Interview withAshley Dayour (vocals) from Whispers in the Shadow
With ‘Rapture’, Austrian Dark Rock prodigies WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW return with an album that feels both intimate and monumental - a luminous counterpart to 2022’s ‘Ghosts’, yet one that dives just as deeply into the dark currents of belief, mortality, and transformation. Where ‘Ghosts’ was heavy with dread and descent, ‘Rapture’ seeks catharsis through the very act of creation - navigating the fragile threshold between faith and fanaticism, beauty and corruption, serenity and chaos.
In this conversation, frontman Ashley Dayour reflects on the spiritual undercurrent of ‘Rapture’, the mysterious flow of inspiration, and the evolving language of metaphor in his work. From liturgical song structures to deeply personal symbolism, from the role of the collective unconscious to a surprising holiday track waiting at the year’s end, Ashley offers thoughtful insight into an album that feels like a culmination - not just of nearly three decades of artistic evolution, but of something more timeless, urgent, and quietly ecstatic.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Ashley, when we last spoke about ‘Ghosts’, you described its atmosphere as both haunted and heavy, reflecting the collective demons of our times. With ‘Rapture’, which seems to confront faith, ecstasy, and fanaticism, do you see it as a companion piece to ‘Ghosts’ - or rather as its necessary exorcism?
Ashley: It’s definitely not a companion piece, but a logical follow-up. ‘Ghosts’ was the Abyss and there are only two ways after descending into the bottomless pit: complete annihilation or ‘Rapture’. So you might be onto something here.
RoD: This new album boldly explores the fragile line between faith and fanaticism, beauty and corruption. Did you approach the songwriting with a more spiritual or more sceptical mindset this time?
Ashley: I just wrote the songs that came out of my mind. I followed the trail which presented itself. Very different from the last time when I had a sonic concept. For ‘Ghosts’ I made the trail so to speak, I carved it out of the rock. For ‘Rapture’I became the rock. If that makes any sense. So yes, it was more spiritual. ‘Rapture’is a spiritual album in the true sense of the word.
RoD: The track ‘Origin Story’ feels almost liturgical in structure, yet deeply human in its confession. How did writing a 12-minute piece like this test or liberate you as a lyricist and composer?
Ashley: Thank you. Liturgical is a perfect word for that song. Like all the songs on ‘Rapture’, ‘Origin Story’, which is a personal favourite on the album, more or less wrote itself. Sure, writing a 12-minute song takes some time, but it went very smoothly. I wrote the first part in 30 minutes and the other stuff in a day or two. It almost frightens me when I look back now, because writing this album was such a smooth and blissful experience. I just wish it would be like that all the time. I’m doing this long enough to know, that’s not how the force works. But with ‘Rapture’it truly did.
RoD: In our 2023 interview you spoke about avoiding obviousness in lyrics, keeping space for mystery. ‘Rapture’ seems to invite listeners even deeper into the riddles of belief and doubt. Do you feel your audience has changed in how they decode your metaphors today?
Ashley: I don’t know. Not everything is possible to decode. There’s some personal stuff which nobody can understand what it really means, but everyone can make up her or his own story. Take ‘From The Mouth Of Babes’ for example, I’m mentioning some hill in the second verse. What I’m describing is one of my favourite places in the world, top of Greenwich Park / London. It’s impossible to know when you just listen to the lyrics. But it doesn’t really matter because what I actually mean is some sort of Paradise and that’s a universal concept. On the other hand, I think it’s pretty obvious what a song like ‘Illusions Of Grandeur’ is about, or is it? Or take ‘Zealots’, it’s already in the title. So it varies from song to song.
RoD: The soundscape on ‘Rapture’ moves between tribal drums, lush atmospheres and stark guitars. Compared to ‘Ghosts’, where do you hear the biggest evolution in WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW’s musical language?
Ashley: ‘Rapture’ is like the essence of 29 years band history. The essence of what is called WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW. We could have totally made this our self-titled album. It would have made sense, because it has elements from all our periods and albums. Nevertheless we didn’t approach it with nostalgia. We took all the elements and took them even further. ‘Rapture’ is definitely more approachable than ‘Ghosts’. It's an album that embraces you and invites you in. Whereas ‘Ghosts’ was a very negative and claustrophobic affair. All that is mirrored in the sounds and the sonic landscape we created for these albums.
RoD: You’ve often said that creativity is partly shaped by the collective unconscious. In an age when spiritual and ideological extremes feel louder than ever, how do you protect your own inner balance while writing such weighty material?
Ashley: Music helps me to cope with all the madness. Music is my protection. It’s as simple as that. It’s both escapism and a catalyst. It keeps me sane. Or as sane as one can be today.
RoD: The album art by Billy Phobia merges sacred and contemporary aesthetics in a very striking way. How closely did you work together to ensure that the visual element embodies the same tension you created sonically and lyrically?
Ashley: We have worked together for several years now and the process has been pretty much the same since the beginning. I have a vague idea of what I think fits for the album and show that to him, mostly in keywords or pictures I come across. I also give him the demo version of the album, which inspires him. Then he presents a couple of ideas and it goes back and forth until we have something that works. Then he does his magic until it is finished. I think he absolutely nailed it with the sleeve for ‘Rapture’. It’s a piece of art. I’m forever grateful for all the effort and energy he put into it.
RoD: Two singles, ‘From the Mouth of Babes’ and ‘Illusions of Grandeur’, seem to tackle innocence lost and power corrupted. How important was it for you to set the tone for Rapture through these particular contrasts?
Ashley: These two songs pretty much present what the album is about. The two sides of the coin so to speak. It was always clear that ‘Illusions of Grandeur’ would be the second single. We struggled a bit with the decision of what should be the first one. In hindsight it was the right choice. ‘From the Mouth of Babes’ is not only a song about innocence lost but also a song about the fact that we all have to die and coming to terms with it. As usual I tried to make it not as obvious or cliche.
RoD: Finally, nearly three decades into WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW’s journey, ‘Rapture’ feels both timeless and urgently relevant. Looking back at your earliest explorations of the occult and mysticism, what does “rapture” mean to you now, at this point in your life and art?
Ashley: It means creating. It means writing songs. Being on a stage. Being in this band at this moment in time. It also means music in general. For a lot of people music becomes less important when they get older. For me it almost feels like the opposite. I’m a very passionate music listener. I never get bored. But I’m also aware that the older you get the more effort you have to put into the things you like. Passion for the things you love has to be nurtured.
RoD: With ‘Rapture’ about to unfold for listeners, what can we expect next in terms of live shows or special projects? Is there something you still have up your sleeve for the faithful and the curious alike?
Ashley: We changed our record label for this album and thought it will take some time until we find a new partner and that the album won’t be out until autumn. But our new label Icy Cold Records was as eager as we to release the album around our big show at WGT, where we played in front of 1,500 people. It worked and was the right thing to do. The downside of it is, we don’t have any gigs lined up this year. We booked them for 2026. So there’s a bit of a weird gap now, but we will be on the road in 2026. This summer and autumn I will be pretty busy with THE DEVIL & THE UNIVERSE anyway, we are releasing a new album later this year and there are shows. However there is going to be another Whispers release at the end of the year. During the sessions for ‘Rapture’ we also recorded a Christmas Song. No kidding. It’s great, you’ll see.
Pictures by Eclipse New Media / Bernd Grünwald
