SKYFIRE

Blazing Their Own Trail

by Matt Coe

They may be newcomers to people in North America, but this Swedish troop have been slugging it out in foreign markets throughout the 2000’s. Their brand of melodic death metal gains a huge boost thanks to the neo-classical guitar mastery of Johan Reinholdz. Fresh on the cusp of their newest platter Esoteric, I gained the opportunity to question bassist Martin Hanner to give insight to their sound, their methods and what we can expect for the future.

Can you talk to us about the five year break between albums- what situations or circumstances exactly caused the bulk of this delay? Do you feel as a result your new album came out stronger and more focused?

Martin: “First of all two of our members (Jonas who played bass and Henrik who did vocals) decided to quit the band and move on. It’s easier said than done to find new members that not only are good musicians and devoted, but that also have the right personality to fit in the band. Luckily we managed to find both Johan Reinholdz and Joakim Karlsson so it worked out great. Apart from this, we also had to deal with the fact that Arise went bankrupt and that we no longer had a label, which meant that we had to start writing new material that we could send to other labels. We also decided that we didn’t just want to sign to any label; we wanted a label that believed in the band and that we could have good communication with. Pivotal Rockordings turned out be what we were looking for and they have been absolutely great.

And yes, I do think that Esoteric came out stronger because of the time we put into it. Since we hadn’t released anything for such a long time, we felt that it was best not to rush things and the fact that we used our own studio this time was another thing that helped us in order to arrange the songs just like we wanted. By that I mean that when we started to record the songs we still had time to change some sections or remove riffs we didn’t like and write new ones.”

What do new guitarist Johan Reinholdz (also in the progressive metal act Andromeda) and new vocalist Joakim Karlsson add to Skyfire in terms of versatility, personality and the overall chemistry of the band?

Martin: “Johan is an awesome guitarist and I think his solos have added a whole new dimension in Skyfire’s sound. When it comes to Joakim I love both his vocals and his lyrics and I think he did a really good job on Esoteric. I think his mix of death metal vocals and high pitch screams add both depth and diversity to Skyfire’s sound. Like I mentioned in the previous question it’s important that the chemistry between the band members works so the members in Skyfire have a lot in common; for example we all love metal and booze. That said, I think Johan and Jocke are pretty laid back dudes.

Since they have written music for their other bands it’s also very likely that they will take part in the song writing process in the future.” 

How would you describe the evolution of the band from album to album? Could you provide the readers with what you consider the high points and low points of each studio album to date?

Martin: “Our first album is maxed out with melodies and orchestral arrangements. Mind Revolution is a bit more balanced in comparison. While it still is very melodic there are songs like “Blinded by Euphoria” and “Shapes of Insanity“, which break away a bit from the song formula we used on Timeless Departure. I think Timeless Departure is pretty even but “Breed Through Me, Bleed For Me” is the weakest on it in my opinion. Mind Revolution contains some songs that I really like: “Shapes of Insanity“, “Mind Revolution” and “Blinded by Euphoria“, but outside of that I think that album is our weakest effort yet. Spectral from 2004 holds some of the songs I think work best live like “Shivering Shade“, “Conjuring the Thoughts” and “Effusion of Strength“. That said, this is probably our least melodic album and the orchestral arrangements aren’t used as much as on our other albums.

When it comes to Esoteric, it has all the elements we used on the previous ones but with some new ones added to the formula. In my opinion it’s more complex, diverse, epic and more aggressive than anything we have done before and therefore also my favorite Skyfire album to date. I like how every song has its own feel to it and I dig all of them. But you never know, in a couple of years I might be saying something completely different, but I doubt it. I think Esoteric is a good platform for us to build on, because I think we have finally taken the Skyfire sound to the next level and I hope we can continue to build on that in the future.”

How does it feel to finally have a label like Pivotal Rockordings that will push Skyfire on an international basis? I know that your previous two labels Hammerheart and Arise were only European deals- how did you come to find this label and are you pleased with what they’ve been able to do to date?

