Skyclad
| Skyclad | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Skyclad at the Rockharz Open Air 2018 |
|
| General information | |
| origin | Newcastle upon Tyne , England |
| Genre (s) | Heavy metal , folk metal , thrash metal |
| founding | 1990 |
| Website | http://www.skyclad.band |
| Founding members | |
| Martin Walkyier (until 2000) | |
| Steve Ramsey | |
| Keith Baxter (until 1995) | |
| Graeme "Bean" English | |
| Current occupation | |
Vocals, guitar
|
Kevin Ridley (since 2001, 1990, 1998) |
Lead guitar |
Steve Ramsey |
bass |
Graeme "Bean" English |
guitar |
Dave Pugh (1991–1995, since 2015) |
Drums |
Arron Walton (since 2001) |
| Georgina Biddle (since 1994) | |
| former members | |
violin |
Fritha Jenkins (1991-1993) |
violin |
Cath Howell (1993-1994) |
guitar |
Dave Pugh (1991-1995) |
Drums |
Jed Dawkins (1995) |
guitar |
Dave Ray (1995) |
Drums |
Paul Smith (1996) |
Drums |
Paul AT Kinson (1996) |
Drums |
Mitch Oldham (1997) |
| John Leonard (1997) | |
Guitar, violin |
Nick Acons (1997) |
Drums |
Jay Graham (1998-2001) |
| Session musician | |
guitar |
Danny Porter (1991) |
guitar |
Dave Moore (1996) |
Skyclad is a British band that made a significant impact on folk metal .
history
Skyclad was founded in 1990 by Steve Ramsey and singer Martin Walkyier in Newcastle upon Tyne as a band project designed for a single album. Steve's former bandmate Graeme English and drummer Keith Baxter completed the first line-up. In 1991 the debut album The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth , produced by Kevin Ridley and released via Noise Records, was released. After the release, a second guitarist and a violinist, Georgina Biddle, joined the band, followed by numerous tours and the like. a. with Black Sabbath , Manowar , Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian , appearances at Dynamo Open Air in Eindhoven ( Netherlands ) and in 1996 a tour of Germany with Subway to Sally as the opening act. At the same time Skyclad released six more albums by 1996. This was followed by tours of Irish pubs . The album Vintage Whine was released in 1999 and Folkémon followed in 2000 . The line-up at the time consisted of Martin Walkyier (vocals), Steve Ramsey (guitar), Graeme English (bass) and Georgina Biddle (violin). The post of drummer was taken in the late 1990s live and for the first time on Vintage Whine in the studio of Jay Graham. This formation appears to be stable at first. Live it is reinforced by Kevin Ridley, actually the band's producer.
By the original record company Noise Records, Skyclad said they were, and also externally recognizable, apparently abandoned. Martin Walkyier expressed himself very negatively about the support there in the following years. The later record company Massacre Records initially promoted the band properly, although the quality of the production of the last album Vintage Whine rather indicates that towards the end of the contractual relationship it was no longer all sunshine. Ultimately, the band ended up with Nuclear Blast from Folkémon .
In the late 1990s, Skyclad began playing acoustic tours on a regular basis, mostly through small pubs. The songs, modified accordingly, are stylistically linked to the album Oui Avantgard A Chance , the least metallic album of the band. While the band, having already arrived at Massacre Records with the album Oui Avantgard A Chance , initially also strikes a quieter note on the following long player The Answer Machine , Vintage Whine , the last album on Massacre Records, is considerably harder, albeit with a comparatively heavy one weak, because too rough production provided. After a very inspiring stop at the Wacken Open Air (also released on DVD) in 1998 brought the band back into the focus of international interest, the following tour, with the then less known Lacuna Coil in the opening act, finally heralded the start of the most radical line-up change in the band career. At the end of 2000 the singer Martin u. a. due to financial problems the band.
The band's financial situation was often described as tense. Tours with guest musicians and enormous logistical effort often did not result in profits from the concerts. Martin Walkyier once said that his "income" from the tour often only had enough money for a roll and a beer. These problems appeared to be partly homemade, as a less complex tour planning would have saved a pound or two. In addition, many of the band members still had to do “normal” jobs in order to make ends meet financially.
Martin's position was taken over in 2001 by Kevin Ridley, who had been a producer from the start. He had officially been the band's second guitarist since 1998 and had already contributed to the background vocals on earlier albums. Although the band lost a “defining front man” with Walkyier, Ridley's qualities as a front man were also praised by the press and the first studio album with him as a singer was later described as a “creative liberation”.
