:''The Shadow Gallery is also the name of the home of the protagonist in the graphic novel

V for Vendetta ''V for Vendetta'' is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published between 1982 and 1985 in black and white as an ongoing serial in the British anthol ...

.'' Shadow Gallery is an American

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band formed in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

during the early 1980s. It was originally called Sorcerer. After changing their name to Shadow Gallery (taken from the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

'' by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

) and recording a short 8-track demo, the band was signed to

Magna Carta Records Magna Carta Records is an independent record label located in Rochester, New York. Magna Carta was formed in 1989 and is owned by Peter Morticelli and his partner Mike Varney. The label, named for the 1215 English document advancing democracy, '' ...

in 1991. Shadow Gallery's eponymous debut was released the following year in Japan and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. In mid-2005, Shadow Gallery released their fifth studio album, '' Room V'', on the

an-American independent label Inside Out. The band has been compared to contemporary progressive metal bands Dream Theater and

Symphony X Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Micha ...

. The members of Shadow Gallery have also collaborated with other progressive metal bands. Dream Theater's

James LaBrie Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead singer of American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which he has been fronting since 1991. Early life Kevin James LaBrie was born in Penetanguishene, Onta ...

contributed backing vocals to the song "I Believe", which appeared on Shadow Gallery's 1998 album, ''

Tyranny A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...

'', and in return Shadow Gallery members have contributed to LaBrie's side projects, including

MullMuzzler James LaBrie (formally MullMuzzler or ''James LaBrie's MullMuzzler'') is the progressive metal solo side project by James LaBrie, the lead singer of Dream Theater, before recording under his own name in 2005. The record company would not allow LaB ...

. Shadow Gallery songs, often in the context of a concept album or story, are frequently long with extended instrumental pieces in the middle. For diversity, their music is heavy at times and mellow at others, sometimes incorporating elements of neoclassical and symphonic metal. On October 29, 2008, lead singer Mike Baker died of a heart attack at age 45.Mike Baker's Deat
Blabbermount.net
Accessed October 31, 2008

Influences

Shadow Gallery combines musical influences from virtuoso guitarists, like as

Jason Becker Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

and Al Di Meola, as well as

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

bands such as Rush, Yes,

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

and Pink Floyd. The band displays heavy metal influences from outfits

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...

and Judas Priest. When interviewed on the subject, Gary Wehrkamp has also added that "The band likes everything from

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

, to old Metallica,

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Gamma Ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

Type O Negative Type O Negative were an American gothic metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989 by Peter Steele (bass, lead vocals), Kenny Hickey (guitar, co-lead vocals), Josh Silver (keyboards, backing vocals), and Sal Abruscato (drums, percu ...

, and Nine Inch Nails."

History

1985–1991: As Sorcerer

Sorcerer originally consisted of Mike Baker, Carl Cadden-James, Ron Evans, and John Cooney. The ensemble began as a cover band, particularly interested in covering difficult to play songs by artists such as

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

and Rush. In 1985, guitarists Chris Ingles and Brendt Allman joined the band, with Ingles immediately switching to keyboard duties. At this time, Ron Evans departed in order to pursue other musical interests and goals.

1991–1998: Debut and ''Carved in Stone''

After changing their name to Shadow Gallery and recording a short 8 track demo, Mike Varney eventually signed them to Magna Carta records on August 23, 1991 as the label's second contract (the first having been

Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...

). The record label's objective had been "..to bring a fresh breath of progressive rock to an audience who was subdued by larger record companies quest for typical commercial music". Impressed with Shadow Gallery's initial demo, Varney suspected the band could help fulfill this objective. Shadow Gallery's eponymous debut was released the following year in Japan and

. However, before the arduous commitments of a supporting tour and a new studio album, the band needed to secure a stable lineup. April 1993 saw the recruitment of guitarist/keyboardist Gary Wehrkamp, originally of the band The Boxtops. Another lineup addition followed in April 1994 with drummer Kevin Soffera. With this new solidified lineup, Shadow Gallery released its second studio recording on July 11, 1995, titled '' Carved in Stone''. However, time constraints and other commitments precluded the band from touring in support of both albums.

1998–2001: ''Tyranny''

''Carved in Stone'' was followed up by their 1998 release, ''

'' with drummer Joe Nevollo replacing Kevin Soffera. The album is a deeply political concept album, with themes including the nature of

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

and the military-industrial complex. ''Tyranny'' is also notable for the contributions made by a number of guest musicians. Beyond James LaBrie's vocal contribution to "I Believe," D. C. Cooper (vocalist of

Royal Hunt Royal Hunt is a Danish progressive metal band. The band was founded in 1989 by keyboardist André Andersen in order to combine basic values of classic rock with progressive, current musical elements. The name originated from a painting seen i ...