Martin: “It feels great to have found a label like Pivotal Rockordings and we are really satisfied with what they have done for us so far. We have had some problems in the past with labels and I think the biggest problem was that there was almost no promotion at all, except for with Timeless Departure. We will see where this deal with Pivotal will take us; Pivotal Rockordings is a young label and Skyfire is still pretty unknown so all we can do is to continue to give 100 % and see what happens.”

Are there any definite touring plans to date in support of Esoteric, and how would you describe Skyfire live in terms of energy and showmanship?

Martin: “We have a UK tour coming up in November. After that one we might do some gigs here in Sweden and then hopefully another tour in the beginning of next year. Well, when we did our first European tour and also when we played in South Korea we were still pretty inexperienced so back then we might have looked a little bit stiff on stage. Nowadays it feels much more natural to play live and that has of course to do with the fact that the more you do something, the better you get. When it comes to Skyfire as a live act, the music is in focus, but we do our best to look as heavy metal as possible while we deliver the tunes.” 

How do you approach songwriting within the group? Skyfire definitely has a potent blend of melody, aggression and symphonic parts that keep things very interesting and on your toes as a listener…

Martin: “For Esoteric Andreas and I wrote the songs pretty much separately. When I finished a song I sent it around and he did the same. We used to meet up and write music together more before, but now we live a little bit too far apart in order to able to do so frequently, plus it costs money to travel.”

At this point in time are you on the verge of making Skyfire a full time proposition or do you and your band mates have to support yourselves with day jobs to make ends meet? If so, how do you balance to regular workload with the musical business workload?

Martin: “To be able to live on the music is still nothing more than a dream for us. We all have day jobs in order to get by, but also to be able to play in Skyfire. I have spent a lot more money on Skyfire than I have earned from the music, so I guess you can say Skyfire is an expensive hobby. But I love it so even if that means that I have to work my ass off in order to get out and play its all worth it in the end. But yeah, it’s hard to find a balance between work and the music sometimes. A day only has 24 hours and sometimes that just isn’t enough for everything you need to do.”

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, either from your friends, family or fellow musicians?

Martin: “Hmm, maybe that you shouldn’t rely on everyone else will get things done for you so it’s better to get them done yourself.”

What were some of the early metal albums that influenced you to want to pick up an instrument, and can you tell us about your favorite concert memories of all time, first as a member of Skyfire and then as an audience member?

Martin: “When I began to play the guitar I was around 9 years old and back then the heroes were bands like Metallica, Twisted Sister and Judas Priest.”

Have you already started the songwriting process for the follow up? I know Johan wasn’t really that involved with the songwriting for Esoteric, so do you believe you’ll explore his progressive background for the benefit of the newer material?

Martin: “We do have some ideas, arrangements and riffs for the next album, but we haven’t really begun to write for it yet. Yeah, you are right, Johan wasn’t involved in the song writing on Esoteric but he definitely will be involved for the next album. I have heard some of his riffs that he thought could work in Skyfre and I love them.”

How do you feel about the world we live in currently- and if you could make any changes for the better what would you focus on and why?

Martin: “You know, that is some question you have there. I have no idea where to begin, but a lot of things are definitely fucked up in this world. However, I think this most of the time has to do with the weak human mind that strives for power and wealth. As long as we have this economic system of ours, corruption and evil will be a part of this world because there are too many people out there who are both lazy and greedy. However, I don’t have an alternative system to recommend and therefore no solution, so I guess I will keep writing heavy metal music and let someone else that is smarter than me come up with something instead.”

What are some favorite hobbies or interests you like to do outside of music?

Martin: “I am a simple man with simple interests like beer, woman, working out and console games.”

What’s the one thing in life that can make you smile when you are feeling down?

Martin: “When I am feeling down, then I have either gotten to little sleep or I am having a really bad hangover. So what I really need then is to sleep and drink water, but I guess I would have to answer music.”

Any final thoughts for the readers of G.A.S.P. Etc. ?

Martin: “Thanks a lot for this interview and I hope to see you all on the road some time soon. Take care!”

http://www.myspace.com/skyfiremusic

/Martin Hanner of Skyfire