Discography
- Studio Albums
- Interval 01: Parallel Infinities, The Inner Universe (Full-length, 2013)
- Interval 02: Parallel Infinities, The Abscinded Universe (Full-length, 2014)
- Interval 03: (TBA 2015 / Pre-production )
- Singles/EP/Demo's
- In Galactic Waves Of Immeasurable Death (Demo, 2011)
- Leaving Earth Behind (EP, 2012)
- Colossal (Single, 2013)
Band Members
- Brett Windnagle: All guitars, harsh vocals, keys/synths, drums, lyrics, production
Guest Musicians
- Patrick Parris: Clean Vocals ( Project: Roenwolfe )
- Rae-Anna Parris: Clean Vocals
- John Yelland: Clean Vocals ( Judicator , Disforia )
- Bryan Edwards: Harsh Vocals ( Ex-Seven Kingdoms, Vermiform )
- Alicia Cordisco: Harsh Vocals ( ex-Judicator , Project: Roenwolfe, Vermiform )
- Mercedes Victoria: Clean Vocals
- Tyler Sherrill: Additional Keyboards and Piano ( Steamforged )
Characters
- Vincent Tereshkova: Pragmatic Hero - A.I. Systems developer/creator. Exceedingly intelligent and analytical. He develops the consciousness for ASI and becomes the focus of Atlas
- Sarah Tereshkova: The Idealist - Human/Cyber geneticists researcher. Extensive background in cybernetics and human DNA reconstruction, she develops the body for ASI.
- ASI: Ultimate Life Form - ASI (Advanced Synthetic Intelligence, pronounced Ah-See) is a creation developed by Vincent and Sarah. She is meant to be the evolutionary step for humans, and she is also the cure for the human sterility plague. While humans technically couldn't be cured of their mysterious infertility, ASI can use minute amounts of genetic material to compile her DNA and those of her partner to create. Vincent and Sarah both designed ASI to reproduce through sexual intercourse to help keep the human element there, and hopefully make her more accepted into society.
- Atlas: Energy Beings - Atlas is a structure and a single alien entity, and it is also two alien entities. "The Structure" as Vincent simply calls it, is a massive construct in dark space, the space between galaxies. It has no definable boundaries as it can move seamlessly throughout the universe, and remains undetected by completely masking any radiation, heat, or light emissions of any kind. At it's center is a massive "factory" about the size of a spiral galaxy that is used to devour raw matter. Inhabiting this construct, are two alien entities acting as a single mind. They are the energy signatures of a long extinct race who built The Structure in a failed attempt to defeat The Swarm.
- Atlas-Rigel: The male counter-part of Atlas, in his time he was a brilliant war strategist ( Old Soldier ) and highly revered for his wisdom and advice when it came to foreseeing the long term outcome of lengthy wars.
- Atlas-Aetheriel: The female counter-part of Atlas, in her time she was a highly decorated solider ( Lady of War ). Her race has military bred into them, and her specialty was in stealth and sabotage on galactic scales.
- The Swarm: Abusive Precursors - The Swarm is an immeasurably large collection super-sentient machines. Their power and capabilities are limitless, and they crush any and all opposition with unsettling ease. Often infiltrating a species political system through indoctrination and other subversion tactics, once they begin their march of extinction they cannot be stopped. They range in size from atoms to stars and appear to be immortal. The reason why they seek the eradication of all life is never truly known, their logic not even fathomable to most beings. The methodically take galaxy after galaxy before retreating back into unknown territories of existence.
- Sovereign: The hive mind that gives voice and identity to The Swarm for Vincent, he often tries to intimidate or use fear tactics to subvert his plans. Though they avoid direct confrontation for the majority of their existence, they eventually come to a head in massive two-billion year war.
Story Synopsis
The year is 2265 - As tensions between the UKAU alliance and China grow, a second problem hits humanity. Humans are becoming sterile, unable to reproduce.
- P R O L O G U E: She Dreams of Earth
Every night when she closes her eyes, Sarah sees the Earth she can never return to, and dreams of rebuilding humanity, creating stability and peace.
- E V O L V E: Transcendental Cyber-Eroticisms
But ASI is discovered, and an all out assault is launched on Arcturus by unknown entities.
