Skyfire

Biography



Progressive death metal act SKYFIRE formed in the small Swedish town of Höör in 1995. Early on the band’s founders Martin Hanner and Andreas Edlund had a vision of combining epic atmospheric metal with complex song structures, yielding a sound that completely deviated from what the rest of the Swedish scene was doing at the time. SKYFIRE’s unique musical concoction resulted in attention from labels all over the world.



SKYFIRE’s debut album Timeless Departure was released by Hammerheart Records in March 2001 and was recorded at Abyss Studios with Tommy Tägtgren. Timeless Departure, a groundbreaking release that received critical acclaim, combined the tasteful use of keyboards to create a symphonic atmosphere with elements of melodic death, black, and power metal. SKYFIRE followed their debut with Mind Revolution, a slightly more progressive effort in 2003, utilizing Tommy Tägtgren once again as producer. Following a European tour with Ancient Rites, Blood Red Throne, and Thyrfing, SKYFIRE signed with Arise Records. The group's third album, Spectral, was released in May 2004 and was recorded at Studio Underground. Similar to their previous works, Spectral was received with extremely high regard amongst the metal media and the band’s devoted fan base due to its heavy and ominous sound. SKYFIRE embarked on a tour with the legendary Dark Moor, followed by an appearance at the Busan Rock Festival (Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Rage) in South Korea shortly before their departure from Arise Records.



After a brief hiatus and a series of member changes, SKYFIRE returned in 2007, signing a multi-album deal with Pivotal Rockordings. The band then regrouped to begin writing their magnum opus. The end result is September 2009’s Esoteric; a masterpiece that not only draws from SKYFIRE’s trademark sound, but also expands on it with orchestral and choir arrangements as well as even more progressive song structures and heavier riffs. SKYFIRE spent two-and-a-half years writing the material for Esoteric, and ended up recording 10 songs at the band’s Powernest Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. Esoteric was mixed and mastered by Scar Symmetry’s Jonas Kjellgren at Abyss Studios and features artwork by Pär Olofsson (The Faceless, Exodus). The first SKYFIRE onslaught to hit the streets since 2004 however is the digital-only Fractal EP out in July 2009, which features tracks written between 2004’s Spectral and Esoteric and demonstrates the band’s growth as musicians and a group over those years. It is also the first new SKYFIRE material to feature lead guitarist Johan Reinholdz (Andromeda) and vocalist Joakim Karlsson (Mark:Black).

2009 will see a rejuvenated SKYFIRE—dead set on picking up from where they left off. With Fractal due out in July and Esoteric in September, expect extensive touring and the epic onslaught that only SKYFIRE can deliver. Get ready: SKYFIRE is reborn!