Doomed Confessionary: Asmoday, Baka & Solas (Hell In The Skies)
Through the eclipsing fusion of metal, stoner and doom, Hell In The Skies subsequently brought their fiercely sweaty Swamp Metal to thousands of lustful ears – including perfectly happy classic Black Sabbath disciples.
As the brilliantly attuned five-piece’s cursed, catchy style gets straight into your blood in a magical way, the formation is able to infect their concert audiences effortlessly time and time again – once you’ve been there, you’ll never be able to forget the intensity and fervor of these thoroughly obsessed maniacs who are passionate about what they do.
Even when Hell In The Skies share the stage with longer-established scene greats, they know how to inspire those in attendance with a captivatingly authentic performance, whereby both young and old souls are only too happy to be converted by the overall sound, which welds together several decades of hard music.
Hell In The Skies just released their new EP »II« on May 15th, 2024 via Metalloscope Music.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Asmoday: we will take you on a journey through different styles of rock and metal music. Live, we impress with our energetic show and often manage to captivate our audience with it.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Asmoday: I believe that every live experience and every studio recording is a challenge from which one learns something.
However, I also think that our biggest challenge still lies ahead in working on our best album yet.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Baka: I’m most proud of my bandmates. Writing the songs, recording the album and all the promotional work is a real challenge. In general, we are proud of our new album »II« and our live performances so far.
What was your biggest regret?
Solas: I can’t really think of anything big to regret. The worst thing is when a song doesn’t make it onto the record or stage. Otherwise there is more pride and joy than regret on all levels.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Asmoday: For me, our best concert so far was in Kiel, the audience was amazing and we had a very fun evening afterwards. The hangover next day was brutal as fuck but it was worth it!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Solas: I don’t know if I understand the question exactly, but when it is about Hell In The Skies, I was very surprised at the good response we received from hour 1. Of course you love your product and your baby, but when it is actually highly praised and liked, it is an honor and you are very happy about it.
Photo by Nola & Joel Design
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Asmoday: Kaiman, Body Count, Nestor, Pain, Primus, Corrosion Of Conformity.
Baka: I’m listening to fewer songs on a continuous loop at the moment. When I go to a concert in the near future, I listen to the entire discography of the artist or band beforehand. At the moment it’s Chelsea Wolfe.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Solas: It’s probably a mix of several things. On the one hand, it’s clear: practice, practice, practice. But then also: do your own thing and don’t let yourself be held back. But internally, as a little joke on the side, we always laugh when the saying comes: anyone who practices is shit. Haha. Good fun when you screw up something and someone says you need to practice more.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Solas: Oh man, what a question. Difficult. Maybe you feel a little bad if you don’t feel like playing through the straight set in rehearsal, but it’s important. I often feel more like writing new things and generating more output, so I find that it’s more of a must than the pure joy of playing. But that’s really hard to say, because it’s still fun and important in order to be even more stable with everything that’s already there. Otherwise, definitely even if something goes wrong live and there is actually no time or space for any mistakes or technical problems. When you’re the one where everyone suffers, it’s not a good feeling and you feel guilty in a way, even if it’s not your fault. The only thing that helps is to stay cool and give another extra 150%.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Eberswalde / Germany?
Baka: Our home has always been packed with music and musicians. We used to have a number of bands and there were concerts in a wide variety of genres every weekend. Nowadays there are fewer bands than there used to be and the scene is a bit more streamlined. Most of them have formed actual bands or started projects outside of the scene. But you still see each other again and again. It’s a very colorful scene.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Baka: Only in Germany at the moment. We’ve already played a few concerts and in July we’ll be continuing with a somewhat larger festival. We’re always on the lookout for gig opportunities, but the market is highly competitive and the clubs themselves are finding it increasingly difficult these days, which is a shame.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Our plan at the moment is to promote our new album and play gigs. At the moment we are already busy writing new songs and don’t want to let much time pass until something new is released.
How can people best support your band?
The best way to support us is via the links provided HERE. Be it Spotify, merch, followers on the well-known platforms and so on. Just click and browse.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Baka: Grab a big drink and enjoy our music!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well