Crimson Sky Interview

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are the ones who never stop searching for something new, hidden and constantly present in our inner realms. Actually, our music and lyrics tell better about it. If you seek a more exact answer, it can be found in our biography.

Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The musical sound is reflection of our dreams, aspirations, and even visions. It’s full of passion and tranquility, anger and relief, cosmic sadness and epic joy… We felt this music under our skins. Thus, it cannot be squeezed into one frame of some specific genre… We usually call what we do – atmospheric doom metal, which only obliquely elucidates the sound we make. It differs from the debut album in that it is much more mature and thought-out. Moreover, the musical structure of “Transcendental Trip” seems more sophisticated.

This is the first full length to be released in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?
We are not a commercial band that aims to produce albums one after another. Moreover, we are not professionals who can easily release discs, being sure of their uniqueness. We experimented much during rehearsals, but many improvisations never turned into full compositions. So, during these years, we rehearsed and performed in different Ukrainian cities and towns, trying to realize how the audience accepts us. We were invited to perform at Global East Festival-2011 and Metal Heads Mission 2012, where we presented songs from “Rising”. Overall, we gained an experience.

The band was broken up for a few years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
It was broken up because we were not there J Well, it was not actually the split, but a long pause after which Bohdan finally found those, who can accomplish his dream. However, it cannot be called reformation since it was the beginning of a totally new band.

What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We wanted to create new myths and stories, which embodied our inner worlds. However, we also focused on symbols from legends and fiction. For instance, we made our own perception of Mag Mell (Irish mythology), a blissful underworld, which can be achieved through noble death or magnificent glory. Warriors in our song get there with the help of Aimend’s kiss, “goddess in vermeil”, sun deity. The theme of godlike creatures is continued in “Ember of deities”, which symbolizes decay of humankind, transformation of gods (through the example of Egyptian ones) into remorseless castigators, and domination of Selene (moon goddess), who ruins hallow treasures of people because of their desire to become superior to deities… In other songs, we envision communication between alive woman and her deceased beloved, who comes into her dreams and tells about his path in afterworld; there also hallucinations of split mind, when the demon penetrates a vulnerable consciousness and makes a girl fight with malicious voice inside her head; we portrayed the loss of truth and essence of life, sorrow and devastation of the Mother Earth, but we also imagined enlightenment and renaissance of this world. There are many ideas behind our lyrics, which should be explained one by one. Moreover, they acquire new sense every time you read or listen to it. There are so many metaphors you should be patient to unravel. Thus, it would be great if people could immerse into this labyrinth of lyrics and ask us about the meanings.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Crimson Sky'?
It was invented by our male vocalist, who wanted to give this name a shade of dark romanticism – the sky is getting crimson at sunset, which is a period of a beautiful natural metamorphosis, its transformation into night. Crimson sky can symbolize a bridge between the day and the night, when the sun and the moon exchange their energies. As our guitarist Serhii says, it’s a crack between worlds. Anyway, everyone of us sees something different in this simple name.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
As we mentioned, those shows were Global East Festival-2011 headlined by Helloween and Metal Heads Mission 2012. The concert with Mournful Gust and Fleshgore in Krivoi Rog remained a memorable event, and our performance as the supporting act of Haggard in Kharkiv was an outstanding experience.
Our stage performance is a fiery melancholy, ejection of inner lightnings, and immersion into music trance.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
It would be great to conquer Europe one day. Anyway, it is unlikely that we will perform with the same line-up.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of gothic, doom and death metal?
As we remember, there were no negative opinions, especially concerning the last album. However, we’re known better here in Ukraine. Some love us there, some criticize, some simply do not understand this style, but we definitely have our audience. We are still waiting for new reactions of the world.

What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Anton and Serhii experiment on black and death metal. Myroslava and Anatoliy experiment on jazz from time to time, and see the future with jazz fusions. Liudmyla does not take part in previous projects anymore.

Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Ideally, it would be an experimental project with the focus on metal, but with diverse music adornments (maybe some authentic instruments, such as jaw harp, lyrichord, and pipe).

What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Shining, Haggard, Draconian, Swallow the Sun are among those bands, which influenced our music. Our tastes encompass different kinds of metal, rock, jazz, and blues, as well as neo folk and world music.

What are some of your non-musical interests?
May they be hidden within our comfort zones. So, let’s say – never-ending self-actualization and discovery of the Universe.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
It was nice to answer your questions, which refreshed our memories about who we are)) Hope that this interview will attract more music adherents around the globe to our album “Transcendental Trip”. It would be terrific if our songs resonated with minds, souls, and spirits of different people.