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
By the Crossroads
The Shadow Theory Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the locust sing
Waiting for the black hand
To tune her violin string
Tune it down low
She waits for the hand of the shadows
To tune it down low
She sits down and lights up a candle
Lights a stick of her favourite incense
Pulls out a small piece of paper
Burns the edge (for effect)
Then begins writing
The case with her violin lay at her side
In dust like acoffin
A stranger who's died
She looks to the skyline
No one in sight
But that howl in the distance says
She's not alone here tonight
She's waiting by the crossroads
Where the locust sing
Waiting for the black hand
To kiss his ring
She heard that if she'd wait there on a moonless night
She could make a bagain 'neath the starlight
Time it down low
She waits for the hand of the shadows
To tune it down low
She slips her pan back to her pocket
Folds up her secret and thinks for a while
Holds the edge right to the candle
Watches it burn all the way to her fingers
Hour after hour she waited alone
Haunted by feelings of dread for the dawn
That howl in the distance has faded away
But the song of the locust continues to play
The candle is failing
The incense is gone
Thinking that maybe she's waited too long
Time moved so slowly, to pass it away
She took out her violin and started to play
Out of the quiet, stunned and amazed
By the elegant grace of each note that she phrased
It rose and it fell and it danced and it whirled
The strings 'neath her fingers about to unfurl
Her heart filled with laughter
Her eyes filled with tears
This mantra, symphony nobody, nobody
Will ever hear
The lyrics of "By the Crossroads" by The Shadow Theory depict a woman who is waiting by the crossroads for the black hand to tune her violin string. The atmosphere is eerie, with the haunting sound of locusts and a howl in the distance. The woman lights a candle and her favorite incense, takes out a piece of paper, and writes something before folding it and putting it back into her pocket. Her violin case, covered in dust, lies next to her, and she begins to play it, beautifully expressing a symphony that nobody will ever hear. Despite the sense of dread and loneliness, the woman seems to be at peace, lost in her music.
The lyrics of this song can be interpreted in various ways, depending on one's perspective. Some people may see it as a commentary on the music industry, where talented musicians and artists may never receive the recognition and validation they deserve. Others may see it as a representation of someone who is trying to make a deal with the devil, waiting for the black hand to tune her violin string in exchange for something else. The imagery of the crossroads and the howl in the distance is reminiscent of traditional legends about making deals with the devil. Overall, this song captures a sense of tension, anticipation, and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
She's waiting by the crossroads
A woman is waiting at a crossroads
Where the locust sing
At a place where locusts sing
Waiting for the black hand
Waiting for a figure associated with darkness
To tune her violin string
To adjust the tuning of her violin
Tune it down low
Adjust the tuning to a lower pitch
She waits for the hand of the shadows
She is waiting for a dark figure
She sits down and lights up a candle
She is lighting a candle after sitting down
Lights a stick of her favourite incense
Lights her favorite incense
Pulls out a small piece of paper
Takes out a small piece of paper
Burns the edge (for effect)
Sets fire to the edge to create an effect
Then begins writing
Starts to write
The case with her violin lay at her side
Her violin case is beside her
In dust like acoffin
Covered in dust like a coffin
A stranger who's died
Implying the case is like a stranger who has died
She looks to the skyline
She gazes at the sky
No one in sight
There is no one around
But that howl in the distance says
A distant howl suggests
She's not alone here tonight
That she is not alone tonight
Where the locust sing
At a place where locusts sing
Waiting for the black hand
Waiting for a figure related to darkness
To kiss his ring
To perform an act of servitude or respect for that figure
She heard that if she'd wait there on a moonless night
She heard a rumor that if she waits there on a moonless night
She could make a bargain 'neath the starlight
She can make a deal under the starlight
Time it down low
Adjust the timing to a lower pitch
She waits for the hand of the shadows
She is waiting for a shadowy figure
She slips her pan back to her pocket
She puts her pen back in her pocket
Folds up her secret and thinks for a while
She refolds her secret and thinks for a while
Holds the edge right to the candle
She holds the edge next to the candle's flame
Watches it burn all the way to her fingers
Watches the paper burn down to her fingers
Hour after hour she waited alone
She waited for hours
Haunted by feelings of dread for the dawn
Her feelings are disturbed by the coming dawn
That howl in the distance has faded away
The distant howl is no longer audible
But the song of the locust continues to play
But the sound of the locusts persists
The candle is failing
The candle is burning out
The incense is gone
The incense has burned out
Thinking that maybe she's waited too long
She wonders if she has waited too long
Time moved so slowly, to pass it away
Time passes slowly
She took out her violin and started to play
She starts playing the violin
Out of the quiet, stunned and amazed
Suddenly, she startles and is amazed
By the elegant grace of each note that she phrased
With the lovely grace of each note she plays
It rose and it fell and it danced and it whirled
The music rose, fell and danced around her
The strings 'neath her fingers about to unfurl
The strings of her violin are about to come alive
Her heart filled with laughter
She feels happy and joyous
Her eyes filled with tears
She is crying tears of emotion
This mantra, symphony nobody, nobody
A song that nobody else knows
Will ever hear
That nobody else will ever hear
Contributed by Claire I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Flavianz7
A wonderful track, slow and bewitching.