Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

Of Shadows and Lights – The End of a Nightmare (2021)

Of Shadows and Lights draws you into an adventure leading to the nocturnal world in ‘The End of a Nightmare’. Continuing his exploration of good and evil while considering what makes us human from his album Almost Prophetic Visions and Thoughts, this single touches on the experience we have all faced in the last year. Through the hypnotic tones of the music, his lyrics consider the hold nightmares have on reality and questions our shared experience of pain.

While Angelo Pitone has been pushing boundaries with his music, he is taking it one step further with this release. Direct and honest, it throws sprinklings of rock into a wash of synthwave to highlight his creativity. A strong single that gets you thinking as much as it gets you lost in the sound, it will have you delving into his previous releases.



‘The End of a Nightmare’ gently pulls you into a dreamscape through the opening. There is a light feeling to the synth tones that softly move through the soundscape. The organic instrumentation has a dusting of rock sensibilities that pulses later in the track. The dreaminess of the opening gives way to a swirling redness that makes you think of the edges of a nightmare. There is a slightly heart racing touch to the music that turns into a soothing flow to calm you. Through all of this, the melody has a perfect blending of synth and organic tones that come together for a blast of synthwave rock.

As the melody takes you through the dreamscape, Pitone’s vocals pull you into the adventure of the lyrics. The lyrics touch on insomnia and not wanting to sleep for fear of nightmares. While there is a literal feeling to the lyrics, there is a deeper message that you can feel peeking through. As his vocals call out when the melody blasts, the lyrics turn to questioning that could very easily lead to an existential crisis. As you get lost in the music and movement of the track, the vocals have you really thinking about the world.

Of Shadows and Lights adventures into the world of nightmares while questioning experiences of pain and moving forward in ‘The End of a Nightmare’. The melody is a perfect mixture of rock and synthwave that has you engaged from the first moment to the very end. While the lyrics carry some literal meanings, there is something deeper waiting for you to grasp it that shines in the vocal performance.

Find out more about Of Shadows and Lights on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.