Shadow Circus are a dark progressive hard rock band based in the U.S. The band was founded by guitarist /songwriter John Fontana and singer/lyricist David Bobick in 2006. Their most recent lineup includes former members of Devin Townsend Project (drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen) and Pain of Salvation/Meshuggah (Gustaf Hielm). The name was inspired by the Ray Bradbury novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, which portrayed a dark, supernatural circus. Combining metal, prog, and occult/shock rock, their lyrics are often inspired by horror, dark fantasy, and inner life experiences portrayed through macabre story telling.
In 2009 the band released their second LP, Whispers and Screams, which included two of their best-known pieces: The album-side-spanning "Project Blue", inspired by Stephen King's The Stand, and "Willoughby", an epic based on the legendary Twilight Zone episode. Following the release, they performed at ProgDay Festival, headlined at The Triad Theater in NYC, and toured as the opening act for Italy's The Watch, playing the first of repeated performances at New York's legendary B.B. King's.
Another tour with The Watch followed as recording of the next album finished, and in 2012 Shadow Circus released On a Dark and Stormy Night, a whole-album concept inspired by Madeleine L'Engle's beloved sci-fi/fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time. Two headline performances featured the album in its entirety, at Orion Studios in Baltimore, and at NJ Proghouse.
Their most recent album, From the Shadows, marks a new era for the band. After a decade-long hiatus, the album finds the band rejuvenated by an all-star lineup, elevated musicianship, and a powerful, evolved new sound.