Devil's Island featuring Elyrean.
We're back on our tropical desert island, in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of miles from anywhere. This is Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band on the island and see what they get up to. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each band copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we found Elyrean, the Wolverhampton Metal 2 The Masses winners fresh off the back of a critically acclaimed appearance at Bloodstock Festival and support slot with Annihilator. We thought the band were lost, but we've found them shipwrecked on our island!
How did they cope with life on Devil's Island? Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
So you're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you each chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Asa: Sylosis - Monolith. It's a flawless album, full of everything I want from an album. It's atmospheric, melodic, occasionally Doomy, occasionally Progressive, but always Thrash. I never get sick of listening to this album.
Dan: Elder - Reflections of a Floating World. Cool riffs, with huge atmosphere to get lost in.
Daryl: Sylosis - Monolith. It is the single best album I've ever listened to in my life to this day. It has a dark ethereal feel to it which makes it sound huge and doomey. Every single riff, drum beat, underlaying guitar lead, solo and vocal works perfectly. The album's production is also one of the best I've ever heard. It sounds raw and open but tight and in your face, the way a thrash album should be.
Will: Sylosis - Edge Of The Earth. If you ever listen to it, you will realise it is the perfect album, it has everything you could ever want in an album. The riffs are endless, the solos are incredibly complex and fit perfectly into their surroundings and everything else on top is just phenomenal.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
Daryl: I'd definitely have the Edge Of The Earth album art on my wall, it is just perfect. I have part of that album's art tattooed.
Asa: Sylosis - Edge of the Earth. It's my favourite artwork so I'm obviously choosing that.
Will: I'd choose, Revocation - Great Is Our Sin. I think the art work is so detailed and crazy but also brightly coloured unlike most metal album colours, the brightness helps you see all the complex details so it would be a great poster to have up.
Dan: Sleep - Dopesmoker. Just looks awesome, makes me want to listen to it while trudging through a desert
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to chose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Asa: Water, so I don't dehydrate and die. I'll steal everyone else's alcohol!
Will: I'd go for a good Brewdog Elvis Juice! I love the mix of grapefruit in the ale because it gives it a nice bitter sweet taste.
Dan: Stella - other beers are great but I could happily drink myself to death with Stella, never gets old.
Daryl: I reckon the rest of the band will try and be clever saying they'd bring water and steal the alcohol but I know how to take the salt out of sea water. So with that said I'd bring banana bread beer, that shit be moorish af.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. Whats the merch and for what band?
Daryl: I'd probably say my TesseracT hoodie, I've heard it gets pretty cold on them island's.
Dan: Vektor - First Contact tour T shirt. Can constantly remind Asa I got to see Vektor and he didn’t.
Will: It would definitely be a Sylosis T-Shirt as I own at least 12 of them! My favourite one is my Edge Of The Earth one.
Asa: My Death 'Symbolic' shirt. It's a tough question but I think that's the one of have to choose.
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
Dan: Exodus - The Underworld, London. Amazing set, sounded great, every member on top form, the whole floor was a pit. Great show.
Will: Metallica live in Nimes 2009! I've watched that show on YouTube so many times and I think its it is an incredible performance (as Metallica always give).
Asa: Death - Live in LA '98. It's an incredible live show, full of all of Death's greatest songs. Chuck's vocals sound incredible too, and when they're playing Spirit Crusher at a million miles an hour never fails to blow my mind.
Daryl: I'd probably say Nightwish live at Wacken Open Air 2013. Goose bumps every time.
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the one musician most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
Will: I think if anyone was smart they would definitely choose Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden as he has his own Jet and is a pilot! He would definitely save us!
Daryl: I'd probably say Jeremy Clarkson as him and the boys can do anything, and it would be hilarious!
Dan: Matt Pike.He could send some aliens to pick us up and take us home.
Asa: I'm going to say either Anthony or Jacob from Recall The Remains. I'm pretty sure they'd either get someone to rescue us or they'd try and do it themselves. Either way, it's a win-win situation to me.
You've been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Daryl: I'd have to say Will as he's got as more meat than a man vs food episode!
Asa: I mean... You obviously sacrifice the person with the most meat so it's Will. Sorry, just know that your sacrifice helped mankind for the greater good.
Will: 100% Me! I have the most meat on me our of all the band so I'd sacrifice myself to feed the rest of the band until they get saved!
Dan: Will. Think it’s been made clear enough already.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Asa: I'm going with Chuck Schuldiner, if he were still alive. Death, and Chuck more to the point, have been just as influential on me as Sylosis have. It'd be cool to get to spend just a little bit of time with him as his guitar work, his vocals and his lyrics have had a huge impact on myself. I'd like to be able to thank him for that.
Dan: Jeff Hanneman. He wrote the coolest riffs ever, made some of the most disgusting noises a guitar can make, and he didn’t really care for the limelight, just did his thing because he wanted to.
Daryl: I'd have to save the unbelievable Mr Rob Callard (former Sylosis drummer). He has influenced my playing to no end and for that I'm eternally grateful for the 2 EP's and 4 album's of perfection he has helped to create.
Will: The amazing Mr Josh Middleton, lead guitarist/Vocalist from Sylosis and guitarist in Architects. Obviously being a huge Sylosis fan and listening to the unbelievable musicianship in their music has influenced me and the rest of Elyrean in our musical path.
We hope you make it off the island soon.
Things don't look good for Will... As we left the island the boys were looking hungry. If Clarkson doesn't turn up to save them soon Will's a goner!