- R E S I S T: Fall Into the Arms of the Sun
The Swarm is a collective of super-sentient machines, of unknown origin and technologically advanced beyond all comprehension. Ranging in size from atoms, to the size of stars, there is no human force capable of even halting their progress. With the long range scanners disabled, their most colossal machines could simply stroll into the system in secrecy.
They send a "Divider Squad" into Arcturus Station to kill off any resistance, a small group of 20-30 operatives that can eliminate large populaces in small amounts of time and with little attention. Sarah is able to secure both Vincent and ASI's escape, she is injured in the assault and jams an airlock door closed as they retreat, not giving them a chance to come back for her. She can hear the sounds of thousands of people, slaughtered and left lying where they fall to die. She manages to lure this "Divider Squad" to her, as the last remaining survivor on the station, to the core of Arcturus.
The engine, the power for Arcturus, is a small artificial star. As they all close in on her she settles in the engine rooms. Typing a few simple commands she overloads the engine and ignites the station in a small supernova, destroying the squad and delaying The Swarm ever so slightly.
- E X T I N C T I O N: Swarming the Sun
...Just in time to see Earth destroyed.
The Swarm comes in fast, and as Vincent and ASI drift past a crumbling Mars, they witness the destruction first hand. An Armada with numbers so great they blot out the light of the sun, The Swarm leads a massive machine towards Earth. Massive 'hands' wrap around Earth, spanning the entire globe, and slowly squeeze Earth into an ungodly explosion.
As they watch everything they know die, Vincent and ASI are soon forced into restraints by unknown machines. A voice echoes in their minds speaking about cryogenic sleep, and escape, and before they know it they are both rendered unconscious.
- D R E A M S: Romancing My Own Demise
He relives his biggest regret over and over. Long before he began his work on ASI or moved to China, he built AI systems for the military of Russia. He built organic machines using brain matter from recently dead soldiers and civilians. However, while he was performing his surgery one day on a young woman, she flinched while he had her skull opened for removal of her brain.
She was not dead.
He quickly put her back together, and worked to revive her. Once she awoke, Vincent realized that all his patients could actually be victims...alive in the time of his work, an impossibly painful procedure. He took the young woman with him and escaped to the safety of China.
The woman, was Sarah.
- S H A T T E R E D: Love Lost and Worlds Destroyed
- E P I L O G U E: The Acceptance of Death
Vincent had been chosen to aid in this process because of his unique knowledge and status among humanity. But before he could do anything, before Atlas could do anything, they had to let The Swarm leave the Milky Way so they could work in seclusion. Atlas is the only thing with technology capable of rivaling The Swarm's. They heal Vincent, perfect him, make him ageless and undying. Because, for the next 5,000 years he must wait as The Swarm devours his galaxy. He must accept the deaths, to preserve all life.
In order to preserve existence, he must destroy existence.
The Swarm has left the Milky Way cold and silent, the time of transition is upon both Vincent and the universe itself...
- I N T E G R A T I O N: Into The Posthuman Continuum
- R E B O R N: The Lamentation's Of A Dying Universe
Crawling onto solid surface, he begins to notice and feel things he is unfamiliar with. Inside his head he can hear screaming. His limbs feel pain but the pain is not his own. With every frantic and uncontrolled heartbeat he can feel life disperse from the universe, every gasp for air consuming stars. He balls himself into the fetal position and clenches his eyes shut, unwilling to see the horrible truth of the universes current state of existence.
As the terror and pain leave him he can feel the humanity inside himself dwindle. Suddenly, there is a void inside him where his persona used to be. Then, a terrifying and foreign feeling overcomes him, he feels something inside... wake up.
- A W A K E N E D: Not Even Remembered The Dust of Stars
- O B S C U R E D: The Great Aphotic Barriers
These other galaxies, many like the Milky Way, all harbor vast amounts of life...Civilizations who breathe sulfur, who breathe water and live in water-worlds, near infinite variety. Wanting to know more, Vincent infiltrates one of these “barriers” of light, and steals all the information he can from it.
- A G O N Y: The Sad and Beautiful Face of Death
Vincent struggles with her and tries to explain how it is the only way, but ASI is too far gone for reason and understanding. Though she is far stronger than she was, she is still damaged, and Vincent is eventually forced to kill her. His own daughter lay bleeding out before him, and in the moment of death he finally sees her return to the person she was. The first Neo-Human, and now the last, dies in his arms. Such an unjust and ugly death.
