Interview with And The Sky Darkened by Matt Bladen
MoM: Give us an introduction to the band for anyone that doesn't know you. Band name, members, style etc?
And The Sky Darkened: We are And The Sky Darkened hailing from various undisclosed medical facilities around South Wales
Our lineup consists of Ryan Lewis - Vox/Guitar, Ollie Hansen - Backing Vox/Guitar, James O'Donovan - Bass and Matt "Animal" Thomas - Drums. We play a hybrid style, taking from old and new school influences including classic thrash, groove metal, modern hard rock and metalcore. We fuse a mixture of vocal styles, twin guitars harmonies and double kick drum patterns to big choruses, challenging rhythms and ambient guitar textures.
MoM: Elephant in the room. How have you coped with the pandemic? What have you been up to?
And The Sky Darkened: We released our EP "Between Ghosts" just as the pandemic hit so the first few months were basically us trying to plug it as much as we could via social media as gigs weren't on the cards. We also spent some time during the 1st and 2nd lockdown writing and demoing as much new material as we could so at this point we have enough for an album (and more! Recently, we've been recording a new track remotely too which has been a fun and challenging experience (especially to our production skills!)
MoM: What experience have you had with Bloodstock/M2TM in the past?
And The Sky Darkened: We entered a few years ago (2018 maybe?) and got through to the semi finals which we were collectively quite proud of at the time as the heat and semis were our 5th and 6th gigs respectively so we were still pretty green as a lineup back then. We made loads of new friends and the feedback from the judges and public alike was really positive so we it was inevitable we would return!
MoM: How are you feeling entering this slightly restructured M2TM format?
And The Sky Darkened: I think we would be lying if we weren't a touch nervous but all the bands are going to be in the same boat so it's more about getting back out there and blowing the cobwebs off! The change in format however isn't an issue to us, it's more important to have a blast and try to get live music up and running again in as safe a manner as possible.
MoM: What would it mean to play Bloodstock? Would it be more significant doing so this year, after everything that's happened with live music?
And The Sky Darkened: It would be a huge honour to play Bloodstock in any year, but in light of the last 14 months it has been taken to a whole new level. People need a release from the pandemic and to be a part of that would easily be the highlight of our musical career so far.
MoM: Give us a three word rundown of what to expect in your performance?
And The Sky Darkened: EPIC CHUNKY METAL
Final Thought: Talent, ambition and big proggy riffs are what And The Sky Darkened do very well, so let's see if it can get them to BOA