PERMANENCE – STORM IN THE SKY (Interview)

BAND NAME: Storm The Sky

GENRE: Undefined

MEMBERS:

Daniel Breen – Vocals

Will Jarratt – Clean Vocals

Andy Szetho – Guitar

Lachlan Avis – Guitar

Benny Craib – Bass

Alex Trail – Drums

LATEST RELEASE: Permanence

Hailing from Melbourne, Storm The Sky are a young six piece who released their ‘Vigilance’ EP in 2013 to an overwhelming fan response. Their dual vocal attack and high energy live shows caught the attention of fans around Australia, with the self-released EP selling over 4,000 units and becoming a word of mouth hit. Touring Australia consistently for 18 months, their reputation as a hard working live act has made them a great draw for fans around the country.

Permanence was recorded in Arizona by US Producer Cameron Mizell, whose work includes Memphis May Fire and Sleeping With Sirens, amongst others. With the record being completely self-funded, there was nothing to get in the way of the band’s vision for their debut album, which sets a completely new tone for the band with a more cinematic, atmospheric and dark direction. The full length also features guest vocals from Jake Taylor (In Hearts Wake), Matty Mullins (Memphis May Fire) and Trenton Smith (Hands Like Houses).

PEARL had a chat with Andy Szetho (Guitar) about touring. “Personally, my favourite city that we’ve played so far is Perth. We always get a really good response from the people over there and they seem to really appreciate it more when bands make the trip out west, possibly because they don’t get as many shows as we do over here in the east. Other than that, it’s just a beautiful city and for some reason the weather is always superb when we’re there. We always joke that Perth is like one huge holiday destination because that’s what it feels like when we’re eating fish and chips and swimming on the beach whilst it’s pouring with rain back home in Melbourne.” On the struggle of touring and keeping a personal life Szetho says “I think everyone in the band will agree with me if I say that yes, it is a struggle balancing our music with our personal lives. Basically, we’ve all given up so much to make this band work. We’ve all had to drop out of our respective university courses, we’ve all lost a countless number of jobs, and when you’re on the road so much you obviously don’t get to see your friends and family as much as you’d like to. Benny our bassist left everything behind and even moved interstate from Adelaide to pursue this band. However, we couldn’t be happier with how everything is going and we honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. We’re so lucky to have seen the things we’ve seen, met the people we’ve met, and been to so many breathtaking places as a result of this band.”

To me Storm The Sky has a real melodic value to them, and this pared with the higher screams and the clean vocals produces a sound that’s anything but generic and that’s really enjoyable because it sets them apart from the generic metalcore and hardcore bands that the scenes spewing out these days, Storm The Sky has managed to put together a sound that pertains to so many music fans interests. On their inspirations Szetho says “Personally, the bands I took a lot of inspiration from especially during the writing process of our debut album ‘Permanence’ are bands who focus a lot on the textural elements of their songs. I wanted to experiment with different techniques and sounds, ones that aren’t conventionally used in the genre of music we are generally pigeonholed in. I took a lot of influence from bands like Slowdive, This Will Destroy You, or Cocteau Twins, bands who convey so much emotion musically and who don’t rely on vocals, and who create these ethereal, atmospheric soundscapes and cinematic feelings through their music. I think you’ll be able to hear these influences when you listen to our record. Some heavier bands I know the whole band have really taken influence from are Bring Me The Horizon and Architects who just keep evolving and keep this genre fresh. We love both those bands!”

Szetho says in five years the band should be “I’d imagine in 5 years we’d be sipping cocktails on Malibu beach with midgets in buttless chaps serving us an unlimited supply of churros whilst providing foot massages haha. But seriously, hopefully we’ll be on album number 4 or 5 and still going strong, touring the world and if everything goes well making enough money to at least live off!” Storm the Sky haven’t announced any tours yet, so that gives you plenty of time to get their latest album Permanence and learn the words so you can yell them back at a show, Permanence is available at all good music stores, but of course we’ll be getting ours from out mates at 24Hundred!

 

MILLI RANSOM