Band Interview – FyreSky (Metal 2 the Masses Essex 2019)
Goth rock/hard rock band FyreSky will play in Heat One of Metal 2 the Masses Essex 2019. They face off against Parrilla, Connected, Goat Monsoon and The Penny Antics on the 18th of January. The event takes place at The Soundhouse which is at The Bull, Colchester, CO3 3ES.
Each band will be giving their all to try to progress in the competition where the winner receives an amazing opportunity. A much coveted slot playing on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Festival, 2019. GBHBL are pleased to bring you a short interview with FyreSky to help introduce them to the metal masses.
Have a read, enjoy and make sure you get down to The Soundhouse on the 18th of January to give them some support.
Interview with Fyresky
1 – Why FyreSky? Where did the name come from?
The name was partially inspired by one particular sunrise where the haze and cloud looked like flames dancing across the horizon, and partially because it was unique and catchy. It just seemed to “fit”.
2- Tell us a little about FyreSky. How long have you been playing together? Who is in the band? Where are you from? How did you meet?
FyreSky formed very late 2015 from the ashes of old projects Gabriel and EK met and brainstormed putting a band together that was more of an immersive experience; no set genre but aiming to deliver a unique live experience, visually and with our gothic-twist on hard rock. Very shortly after Gabriel spotted Sam and Ryaan and their raw talent at their College assessment gig at our local. This completed the line-up and we got straight in the rehearsal room writing, then out on on the live-scene mid 2016.
3- What artists, metal or otherwise, have influenced you and your sound?
Gabriel – I’m the more stereotypical progression through music, starting off playing blues and rock moving through darker music as I got old(er). Right now I would say HIM and Type O Negative form a lot of my writing style, but lyrically and for live shows, Poets of the Fall are one of the most captivating bands I’ve known!
EK – I have always loved artists that deliver more than just the music but a whole experience, Lordi had a big impact on me in my teens. Ghost are a big influence on my performance and writing now. I like to listen to as much and as many varied styles as I can, my driving playlist goes from Fleetwood Mac, Cradle of Filth, Lana Del Rey to Halestorm to name a few!
Ryaan – My drumming influences come from all over the place. My first influence & person that made me start playing drums was Joey Jordison, Over time drummers like Ray Luzier, Chad Smith, Stewart Copeland, Brooks Wackerman & Jeff Porcaro have all been huge influences in my style of playing.
Sam – My playing style and sound have both come from Slash. He was the reason i started playing guitar around 10 years ago and so naturally i pursued his blues rock style of playing. I have also gone down the route of using classic marshall amps which is similar to his. I have also started following Mark Tremonti quite a lot as i am writing more melodic guitar parts and writing more riff orientated music as opposed to more chord work.
4- With so many genres and sub genres around these days, what genre would you put yourself in?
With the melting pot of musical styles that goes into our music we are proud that you can’t fit us into any genres easily. It is very enjoyable to watch when we play to new crowds and jump between our more melodic tracks into much heavier and darker ones. We have our first album out this Spring and we are proud to say every single track sits in a different genre of rock and metal!
5- What will you bring to the Metal to the Masses heats? What can music lovers expect and how are you going to win their support on the night?
An in your face high energy original rock show, expect war-paint, blood, skulls and us cramming as much passion and original gothic rock goodness in 30 minutes as possible. We focused the first few years of FyreSky focusing on becoming the strongest live-act we can be. This has earned us some awesome achievements in our first few years as a band. In 2017 we won Essex Undiscovered Live Music Project, we have toured as main support to ‘The Heretic Order’ twice.
6- Any horror fans in the band? What are some of your favourite horror movies or books?
EK – I am a total coward with horror movies, on Halloween we had a show and our drummer Ryaan dressed up as ‘IT’ terrified me! I spent most the set putting my wireless to use and playing in the crowd!
Ryaan – I’m quite a big fan of all of the Halloween films & particularly, in the horror film genre, I like a lot of zombie films. & yeah sorry Kris about that costume!
Gabriel – Ironically I can’t watch the really gory stuff! I’m more of a chiller fan myself with films like The Conjuring, and Paranormal Activity 1.
Otherwise it’s Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice is a genius with her Vampire Chronicles books) Lost Boys, and the Crow
Sam – I am rather similar to Gabriel in the sense that im not a fan of gory films. Although i enjoyed watching the Saw movies i was not a fan of the gore… I am more into thrillers and films that are more psychologically involving rather than jump scares etc.
7- How about games? What’s your console or game of choice?
EK – I am a huge gaming nerd; ironically I love horror games, Silent Hill has been a big influence on me. My absolute favourites are Mass Effect and Dragon Age, if I am still for long enough during a show you will spot I have a fair bit of gaming Ink and my bass strap I have hand-painted with some of my favourite gaming and sci-fi influences!
Ryaan – Before I was playing drums I was very into gaming! Currently playing through the new Spider-Man game as I’m also addicted to comic books & Marvel, & the new God Of War game, once I’ve finished them I’ll be moving onto Red Dead Redemption 2!
Gabriel – PS4 for me, and I’m a massive Mass effect and Dragon age player. However I’m also really into Detroit: Become Human, and the Outlast series if I fancy scaring myself silly haha.
Sam – I have always been a Sony and Playstation guy (although Forza on Xbox is pretty ace). I have always been into racing games. However I am also a great fan of simulation games and games that have a great story. Heavy rain and LA Noire are two of my favourites.
8- Have you been to Bloodstock Festival before?
EK – Many times over the years, thanks to Bloodstock I have made some awesome friends and found some of my favourite bands like Kobra and the Lotus who I saw open the mainstage in 2012. I was there last year and spent a lot of time watching bands and consuming copious amounts of Hobgoblin at the New Blood Stage. I got to watch our good friends and Sheffield champions of 2018 Aonia deliver an incredible performance; also found some new gems like Cadence Noir and TH1RT3EN.
Ryaan – Never been to bloodstock before but definitely going to look at going in the near future!
Gabriel – I’ve not been lucky enough to have money to attend until recently, so looking into popping my BOA cherry this year either directly or through Metal 2 The Masses!
Sam – I have not yet had the chance to attend bloodstock festival as my first festival was Download last year! Would be great to attend Bloodstock!
9- If yes, what is it you love most about the festival?
EK – I have been to a lot of festivals but there is nowhere like Bloodstock, I really suffer with anxiety, but I have always felt so safe and part of a huge crazy family at Bloodstock.
…Hobgoblin on tap is also a high selling point to me!
10 – Where can fans check out your music, merch and find out more about you?
We have our current singles on the usual online streaming services plus can find more content here…
https://www.facebook.com/FyreSky/
https://fyreskyuk.wixsite.com/fyresky
11- Aside from hopefully playing Bloodstock Festival, what else do you have lined up for 2019? Any releases due or tours/gigs/festivals line up?
We were supposed to not do too much in 2018 to finish writing our album… but somehow we did 4 festivals, went on tour and played a lot of shows! However we are just putting the finishing touches on our debut album, we will be announcing the title and first single very shortly. The album will be out this Spring so keep an eye on our social media for updates. Once we have our album out we plan to gig as far and wide as we can!
GBHBL would like to thank Fyresky for taking the time to answer these questions and we wish them all the best in their heat at Metal 2 the Masses Essex. Find out more about Fyresky at their Facebook page, on Twitter and on Instagram. Check out their website as well by following the link. As well as latest news you can also grab some merch and their two releases, Starchaser and Carpe Noctem.
Importantly, get yourself down to the venue on the 18th of January and throw them some support.
