Their story truly began when a Bronx, NY native met some of the most creative musical masterminds from Central Florida, who’d join together and prove to be a steady-growing force to be recon with...
After several years of service to the U.S. military, Musician and Producer, Angel Graves found himself on the path to Florida, where he first met drummer, Sean St. John, while they were members in the Orlando-based, Alternative Rock band, Stiletto Red (2012-2014). The two worked very well together, with Graves on lead guitars. The band later broke up, after their bandmate & founder, Jared Grey, unfortunately suffered a collapse backstage at their last show, and was later on diagnosed with Lupus. While the rest of the band parted ways with heavy hearts having to set aside their passion for performing, Graves proceeded to attend college to further his education in Audio Engineering at Full Sail University.
As some time passed, Angel and Sean continued to write music together; It was seemingly easy for them, since they were roommates while Graves went through a difficult divorce with the mother of his two children. Despite the emotional turmoil, Graves shared a unique songwriting bond with St. John that could be considered unconventional, or even eccentric to some. The most impactful composition by the two was “Dead Inside”- a fast paced and hard hitting metal track, powered by the gritty, yet passionate vocal melodies by Graves. The two later recruited Black-Tide (Miami, FL) bass player and songwriter, Zakk Sandler, who’d helped the band during their development period.
After some extensive songwriting sessions, the trio had the opportunity to work with classically trained vocalist, Ryan Patrick Miller, (Lyricist for Wicked, and Alter Ego), who’d perform some of their first few shows, under the name “Embrace The Envy.”
After some negative remarks on the name from publicists and bloggers, the band went dormant, as the lack of engagement on social media left Graves discouraged. The band took a hiatus when Angel decided to leave for tour to run front of house audio for the band From Ashes To New early in the year 2015, and then on continued his career as an Audio Engineer and Tour Manager for Platinum award-winning legends, P.O.D.
During his time out on the road, Graves felt inspired by so many of the touring bands he’s worked with, that he would use his spare time to keep writing, and this sparked interest with his bandmates. The band later decided to part ways with Ryan, due to a change in direction and creative differences. They then recruited vocalist, Justin Sims (lyricist for Candlelit Massacre, and Look At Me Now), but due to personal difficulties, the band parted ways with Sims after their first showcase. Coincidentally, Zakk Sandler was then recruited by Falling In Reverse, a pop/metal band from Las Vegas, NV, and wasn’t able to focus on the band any longer.
To what would seem like an end to any band, Graves used this as fuel to keep driving forward, but at a cautious pace. A name change and rebranding was inspired by lyrics written by Graves, “After all that was and what will never be, the devils envy the light in me...” The new name and brand stuck with Sean and motivated the two to write for countless hours in the studio.
A collaborative effort that was almost considered a duo, Sean and Angel were eager to recruit, Black-Tide member, Austin Diaz, as their 2nd guitar player. The three would later write their head-turner of a single, “Psycho,” which broke them into the Active Rock Radio circuit, and also gained the attention of Sirius XM Octane, where their listeners embraced them as a promising new band. Due to the growing attention, they’ve performed a few shows with their friend, and multi-instrumentalist, Jeff Fernandez, as their bass player, whom later decided to quit the band and further pursue his gaming-project on Twitch. The band later recruited bass player, Paul Ziccardi, who they thought fit their style and further developed into a strong friendship between the fearless foursome.
Since then, the band then re-released their “Dead Inside” EP, and the singles “Showtime,” (a theatrical short song, written by Graves, and his son, Kyden Lee), inspired by the hit Cartoon TV Show, “Beetlejuice”; “Psycho,” and “Alter Ego” via Tone Distillery LLC, an independent record label, based in Central Florida; under partnership with Symphonic Distribution.
The band has since then, been relentlessly working to build their dedicated fanbase, gaining the attention of some major artists and promoters in the music industry. Upon recruiting guitarist, Brian Kizer, their first show as the current line-up was at the annual, “Halloween Havoc Show,” hosted at The Haven Lounge, Winter Park, FL, October 27th 2018, and have been recognized as a thunderous, and energetic performance, from their audience and even fellow bands who’ve shared the stage with them, have been floored upon first discovering them.
As time develops, Devils Envy us with subtlety that there is still a bit of mystery to them. Surprising fans and even distant onlookers with sneak peeks as clues to what the band anticipates will be their debut LP.
What’s left to unfold in their story can only be caught if watched and listened to, closely...
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