) contributed vocals to the track "New World Order," and violinist Paul Chou made a guest appearance on the tracks "Spoken Words" and "New World Order," with the former featuring a duet between Mike Baker and Laura Jaeger. Shadow Gallery would return the favor to LaBrie in 1998 when Allman, Cadden-James, Wehrkamp and local musician/songwriter Gary Sloyer appeared on and aided in LaBrie's musical side project,

Mullmuzzler James LaBrie (formally MullMuzzler or ''James LaBrie's MullMuzzler'') is the progressive metal solo side project by James LaBrie, the lead singer of Dream Theater, before recording under his own name in 2005. The record company would not allow LaB ...

. Their debut record, '' Keep It to Yourself'', was released by Magna Carta in the Summer of 1999."

2001–2005: ''Legacy''

On April 10, 2001, the band released their fourth studio album, '' Legacy'', which would prove to be their last under Magna Carta Records. While this album was released in between ''Tyranny'' and ''Room V'', it had no relation to the ongoing narrative of the two albums, instead forming a collection of independent songs. The album was met with generally favorable reviews, for example ''Screaming in Digital'' wrote that:

2005–2008: Room V

On May 30, 2005 (Europe) and June 7, 2005 (USA) Shadow Gallery released '' Room V'', the band's fifth studio album and its first under new record label

InsideOut Inside Out Music is a German independent record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Century M ...

and also the first album without Chris Ingles. It is a concept album, which continued the narrative set out in ''Tyranny''. The album included Jaeger returning to perform a vocal duet on "Comfort Me." Included as a limited edition, the band also released a second disc. In addition to a multimedia segment titled ''The Story of Room V'' (that can be accessed on a computer's CD-ROM) the album contained five extra tracks, including a Joe Nevolo drum solo ("Joe's Spotlight"), an unreleased demo (entitled "Memories"), an acoustic version of ''Room Vs "Rain", and a long medley covering many Pink Floyd songs titled ''Floydian Memories''. This track is particularly notable, as it features Mark Zonder performing drums on the "One in a Crowd" portion of the medley, as well as

Arjen Lucassen Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born 3 April 1960) is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the ...

performing guest vocals and the "Shine On" guitar solo.

2008–2009: Baker's death and ''Digital Ghosts''

According to an email sent to the Shadow Gallery News email list on October 31, 2008, Baker died after suffering a heart attack on October 29, 2008 at the age of 45. Despite the death of Baker, Shadow Gallery continued, and their latest album, Digital Ghosts, was released on October 23, 2009 in Europe with new vocalist Brian Ashland. Wehrkamp stated on Shadow Gallery's MySpace page:

2010–2013: Touring

2014–present: Hiatus

On September 3, 2014, Shadow Gallery responded to a question on their

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

page regarding a new album with: "There is movement, creation, there is collaboration, preparation- words spin into music freely given, voices for the stories told, passion to share with strokes so tender, so bold - a new dream born of old. Days pass but we do not count, we are forever past the age of doubt. We will rise. We will rise. You whisper time and who will follow you?...We are working on it." On November 29, 2015, Wehrkamp's home and studio was destroyed by fire. Shadow Gallery subsequently posted links to their

page asking fans to donate money to nonprofit organization Mady's Angels to aid Wehrkamp and his family. In addition, a benefit concert for the Wehrkamps was held at Sherman Theater on December 26. Although Wehrkamp and his family have made a recovery since, it is unclear how this will affect the band's progress on the new album. In June 2016, the band's Facebook page featured new material in the making via short

Periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...

videos.

Live performances

To the chagrin of long-time fans, the band waited until 2010 to perform live, despite having been together (as Shadow Gallery) since the early 1990s. When asked the question in one interview, Wehrkamp explained that "We have always been more a studio band than a performing band unfortunately, and while we rehearsed for a tour just before ''Tyranny'' was started, a few obstacles blocked our touring options, and we were locked back in the studio to make another record. I know there are many people who cannot understand why we haven't played in support of this record, and I can see why they feel that way, but honestly, it's very difficult." In a more recent 2005 interview, he cited the band's various side projects as a reason, stating that "I truly think that it will maybe never happen as we all have full diaries, families, full time jobs and mortgages... I for instance give lessons and I play in 2 other bands... But we will seriously consider it this time, as it will be very difficult to get all the guys of the band together to go on tour. Besides it was never our intention in the first place to do live gigs as SG is most and for all a real studio band. Maybe, some day, never say never…." On December 17, 2009 it was announced on the band's website they were going to make their first live appearance on the Triton Power Cruise (along with 9 other bands), which was set to sail April 30 - May 3, 2010 from

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. However, in February the cruise was cancelled due to an extreme medical crisis within the promoter's family. On April 17 of 2010, Shadow Gallery announced on their website they will be the headliner on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at

ProgPower Europe ProgPower Europe (formerly ProgPower) is a progressive metal festival held annually in the Netherlands since 1999. Notable headliners have included Sons of Apollo, Evergrey, and Caligula's Horse. History The beginnings of ProgPower Europe ...