- W A R: A Congregation of Non-Existence
Towards the ending of the conflict, The Swarm would reveal one last weapon. Through the destruction a single entity appears before Vincent - Sarah. Reconfigured from the remnants of her DNA floating in space from the destruction of Arcturus station, The Swarm rebuilt her to be a harbinger of war. She assails Vincent, but he does not fight back. Just before she destroys him, something happens, and a part of her hidden deep in her tainted DNA awakens. The distance from The Swarm has weakened their influence, and she drops Vincent.
Tropes relating to the band and story:
- A God Am I: Vincent, Atlas, and The Swarm are all entities who have so far exceeded normal evolutionary standards they are beyond god-like. Their power knows no bounds, and in war they do everything from throw entire galaxies as weapons, to erasing entire areas of space to combat each other. With all life in the universe destroyed, everything left, every piece of dark or baryonic matter becomes a viable weapon: Planets, stars, galaxies, The Oort Cloud, Star Factories, nothing is off limits in this war.
- Abusive Precursors: The story's main antagonist(s) are based on Alastair Reynolds The Inhibitors from his Revelation Space novels, and Mass Effect's Reapers
- Affectionate Nickname: Death Metal Ayreon
- Concept Album: All Of Lascaille's Shroud albums are intimately connected to each other through characters and events.
- Deity of Human Origin: Vincent and Atlas' ultimate goal is to create a separate universe by consuming so much raw matter from the current universe, that when the matter is converted completely to energy it will produce a secondary big bang. The plan is to create a singularity and detonate the mass of matter in "The Bulk" - the uncharted space between universes.
- Easter Egg: No one actually knows how to properly pronounce "Lascaille's" - Not even the founder of the band. The word (a persons last name) has only ever been seen written and not heard spoken. The most common pronunciation is 'Las-cails'.
- Epic Rocking: The vast majority of all Lascaille's Shroud songs exceed 10 minutes, and go into 15-20 minute lengths on frequent occasions.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Sarah Tereshkova, makes the ultimate sacrifice in the song "Resist: Fall Into The Arms Of The Sun" where she detonates a massive research station in order to buy her husband and their creation, ASI, some time to escape. Although rumors exist that she may not be out of the story yet...
- I Am the Band: Lascaille's Shroud is the wild imaginings of a single person seeking to create a unique and recognizable universe in the world of Metal.
- Last of His Kind: As the story progresses further and further into time, eventually Vincent becomes not only the last human in the universe, he becomes the only being at all...Or so he believes...
- Pro-Human Transhuman: Vincent Tereskhova - the protagonist - undergoes serious genetic and physical alterations at the beginning of Interval 02. Despite developing a cyborg-human hybrid, the drastic nature of his transformation leaves him largely traumatized and conflicted about his identity.
- Redemption Equals Death: Despite the overall idea behind his actions serving the greater good, Vincent's 'inaction' are largely what plagues him. At the end of Interval 01 he had to wait in hiding for 5,000 years as The Swarm wiped out the local cluster before he could begin the fight to reclaim existence.
- Shout-Out: The Bands name is a reference to Alastair Reynolds novel Revelation Space. Named after the character Phillip Lascaille, who enters an area of warped space that no human prior to him returned from. The area of space is inhabited (likely) by ancient aliens who use this warped space barrier to protect themselves. For whatever reason they allow Phillip passage, although "He'd come back back mute, either unwilling or incapable of talking about his experiences. His emotional connection with other human beings had become autistically impoverished..."
- Shout-Out #2: Vincent and Sarah's last name ( Tereshkova ) Is an ode to the first female astronaut, Valentina Tereshkova.
- The Storyteller: The story depicted in Lascaille's Shroud was originally conceived in 2006, and saw many forms take place before solidifying in mid 2011. Once the idea took hold, a great many albums were planned. Six main concepts exist for separate albums, with album 02 in progress and albums 03 and 04 already designed. Albums 05 and 06 are still in the developmental stage, and are rumored to take place as a Novel as well as a full album release.
- What Have I Become?: Many characters in the story (actually, all of them) experience this moment where they are horrified at what they have become and how they have come to be what they are. This is where the issues of identity come into play in the story.