trio is primed to become known as a band that carves out their own path in heavy music with demoniac fury and haunting elegance.
Their debut album »Whereabouts Unknown« was released on September 13th, 2024 on CD and digital format whith Fiadh Productions handeling the cassette edition.
Shadow and Claw are Travis Abbott (vocals, guitars, samples), Aaron Bossart (drums, samples, backing vocals) and Geno Lopez (bass, backing vocals).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Aaron: I would say our sound is definitely a mix of our biggest influences. For Travis, he brings a lot of doom/high desert rock to the table. For me, I try to incorporate cascadian black metal with a heavy influence of nature. Geno brings his punk background to round everything out.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Aaron: Writing music was probably the toughest for me. I think at first anyways. I would have an idea in my head for a black metal riff, but couldn’t play it, or tell Travis how to play it. I think seeing how the songs got built and how they ended up vs how I wanted them to sound was a new challenge, but also a lesson for me. I am very happy with how the songs ended up and I can certainly say that Shadow and Claw would not have such a unique sound if it wasn’t for the different influences that Travis and I had when we were writing.
Travis: Having to work more on the admin/business/shameless self-promotion side of things. All I really want to do is write and play, but getting your music out there and listened to requires some necessary evils. It’s all part of the game.
Geno: I had an open mind going in, so I accepted the challenges. Playing fast, tremolo-heavy, black-metal parts and an overall unfamiliar style of metal to me has its challenges, but is fun to do.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Travis: I am just proud that we made a kick-ass record.
Geno: I am just proud and lucky to be working with Travis and Aaron. I have discovered a lot of new music from them, but also they are super cool dudes.
Aaron: I’d have to agree with Travis. We put our hearts into this record. Every little detail. I recorded a lot of these samples out in the woods during the winter. We spent a lot of time post recording tweaking the guitar, adding things here and there, etc. Seeing this record get released, and hearing people talk about how much they love it is probably the most gratifying thing so far.
What was your biggest regret?
Travis: I mean, I think back and cringe at some dumb shit I’ve done or said in the past, but I don’t really dwell on regrets. There have certainly been failures in my life, but I don’t necessarily call them regrets. More like lessons learned or yet to be learned.
Geno: When it comes to this music, I have no regrets. I kind of wish I started listening to this type of music at an earlier age, or at least before I started jamming with Travis and Aaron. Back in my day, the heavy music we were listening to was mainly thrash metal and groove metal.
Aaron: I don’t have any regrets with this project. I do regret certain dumb things I’ve done in my past, but who doesn’t? As far as Shadow and Claw is concerned, every experience has been a stepping stone, learning opportunity and a path to the next journey.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Travis: Playing with Divide and Dissolve was great because we played our best set yet. Slaughterfest was also a fun show because of how many different types of metalheads we got to perform for. It was a lineup that had many different genres and subgenres of metal, so it was really cool seeing a mixed crowd appreciate what we brought to the table.
Geno: Playing with Black Tusk was great. I’ve been a huge fan of their videos and they are really cool dudes.
Aaron: Having our record release when opening for Black Tusk was really cool. They were all so supportive, bought some merch and hung out to shoot the shit.
What was the biggest surprise in the music scene for you?
We are surprised there is not more music like this here in Boise. We do have some great bands here – Ghorot, Weald & Woe, Crush the Monster, Possessive, Ealdor Bealu, Aterrima – to name a few. But we feel like there should be more bands with this kind of vibe.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Geno: Windhand, Acid King, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse, Nuclear Rabbit, Conan.
Aaron: Agalloch, Alda, Nightfell, None, Nocturnal Departure, Yellow Eyes, Svrm, Krallice, Oranssi Pazuzu.
Travis: Hell, Oranssi Pazuzu, Mare Cognitum, Boris, Blood Incantation, Aridus, Forn.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Travis: Don’t aim – just play. In other words, don’t over concern yourself with fitting into any specific genre or style of music, and don’t aim to please genre-specific audiences. I would say “just be yourself”, but being yourself is actually a little more complicated than it seems on the surface. We’re all a product of our influences and environment.
Aaron: Don’t have any expectations. Just play with your heart. I have tried the whole “play the music people want you to play thing” and it never works out. Writing music with people who are compatible on a personality level is just as important, if not greater than, writing music with people who are super talented. Also, don’t be a dick.
Geno: Play what you want to play. Be true to yourself.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Aaron: Hot sauce. Spicy food.
Geno: Watching WWE.
Travis: Listening to podcasts about books.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Boise / Idaho?
Travis: There’s a lot of cool things happening here in Boise, Idaho. The younger bands here are doing a lot of cool things and are bringing some great energy to the scene. The future here looks bright and is in good hands. We’re all a little bit older in Shadow and Claw, and we’ve all been part of the scene as individuals for a while now, so it’s interesting to observe how things have flowed and evolved over the course of the past 10-15 years. I’ve always felt like an outsider, personally, but the past few years I’ve met a lot of the younger musicians and they’ve made me feel like I’m appreciated and respected, which is all I can really ask for in the end.
Aaron: Everyone is so supportive. Seeing kids come out, put shows on together and support each other is something I am proud of. I am excited for the Boise music scene to grow even further. I am starting to see newer faces, newer bands and more creative projects come up.
Geno: We have a lot of good support. I come from a small town with little to no music scene. Seeing all the open minds, the support and music in Boise is what makes it so great.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
This year is almost over, but we have had a very productive 2024. I think we have made somewhat of a name for ourselves with our first full year of live shows. We have gained plenty of new friends and are excited to see what the future holds for Shadow and Claw.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Aaron: I think next year, we are going to focus a little more on writing, playing some out of state shows/festivals. Possibly even a small tour if we are lucky.
How can people best support your band?
Come to a show. Come hang out. Check out our music. Buy some merch. Follow us on social media.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Aaron: Play the music you want to play. Surround yourself with good people. Be kind to one another. Support local artists. Don’t be a dick.
Geno: Take care of the Earth, it’s the only one we got.
Travis: It is no easy road.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well