Bloodstock Bound: Skies Turn Black
As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and Jägermeister stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Skies Turn Black!
The Razor's Edge: Please introduce yourself and your band mates.
Skies Turn Black: We are Skies Turn Black. I am Danny, I play bass in the band. Then we have Jamie on Guitars and Vocals and Xander on Keytar and Vocals. George on guitar and Rob on the drums.
The Razor's Edge: How would you describe your style of metal?
Skies Turn Black: In truth, we are a power metal band. After the first album dropped, a lot of reviews were comparing us to the likes of Dragonforce. Which is amazing. But I don’t think it’s as straight forward as that. There are elements of NWOBHM, Hair Metal and snippets of virtuosic guitars that I think diversify from the genre.
The Razor's Edge: How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Skies Turn Black: We sent over a demo of an unreleased track called ‘The Skies Are Falling Down’ and I think that sealed the deal for us. It’s kinda our take on 80’s hair metal nostalgia. The song has a real infectious energy to it, and really shows off what Xander has brought to the band since he joined. The vocals and the keytar make this tune for me. Now, the song's done, and the release date is July 7th [Check it out below!]
The Razor's Edge: What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
Skies Turn Black: To play Bloodstock? THE Bloodstock? A hell of a lot. We started gaining some traction as a band pre-covid, but recovering from the pandemic felt like starting from scratch. Promoters we loved had moved on, some venues were either closing or changing purpose and bands we would play with all the time were calling it a day. So our communication network just had to be rebuilt from almost nothing. Getting a spot on Bloodstock shows that we are going in the right direction and we producing music that’s high quality and passionate. It’s a recognition that we have strived for. It also shows that when you send these emails of hope, they do get read. And we couldn’t be more thankful for that.
The Razor's Edge: For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
Skies Turn Black: Big guitars. Big vocals. Big solos. A lot of energy. And a hell of a lot fun. There’s room for some sing-a-longs and good bit of head-banging too.
The Razor's Edge: What day are you performing?
Skies Turn Black: We are there on the Sunday.
The Razor's Edge: What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Skies Turn Black: For me, Zeal and Ardor are the band I am most excited to see. Megadeth and Royal Republic are pretty high on the list, with a few fellow northern bands we’ve played with before like Bloodyard and Vice who are doing well! Tortured Demon are a Manchester band who have had a lot of hype around them so they will be getting a watch. And we have to go support the Power Metal brothers in Striker.
The Razor's Edge: Playing the Jager Stage is just the first stepping stone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
Skies Turn Black: We have some music we are itching to release in the form of an album later in the year. Right now, we are looking at some shows to support that release and get the word out there. Really, what we want is a nice support slot with Dragonforce or Beast in Black, so if you know Hermal Li or Yannis and fancy helping a little northern band out, get in touch and we will love you forever.
The Razor's Edge: Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Skies Turn Black: We figured we would divide and conquer. So some of us are in with the fans and some of us are in the artist camp, that way we can circulate the Skies Turn Black energy around as many places as possible. ‘Skies Turn Black? Have you heard of em? They’re playing the Jager stage on Sunday and they will throw free t shirts at you if you turn up’
The Razor's Edge: How many Jager shots will you be consuming over the weekend?
Skies Turn Black: Oh I would imagine a good few. Gotta keep them vocal cords nice and medicated throughout the weekend.
