Duane, Linus, Uwe and Guy had been playing together since September 2000 as Modus Vivendi, a Perth (Western Australia) based progressive metal band. They decided to take a break to focus on writing new material and felt that the best chance of achieving success in the music industry was to head for the UK. With the new material, the introduction of a female vocalist and the decision to move to the UK, it seemed appropriate to put Modus Vivendi behind them. Hence, Shadowplay was formed in Nov 2002.