DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Shield of Wings
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find Shield of Wings sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and 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 chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Lara: Creedence Clearwater Revival – Greatest Hits. I think the songs would put me in a good mood and keep me hopeful.
James: I confidently and unashamedly grabbed Nighwish’s Century Child. Though it was a challenge swimming to the nearest island seen faintly seen on the horizon, due to being weighed down by regret for not choosing Nightwish’s Once
Patrick: The 1963 Beach Boys - Surfin' USA.
Aliyah: The Black Halo by Kamelot - and a lung full of water from taking too long to decide between that and Within Temptation's The Silent Force. The Black Halo is full of my favorite Kamelot songs of all time and would certainly serve as a great comfort in a time like this. Roy Khan's voice is like a big warm hug.
Alex: Ghost Reveries by Opeth. For me, this album is peak Opeth. I love the variety of sounds and atmospheres on this album, from crushingly heavy to psychedelic grooves to soft acoustic stuff. Mikael Akerfeldt’s vocal performance throughout is top notch.
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?
Lara: The Cat Empire – Steal the Light. Because epic cats playing musical instruments!
James: Considering the bleak view of a surrounding oceanic horizon, I would choose Windir’s “1184” album art as my poster of choice. It would suffice as an escape to a far different landscape.
Patrick: In this scenario...am I married? If I am married, I would choose Kenny G because he's saxy. If I am not married, I would choose any Britney Spears album after 1999. I said what I said.
Aliyah: The Heart of Everything by Within Temptation. It is just a beautifully poignant combination of philosophical and religious symbolism. Plus it's got flying birds on it and I'll definitely be feeling like I wanna fly away.
Alex: Mastodon’s Crack the Skye. I love all of Paul Romano’s album cover art for Mastodon, but this one is my favourite. It reminds me of a stained glass window, with elements of what seems to be Russian Orthodox iconography. The colour palette and atmosphere that is evoked really hit the spot for me.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Lara: Good ol’ Ice Water
James: If there can only be one for my island stay, perhaps Dogfish Head Hazy O! Hopefully we would be rescued with haste though, considering variety is the spice of life.
Patrick: Water? Are we surviving or thriving? If the latter, I choose old fashioned.
Aliyah: A good quality bourbon old-fashioned. I don't drink often but this one is my go to when I do.
Alex: Zombie Dust IPA by Three Floyds Brewing Co. from Munster, IN.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Lara: My Gallowbraid “Ashen Eidolon” Longsleeve
James: My Windir 1184 t-shirt. Solid band logo, subtle design, and fits well!
Patrick: The only band t-shirt that I own: Dissona cut off tank top
Aliyah: It would have to be a long sleeved tee to protect my pale skin from getting burned. I would grab my Æther Realm Tarot long sleeve, a classic one-color design that I love!
Alex: Going along with my album cover answer, I’ll choose my Mastodon t-shirt from the Crack the Skye tour, which features some of the cover art from that album.
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
Lara: No one else! I think we’d have a pretty good time, until we all starve to death.
James: Well, I probably wouldn’t choose anyone else considering my best friends are in the band!
Patrick: Flyysoulja - my best chance for survival. "I am an island boy"
Aliyah: Who better than my bandmates? I think we'd be a winning team!
Alex: I’ll give the boring answer and say my spouse, given that we did, you know, decide to spend our lives together…
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?
Lara: Alestorm at Concord Music Hall 2018. Fitting for the situation.
James: Nightwish’s End of an Era.
Patrick: Between The Buried And Me - Colors - Live. Or.. Rush in Rio (lots of nostalgia attached to both of these live albums)
Aliyah: Nightwish's Wacken Open Air performance in 2013! A beginning of a new era, brimful with excitement and some of Marco's best banter!
Alex: I will choose a Megadeth performance from the Countdown to Extinction era with Marty Friedman. His guitar solos are otherworldly.
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 most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
Lara: Bruce Dickinson is a pilot, definitely helpful in a rescue!
James: Devin Townsend - He seems like a competent guy who would care enough to accomplish the mission.
Patrick: Sting!
Aliyah: Probably Joakim Brodén from Sabaton. Camo seems like appropriate tactical gear for a rescue mission.
Alex: I’ll write to the members of the band Alestorm, because I would think they have a big boat stocked with lots of beer.
You've been stuck here for 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?
Lara: I’ll take one for the team, I didn’t want to live out my days on this island anyway.
James: Abiding by seniority, sorry Alex! Though you wouldn’t make the heartiest meal, we’ll have to manage without a bass guitarist again… 🙁
Patrick: James. His taut porcelain skin will be used to construct a sail. His long nomadic locks will secure the decking made from palm trees to escape via our man-made vessel. We will make sausages from his lean gluteus maximus muscle for survival of the voyage.
Aliyah: Well Pat, our drum fills won’t be as good, but Superior Drummer is a thing.
Alex: Pat has lots of muscle, so I think he would feed the rest of us the longest.
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?
Lara: Mikael Åkerfeldt
James: Tuomas Holopainen, because I want to keep listening to Nightwish records, even if they ain’t quite what they used to be 😉
Patrick: James will be resurrected. We have known each other since the early days of high school. He has often challenged my thoughts through juxtaposition on various topics and has been a mirror of accountability by providing me with a different outlook when needed. While sounds from Haste the Day and Dream Theater brought us together initially, his passion for heavier music from bands such as Dimmu Borgir (and softer - Nightwish, Hans Zimmer) have expanded my horizons musically. There's also no denying that my influences from drummers such as Carter Beauford - From Dave Matthews Band (with rudiments such as Hertas and specific high hat work) have slowly made their way into James's musical writing style as the years have passed.
Aliyah: Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation.
Alex: John Petrucci.