in Baarlo,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. On July 20 a local show in Tannersville, PA on September 5, 2010 at Barley Creek Brewing Company was announced. This will become the band's debut show and the opening band will be

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

based progressive metal act Suspyre. On the same day a statement appeared on the band's website saying they would embark on a two-week European tour starting with the ProgPower Europe show on October 2. The tour is called the "Shadow Gallery Live: 2010 Tour" and is sponsored by Greek concert promoter Warcry Entertainment Group. Support act during most of the shows will be the Greek modern rock band Maplerun. Although all band members have performed live onstage before in other bands this will be the first tour in 20 years of their career as Shadow Gallery. In the weeks following the initial announcement more tour dates were confirmed and as of August 23, 2010 the final European tour schedule is listed as: * 10/02/2010 ProgPower Europe Festival – Baarlo, Netherlands * 10/03/2010 House of Progression -

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England * 10/04/2010 Nouveau Casino -

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France * 10/06/2010 Alcatraz –

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy * 10/08/2010 8Ball –

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

* 10/09/2010 Stage Club – Larissa, Greece * 10/10/2010 Kyttaro –

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Greece * 10/14/2010 MMC Club - Bratislava,

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

* 10/16/2010 Turock - Essen, Germany * 10/17/2010 Biebob -

Vosselaar Vosselaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Vosselaar proper. In 2021, Vosselaar had a total population of 11,443. The total area is 11.85 km2. There are three pari ...

, Belgium In an interview with the band conducted on August 22, 2010 guitarist

Brendt Allman :''The Shadow Gallery is also the name of the home of the protagonist in the graphic novel V for Vendetta.'' Shadow Gallery is an American progressive metal band formed in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania during the early 1980s. It was originally ...

answered a question about the probability of touring again after the European dates as follows: "It's tough to say because there's a lot of different things going on in a lot of people's lives, but if we can do it once, we can probably do it twice." The band has announced in 2013 that they will be playing live again. Their first announced headlining gigs are on May 5, 2013 at the U.S. progressive rock Rites of Spring festival (RoSfest) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and on Friday, September 6, 2013 at the U.S. progressive metal festival ProgPower USA in Atlanta, Georgia. The month following the band heads over to Europe to perform at

in Baarlo,

on Friday, October 4. This will be Shadow Gallery's second headlining appearance at the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

progressive music festival and the band has stated they will play a special 2 hour set.

Current formation

Current members

*Brendt Allman –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

(1985–present) *Carl Cadden-James – bass, backing and lead vocals, flute (1985–present) * Gary Wehrkamp – keyboards,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, guitar, backing vocals (1992–present) *Joe Nevolo – drums (1997–present) *Brian Ashland – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (2009–present)

Former members

*Chris Ingles – piano, keyboards (1985–2007) * Mike Baker – lead vocals (1985–2008; his death) *Kevin Soffera – drums (1994–1996)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:10 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1985 till:08/26/2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1985 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1986 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass,_flute id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards,_piano id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_albums LineData = at:04/01/1992 color:black layer:back at:07/11/1995 color:black layer:back at:09/22/1998 color:black layer:back at:05/15/2001 color:black layer:back at:07/05/2005 color:black layer:back at:10/23/2009 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Mike text:"Mike Baker" bar:Brian text:"Brian Ashland" bar:Brendt text:"Brendt Allman" bar:Ron text:"Ron Evans" bar:Gary text:"Gary Werhkamp" bar:Carl text:"Carl Cadden-James" bar:Chris text:"Chris Ingles" bar:Ben text:"Ben Timely" bar:John text:"John_Cooney" bar:Kevin text:"Kevin Soffera" bar:Joe text:"Joe Nevolo" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Mike from:start till:10/29/2008 color:Vocals bar:Brian from:06/01/2009 till:end color:Vocals bar:Brian from:06/01/2009 till:end color:Keys width:7 bar:Brian from:06/01/2009 till:end color:Guitar width:3 bar:Brendt from:start till:end color:Guitar bar:Ron from:start till:01/01/1990 color:Guitar bar:Gary from:01/01/1994 till:end color:Guitar bar:Gary from:01/01/1994 till:end color:Keys width:3 bar:Carl from:start till:end color:Bass bar:Carl from:start till:end color:Vocals width:3 bar:Chris from:start till:03/01/2007 color:Keys bar:Ben from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1992 color:Drums bar:John from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/1994 color:Drums bar:Kevin from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1996 color:Drums bar:Joe from:01/01/1996 till:end color:Drums

Discography

Studio albums

*1992 – ''Shadow Gallery'' *1995 – ''Carved in Stone'' *1998 – ''Tyranny'' *2001 – '' Legacy'' *2005 – '' Room V'' *2009 – '' Digital Ghosts''

Compilation albums

*2007 – '' Prime Cuts''

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1985 establishments in Pennsylvania American progressive metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Pennsylvania Inside Out Music artists Magna Carta Records artists Musical groups established in 1985 Rock music groups from Pennsylvania