The latest project from Devon Graves (Deadsoul Tribe, Psychotic Waltz) is The Shadow Theory. Their debut album is Behind The Black Veil. Psychotic Waltz,. whose last album of new material was back in 1996, has also reunited and will be touring. Graves (known as Buddy Lackey in his Psychotic Waltz days) talks about his new band, and how his old band got back together.
Chad Bowar: How did the band get together?
Devon Graves: I formed the band out of the finest players I came across, mostly during touring with Deadsoul Tribe.

Either support acts or in the case of Johanne, as a co headliner I discovered each player in their own bands, each of whom would receive an email from me about this band. Demi is the only exception in that I met him through a fan letter he wrote to me.

How would you describe the sound of your debut CD Behind The Black Veil?
It is difficult to encapsulate our “sound” with a term because we implement such a wide range of influences. Our sound is very broad, ranging from melodic thrash metal to psychedelic, symphonic and even folkish sounds. We like to term our style as “cinematic” but generally speaking it is our own form of metal music and the influences are easy to spot.

What is the album's concept?
It’s a ghost story. It involves the concept of a perpetual dream/nightmare where the story of a character continues from dream to dream until the end where the truth is discovered. Of course the very ending poses a question mark.

Did you do all the songwriting?
No, the major share of composition came from Demi and Arne.

I chose the compositions I felt best fit the type of album I wanted to make. Then I re-arranged the compositions into something I felt would best carry my vocal ideas. Then I composed all my vocal melodies and lyrics over that.

The album has been out for a few weeks in most of the world. What has been the response so far?
So far it has been overwhelmingly positive. The only problem seems to be with supply. I hear a lot that it is very hard to find. I understand in Greece, the supply is already sold out and they have been relying on imports. I hope the distributer makes it easier to find or else people will be forced into downloading, which is a great threat to independent music these days.

What are your expectations for the album's US release?
I have no expectations. We will just see.

How did the Psychotic Waltz reunion come about?
The stars just finally aligned. Three of the guys began to get together (Ward, Brian and Norm) and it just grew from there. They asked me and I asked Dan and here we are. It took some persuasion and it was more complicated than simply stated, but in the end, we are back together and that is the important thing. I am really excited about it. I think we all are.

Are there plans for a new album?
We hope to have a new album out sometime in 2012.

Have you begun rehearsals for the upcoming tour?
They rehearse in the same jam room more or less as we did in the old days. I live on the other side of the planet, so I have to rehearse alone in my studio. The old chemistry, as you put it? Obviously I can't say much about it yet. We will see the first time when we play together on stage in Stuttgart. That will be the first time the five of us play together after all this time.

How will Psychotic Waltz affect Shadow Theory's touring plans?
It does seem to be taking up most of the opportunity at the moment. I hope things will even out in the future. We will see.

Will there be any more Deadsoul Tribe albums?
I hope so, but definitely not for some time. I have a live DVD I would like to release, but am waiting for the right time.

You play many different instruments. Which one came first?
I wanted to be a singer since I was 4 or 5 years old. But guitar came first. I tried to sing a few times and gave up when I was about 14. Then when I was 16, I plugged in a mic into my guitar amp and sang “Number of the Beast”while playing guitar. I surprised myself because I nailed it. I kept on singing from then.

What inspired you to incorporate the flute into metal music?
My love for Jethro Tull. That is also why I use acoustic guitar and piano in metal. It all comes from albums like Aqualung, which I just loved as a kid and still do.

How did you end up living in Austria?
I moved here with my (ex) wife who is Austrian.

What's the music scene like there?
There really isn’t one to speak of. All the clubs are discos.

What's currently in heavy rotation in your CD/MP3 player?
Katatonia’s The Great Cold Distance and Seal. Also I still listen a lot to The Shadow Theory. I am still very happy with it.