Halcyon Way
Halcyon Way readies their new release with a new singer, completed session with Pamela Moore from Queensryche fame, and has the upcoming debut of their new singer at the Pathfinder Metalfest Oct 24.
But somehow they made time to talk to TST about the future of the band.
TST: Hey, big changes since the last I talk to you.
Zane: Yes there have been! But through it all, both good and bad, we have retained a true positive spirit. I feel very positive about our direction, as well as our perception.
TST: Halcyon Way and former frontman Sean Shields parted ways. You stated “creative difference” as a reason for the split. Was that the reason behind the split and what is your definition of “creative differences” ?
Jon: This was definitely a big change! Suffice to say that like almost any band lineup change, there’s a story there, but we have decided to keep it in the family, so to speak, and leave it at that. Let’s just say that it was a mutual thing and that both parties are definitely better off. We haven’t missed a beat as a band, and don’t intend to.
Zane: Without going into too much detail, out of respect for all of us who were involved, it’s best to just say that when we say creative differences, it’s on par with the “irreconcilable differences” that divorcees use.
TST: Introduce and tell me about the new singer.
Jon: Well, the new guy is named Steve Braun, and he lives in Nashville, TN. The way the whole thing worked out was very serendipitous . Within 24 hours of Sean’s departure, we had about 10 names of people that wanted the gig, so we knew that we had some choices and that it was a matter of finding someone that we gelled with.
One of the guys at Nightmare Records recommended Steve very highly, so we made contact. Long story short, Steve and I spoke, we hit it off and the next weekend Ernie, our manager Mike and I drove up to Nashville to meet him. We did some quick demos on the new material on my laptop, and we had the opportunity to see him in a live setting with the cover band he does for fun.
We watched him do a 3 hour set. His pitch was dead on, and his voice didn’t seem to tire by the end of the thing, which was insane because it was your typical smoky bar setting. Since we were getting along great, and the demos were cool, we felt like we had our guy. Steve also sings for an Italian band called Ashent, and he’s going to continue to do that as well. That only takes up a couple weeks a year for him, and he was looking for something closer to home that he could really throw himself into. But Steve’s been around and has a ton of experience live and in the studio, and he’s got a great attitude. So it’s been a total breath of fresh air.
Zane: After hearing and seeing him, it was obvious to all of us that Steve was a prime singer due to his resume. Long story short, Steve fit right in musically, as well as personally.
Ernie™: Steve is a class act… that is, unless he’s being a complete goofball. That’s what immediately drew us to him. He fits perfectly with us musically and mixes well with our overall ideology. Plus he’s so easy to get along with and at times he out crazies us! And if you know how we roll, you’ll be shocked by that statement. We couldn’t be happier with how things worked out!
TST: How did the Pamela Moore session go for the new album?
Jon: Absolutely fantastic! The stuff she sang on came out great. She’s a total professional, and just came in here and blew it away. There’s a lot of cool stuff that she did. A couple of songs are duets, and then she did some harmony stuff as well. We’re very excited about getting to work with her on the album, and it was a great time. People are gonna freak when they see and hear what we were able to do. But we’re keeping it a secret until the new album drops next year!
TST:You got to hang out with Pam for a couple of days for the session and ProgPower. Any stories you like to share about ProgPower?
Jon: ProgPower was pretty normal for the most part. We try to go every year, so it’s always a good time. Pamela did a guest appearance with Primal Fear at that show, so it was cool to see her working on that song on the way down and what not.
Basically the way the sessions went was that she flew into Atlanta on a Monday, stayed with us for a few days, and then went on the road with Primal Fear for a few days. The idea was that she’d fly back to Atlanta from Canada the following Monday, and then fly back to Seattle the next day. Problem was, everyone got stricken down with the “ProgPower Plague” so she ended up staying another 3-4 days at our house until she was better.
It was pretty surreal, and we all felt like we were in prison, but it was cool to hang out with her a while. Other than sitting in my studio and tracking her on our album, the coolest fanboy moment I had was when we were heading down to the ProgPower pre-party and we had “Breaking The Silence” going on the car stereo, and she broke into her live vocal harmony part that isn’t on the album, but she does it when Queensryche tours that record. That was insane! Operation:Mindcrime is my favorite album ever, so that was really crazy and cool.