Drummer Jay left the band in 2001 and was replaced by Arron Walton.
Further tours followed, including a. as opening act for Fish . In 2002 the live unplugged album No Daylights… Nor Heeltaps was released , followed by the studio album A Semblance of Normality in late summer 2004 .
In spring 2006 Skyclad signed a new record deal with the Greek label Black Lotus Records and put three pieces from the recording sessions for A Semblance of Normality and the newly recorded instrumental Jig-a-Jig together into an EP. However, this EP was not published regularly via Black Lotus, but is only available at concerts and directly from the band's homepage. In Jig-a-Jig is an Irish Traditional. However, the arrangement is heavily based on the version of the British progressive rockers East of Eden , who had a top 10 hit with this song in the UK in the early 1970s.
The album In the ... All Together was released on May 29, 2009 via Scarlet Records .
In the following years Kevin Ridley devoted himself to his solo project, with which he had released his debut album Flying in the Face of Logic in 2010, on which Georgina Biddle also had a guest appearance. Steve Ramsey and Greame English reactivated their old band Satan in 2011 for a series of concerts with the cast of the 1983 debut album Court In The Act and released the follow-up album after 30 years in 2013 with Life Sentence .
In 2014, the former guitarist Dave Pugh performed with the band at Hellfest in France after almost 20 years , before returning as a permanent member the following year.
The band's 13th studio album, Forward Into The Past , was released on April 28, 2017 via Listenable Records .
style
Skyclad played thrash metal with slight folk influences on the debut album . Elements from British indie rock / post punk were or can be identified in Skyclad's style. By 1997 the style developed into folk rock . This development began with the album "Irrational Anthems" and reached its real climax with Oui Avantgarde A Chance . However, The Answer Machine , the band's quietest album, is also very folkloric. The band later mixed more metal and folk influences again.
It is characteristic that the violin takes on many melody parts that a solo guitar would actually be entitled to. In the course of time it is hardly recognizable whether the violin is following the guitar movements or vice versa.
Hard rock influences can be seen on A Semblance of Normality . Another special feature of this album is the participation of 15 musicians from the London Royal Symphonic Orchestra in five of the 13 songs.
The lyrics are determined by political and socially critical issues. A common stylistic device, especially at the time of Martin Walkyier's membership, was word games , which led to song titles such as History Lessens , Inequality Street or Little Miss Take .
Discography
Albums
- 1991: The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
- 1992: A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol
- 1993: Jonahs Ark
- 1994: Prince of the Poverty Line
- 1995: The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
- 1996: Irrational Anthems
- 1996: Oui Avant - Guard a Chance
- 1997: The Answer Machine?
- 1999: Vintage Whine
- 2000: Folkémon
- 2004: A Semblance of Normality
- 2009: In the ... All Together
- 2017: Forward into the Past
Others
- 1992: Tracks from the Wilderness ( EP )
- 1993: Thinking Allowed? ( Single )
- 1996: Old Rope ( compilation )
- 1998: Outrageous Fourtunes (EP - Limited Edition)
- 1999: Classix Shape (EP - Limited Edition)
- 2001: History Lessens (compilation)
- 2001: Another Fine Mess (Live / Studio)
- 2001: Swords of a Thousand Men (single)
- 2002: No Daylights… Nor Heel Taps (Irish Pub Album)
- 2002: Live at the Dynamo (Compilation)
- 2006: Jig-a-Jig (EP - Limited Edition)
gallery
- Skyclad, line-up at Rockharz Open Air 2018
Singer Kevin Ridley
Lead guitarist Steve Ramsey
Bassist Graeme "Bean" English
Guitarist Dave Pugh
Drummer Arron Walton
Violinist Georgina Biddle
Web links
- Official website
- Skyclad at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Life after Walkyier . In: RockHard Megazine . RH # 176.
- ^ Ronny Bittner: In The ... All Together Review . In: RockHard Megazine . RH # 266.
- ↑ a b Andreas Schiffmann: Dissecting table: Skyclad . In: RockHard Megazine . RH # 335.
- ↑ Titanfest 2016 Review at Metaltalk.net (accessed January 13, 2017)
- ↑ Announcement on the Skyclad homepage (accessed on January 13, 2017)
- ↑ The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth Review at metalstorm.net (accessed April 14, 2010)