You might know Devon Graves from the Alt-Metal band Deadsoul Tribe - or you… Read Full Bio ↴You might know Devon Graves from the Alt-Metal band Deadsoul Tribe - or you might be more familiar with his real name, Buddy Lackey. He spent 11 years working as front man, singer-flute player for one of the original prog-metal bands, Psychotic Waltz.

Throughout the journeys of touring with Deadsoul Tribe Devon met many musicians who really stood above the crowd. One day he began to wonder: “What would it be like to play in a band made of the very finest players I have met along the way?”

So like Dr. Frankenstein did, by sewing the greatest, strongest pieces of the greatest strongest men and then adding a sick and demented brain to create his monster, so it is the same with Devon’s creation of his monster THE SHADOW THEORY who are featuring some of the finest musicians that Devon could possibly gather:

Demi Scott - Keyboards
Arne Schuppner - Guitar (from the German prog-thrash metal band Complex 7)
Kristoffer Gildenlöw - Bass (Dial, formerly Pain Of Salvation)
Johanne James - Drums (Threshold, Kyrbgrinder)

Four years in the making, THE SHADOW THEORY will be releasing their first studio album on Devon’s long time home InsideOut Music. “Behind the Black Veil” is a sinister roller-coaster ride of sound and lyrical imagery combining elements of Thrash, Psychedelic and Symphonic Metal fused with Folk and Prog-Rock undertones. Devon’s first “concept album” ever, tells a horror story of a man who wakes from one nightmare into another, into another until he can no longer tell where the dream ends and reality begins… Or if he was ever dreaming at all.

THE SHADOW THEORY’s “Behind the Black Veil”, both frightening and compelling is sure to be a standout amongst the vast myriad of music releases this year. THE SHADOW THEORY will be a touring band and is already looking into possible touring in early 2011.

Check out, “The Sound Of Flies”, a 1st song by visiting THE SHADOW THEORY on MySpace:http://www.myspace.com/theshadowtheoryofficial

A Candle in the Gallery
The Shadow Theory Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So I ran for the door, but it closed in front of me
The handle locked, but she handed me the key
"Only you can unlock it now" she said and stepped away
And I remember thinking
What a strange, strange thing to say

I turned the key into the door and gazed onto the dark
She handed me a candle which she lit without a spark

So I stepped into the long, long, pitch dark hall
The candle burned so dim I had to feel along the wall

The dim glow flickered as I felt my way ahead
A splinter from a picture frame pierced me, and I bled
I moved the candle closer, close enough to see
The painting of that woman smiling back at me

I examined it much closer noticed what I had not before
The date read "in the year of our Lord 1854"
Suddenly a draft of cold blew the candle out
Slowed down the black I felt my way about

Then up ahead, up ahead I could vaguely hear
The sounds of song and laughter
People in good cheer
My fingers brushing canvases, picture frames and stone
Then I felt something, something that chilled me to the bone

The final painting had not yet time to dry
And the door creaked open and let in a crack of light
She stood there in the doorway
She said "Now you finally see"
She pointed at the portrait

And I saw, my God... it was me
It was me

Overall Meaning

The Shadow Theory's "A Candle in the Gallery" lyrics tell the story of a protagonist who tries to escape through a door, only to find it locked. A woman hands him a key and tells him that he is the only one who can unlock the door. As he walks through the dark hall holding a dimly lit candle, he accidentally gets injured by a picture frame. Eventually, he reaches a painting of a woman who, upon closer examination, reveals the year 1854. He hears sounds of people laughing and singing, and upon opening the door, he sees a portrait of himself.

Line by Line Meaning

So I ran for the door, but it closed in front of me
I tried to leave, but the door shut in front of me, trapping me inside.

The handle locked, but she handed me the key
The woman gave me the key to escape, but I had to use it myself.

"Only you can unlock it now" she said and stepped away
The woman implied that I had to face my fears and unlock the door myself. She left me alone to do it.

And I remember thinking What a strange, strange thing to say
I was perplexed by the woman's cryptic message and wondered why she said it.

I turned the key into the door and gazed onto the dark
I unlocked the door and saw the darkness beyond it.

She handed me a candle which she lit without a spark
The woman gave me a candle that she magically lit without a match or lighter.

So I stepped into the long, long, pitch dark hall
I entered a long, pitch-black hallway, which appeared never-ending.

The candle burned so dim I had to feel along the wall
The candle was dim, so I had to touch the wall to navigate through the darkness.

A splinter from a picture frame pierced me, and I bled
I accidentally injured myself on a picture frame's broken wood and started bleeding.

I moved the candle closer, close enough to see The painting of that woman smiling back at me
I moved the candle closer to look at a painting of the woman who gave me the candle, and she was smiling in it.

I examined it much closer noticed what I had not before The date read "in the year of our Lord 1854"
I scrutinized the painting more and discovered the painted woman was from 1854.

Suddenly a draft of cold blew the candle out Slowed down the black I felt my way about
A draft of cold wind extinguished the candle flame, so I had to move slowly and feel my way around in the darkness.

Then up ahead, up ahead I could vaguely hear The sounds of song and laughter People in good cheer
I heard the faint sound of people having fun and enjoying themselves up ahead.

My fingers brushing canvases, picture frames and stone Then I felt something, something that chilled me to the bone
As I touched canvases, picture frames, and stone, I sensed something that made me shiver with fear.

The final painting had not yet time to dry And the door creaked open and let in a crack of light
The freshly painted final painting was still wet, and the door opened a bit, letting in some light.

She stood there in the doorway She said "Now you finally see" She pointed at the portrait And I saw, my God... it was me
The woman was in the doorway, and she revealed that I was the subject of the final painting. I was shocked to see myself in it.

Contributed by Nora N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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