Zane: Pamela was the sweetest and most gracious person I have had the opportunity to work with. We all had lunch together, and it was like hanging out with a long lost big sister.
Kris: It’s awesome to know that people higher up still know what it means being at the level we are right now, and what it means to us to have her with us on this album. Hanging out with her at ProgPower was a treat. You all will just have to wait to see!
TST: You just finished the drum Tracks at Open Sky Studio. How did that go?
Jon: It went awesome. This album has been a lot of fun to do so far, because I’ve gotten to work with some people that I really respect and admire in the music scene. Pamela is one, obviously, but Mike Froedge was the drummer for DoubleDrive back in the day, and they’re one of my favorite bands ever. So it was cool going in for me for that reason! He’s a monster producer and really got some great work out of Ernie during the sessions. So, we’re extremely happy we went there. Our initial idea was to go in and use the sessions for pre-production, but they ended up sounding so great that they’re the real deal. As of about a week ago, we’re completely finished tracking the drums for the new Halcyon Way album.
Ernie™: Working with Mike was extremely ideal. Not only does he have a killer studio with a bunch of toys, he knows how to use them all to get the best sound possible! It’s also great to get a drummer’s perspective while tracking drums. We hit it off quite well and you’ll hear it for yourselves when the album comes out. Suffice it to say, the drums are way more aggressive and in your face, and people will be happy to hear a bunch more double bass. Because really, who doesn’t like more double bass?
TST: What kind of sound can we expect for the new release?
Jon: As far as the material goes, it will be a LOT heavier than “A Manifesto for Domination.” The riffs and drumming are going to be far more punishing, but the hooks are going to be even more melodic and catchy. The songwriting is much better. The vocal harmonies are going to be as tight as a drum. There’s more guitar solos. Basically, everything we do, we amped up times a hundred!
Sonically, we have Lasse Lammert producing the album. He’s best known for doing the last 3 Alestorm CDs, but he also mixed “Manifesto” for us and did a fantastic job. We gave him references for the production like Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, and bands like that. We’re progressive, but primarily we’re a metal band, and we want it to be heavy. I get so tired of hearing prog metal bands with these heavy riffs but their albums are produced like Yes or something. We’re not gonna do that.
Zane: HEAVY! Balls to the floor heavy! Having said that, not a single ounce of melody has been sacrificed. We took everything “Manifesto” started and amped it up about 1000%. It is truly going to be our finest work to date. And the work put into this will be the hardest to date as well.
Ernie™: People call us “progressive” because no one really knows how to label us. We’re really undefinable I think because we draw from so many different sources. With this new album, you will know us by the word Zane just said… HEAVY! Other words like badass, killer and “my favorite band” are also acceptable.
Kris: For me this shows people we have a technical brutal ability with this album that also breaks through with clear and enlightening harmonies. It will be one that should be a measuring stick for bands of this genre to follow. I’ve bled for this album. We all have. I just can’t wait for everyone else to hear what we all have poured our guts out for with the new CD.
TST: Tell me about the Pathfinder Metalfest you are playing October 24th.
Jon: This is a festival that Hoyt at Pathfinder Promotions has been wanting to put on for a couple of years. It finally came together and became feasible this year. It’s going to be a great show! We’ve played with the guys in ASKA a couple of times – at Nightmare Metalfest and at Rocklahoma this year and they’re great guys and they’re going to throw down at this show. There’s just a lot of good bands at this festival, and we’re glad to have the opportunity to not only play it, but for Steve to make his debut with Halcyon Way at this show.
Kris: Come and find out for yourself! (laughs) It’s a big show for us. This is another chapter in the HW book. Bringing Steve on and his first performance will let all our fans know that we are more powerful and dynamic than before. The lineup for the fest is great, especially our buddies in ASKA . They’re great guys and they bring some great fans with them. So, to me personally, those are things I am really looking forward to.
Thanks guys, I will see you on October 24 for the Fest.
Jon: Shawn, thanks so much for the support bro. Looking forward to seeing ya there!
And info of the Pathfinder Metalfest here: