Triskelyon returns with their third album, Shattered Elysium, blending thrash with diverse metal influences. We explore the band's evolution, collaborations, and their powerful new sound.
1. "Shattered
Elysium" marks Triskelyon’s third album in just three years. How has the
band's sound evolved since your debut album "Downfall" in 2022?
Great
question - and one that might be better judged by you or the listeners as I’m
too close to the creative process to provide an objective assessment. ;)
I think the progression has been for each album to get a little heavier overall
while still falling into the thrash metal with melody style. What do you think?
2. The
new single "Eternal Conflict" features guest vocals from Tiina Teal
of Detente. How did this collaboration come about, and what did Tiina bring to
the track?
Tinna
brought out the savage beast! She sounds vicious and like a woman possessed on
what is the heaviest track on the album! The way it came about began with
the label PR saying Triskelyon is recommended for fans of a band like
Détente. I knew of the band and their groundbreaking vocalist Dawn Crosby
(RIP) but I never followed them closely enough to say they were a direct
influence. It could be that their songwriters and myself listen to
similar metal music and/or share a similar idea on what a cool riff is
etc. So anyway, back to the PR comparison….it got me to look up what the
band was doing now and I listened to their 2010 album with Tiina on vocals
called DECLINE. I really liked it and thought - hey, we’ve been compared
to these legends, so why not ask their current singer to make a guest
appearance?! I didn’t expect to hear back , especially with an
enthusiastic YES, so I was pretty happy to have her on the album.
Hopefully she will be back on the next Triskelyon album as well!
3. The
theme of "Eternal Conflict" revolves around the ongoing cycles of war
and violence in humanity. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the
song’s lyrics and how you approached this topic musically?
It’s kind
of a song title that you might find on a Kreator album I
think? The song is about how humanity has always been at war with one another
from the beginning of time until present day. The music, as if often the case
with me, came before the lyrics. I had the song done before I decided to pen
the lyrics about a topic that would match the intensity of the song.
4. Your
upcoming album is titled "Shattered Elysium," a title that evokes
images of a broken paradise. What’s the concept or story behind the album, and
how does it connect to its themes?
While the
planet is still full of beauty, in many ways it is a shattered paradise.
We (and by that I mean humanity as whole) treat the planet, the environment,
its inhabitants etc like a giant toilet and with total disregard for our
actions. We destroy, pollute, kill, enslave etc. Are we even worthy of
paradise? Many songs fall into this theme, and some do not.
5. The
album features a wide range of guest vocalists, including Amanda Kiernan, Eric
Forrest, and Armin Kamal, to name a few. What was it like working with such a
diverse group of singers, and how did you select each guest for their
respective tracks?
It’s
exciting to work with a diverse group of vocalists, each who have unique sounds
and talents that I feel opens Triskelyon to being appreciated by more people.
Some guests from the first 2 Triskelyon albums are back on album number three
and some were not able to participate sadly. So selecting vocalists is
usually a factor of 2 things - their availability and me liking them! I
have some personal friends on here and some vocalists are just people from
(mainly) the Canadian metal scene whom I like. As I know their vocal style, I
select the music for them based on what I think is in their wheelhouse.
So a more brutal song for a more brutal vocalist or a more melodic song for a
melodic singer as an example.
6. "Shattered
Elysium" covers a broad spectrum of metal styles, from 80s thrash to
death-thrash and classic power metal. How do you manage to balance these
different sub-genres while maintaining a cohesive sound?
I guess the
cohesion is provided by the fact that they are all filtered through me which
gives the songs my own spin or so called style. I love all types of metal, from
glam to black metal. But for Triskelyon, the general idea is thrash
metal. Sometimes it’s more melodic thrash so people get a more power
metal feel, and sometimes it gets more brutal and has elements of black metal
or some sort of death metal.
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7. You've
chosen to end the album with a cover of Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the
Wolf." What inspired you to take on such an unexpected song, and how did
you put your own thrash metal spin on it?
I get a
kick out of taking a non metal song that harkens back to music I liked before I
was a metalhead and bringing it into the metal world. I’ve done this with the
three Triskelyon albums covering Billy Idol, Platinum Blonde, and now Duran
Duran. I get very bored hearing a metal cover of a metal song, and most times
would just prefer the original to the cover. But when something that isn’t
metal is forged into metal, the results can be more satisfying - at least to
me. As for why Duran Duran? Well they were a band I loved as a kid and I still
love them now. Unlike a lot of bubblegum pop, these guys can play and are
great musicians. Their music also never sounded overly “happy” but had a
darker melancholic edge to it that gave them more depth.
8. Raul
Marques delivers some intricate drumming on this record. How did his
contributions help shape the overall intensity and energy of "Shattered
Elysium"?
After I
write a song he takes what I have created and gives it life. I give him some
minor direction with comments like “don’t be too busy here” or “can you add
some blast beats over this part” etc. He gets what I’m going for and
delivers.
9. As a
band that formed during the pandemic, how has your approach to recording and
creating music changed with the easing of restrictions? Do you see any
differences in the creative process for this album compared to your first two?
No change
at all since we’re a group of people all across Canada and the world.
While there are some people local to me, most are guests from all over. The
core of the band is basically me, Dwayne and Raul with a bunch of other people
guesting their varied talents.
10. Looking
ahead, what are your hopes for Shattered Elysium? Do you have plans
for touring or live performances to promote the album, and what can fans expect
from a Triskelyon live show?
Like the
mighty Darkthrone, Triskelyon is a studio band, albeit with a lot more guests
;) - So no live shows now. As for hopes - of course it would be cool if
everyone checked it out, loved it and ordered a CD! I think the album offers a
mixed bag of intense thrash music that would appeal to those that like melodic
thrash and even those into harsher thrash that lets elements of blackened and
death metal creep in. Thanks for the interview!
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