Ten Questions, Ten Minutes with Osyron
The release of a new track ‘Dominion Day’ heralded new activity from Canadian act Osryon, an extremely talented five-piece who have been carving out their own identity on the progressive metal scene for the last ten or so years. With a second track ‘Beyond The Sun’ doing the rounds and a new album ‘Momentous’ about to be released the band were happy to talk. So sit down and buckle up for ten minutes, ten questions with Osyron.
Q1. Can you give me a quick history of the band, please, and confirm the current line-up?
“We formed under the name Osyron in 2012 when Krzysztof and Bobby moved from Sarnia, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta. Krzystof and Bobby played music together for years before that, but wanted to gain more exposure and level up to take the band further. We've gone through a few members over the years, but the line-up currently is Reed Alton (vocals), Krzysztof Stalmach (guitar), Bobby Harley (guitar), Tyler Corbett (bass), and Cody Anstey (drums).”
Q2. And how did the band’s name come about?
“Before we moved to Calgary, we got together one night and just started spitballing ideas. We wanted something ‘new’ and not necessarily words you would already associate with something else, so Krzysztof came up with the name ‘Osyron’. It was a bit better than Bobby's idea ‘Tickle Our Muscle Tunnels’. But only just better. It was a close vote!”
Q3. What did you set out to achieve when you wrote and recorded ‘Dominion Day’? It’s a truly fabulous song. And do you think you achieved it?
“Tyler originally wrote the core idea to be just something simple that grooves well. Nothing too flashy; a locked in rhythmic section with lots of room to breathe around it (for atmospheric elements, vocals what have you). The soft middle section into the blast-beat was originally demoed out by Krzysztof, and then refined by Tyler in pre-production.”
Q4. You’ve got two albums under your belt, but bands mature and develop over time. In your opinion, how does Osyron as evidenced by this new cut compare to those earlier records?
“Our debut album, ‘Harbinger’ [2013], was very much an influence-driven album. The styles were a little all over the place, and we didn't have a proper vocalist at the time so Bobby had to try his best yodelling. ‘Kingsbane’ [2017] is definitely a bit more of a refined sound towards the symphonic/power metal region. Krzysztof and Bobby wrote the music before Reed and Tyler joined the band, so they filled the album with as many layers as possible since Bobby was most likely going to be singing on it. Thankfully that didn't happen! ‘Foundations’ [a five-track EP released in 2020] is the first release with our current line-up, and you can really see the progression. The sound is a lot more modern and progressive, and the songwriting got more defined. Finally, this new album we’re about to release, and ‘Dominion Day’ being the first single, you can see we take the sound from ‘Foundations’ and push it even further. This new album is another major collaborative effort – even more so than ‘Foundations’ – and the songs are stronger because of that."
Q5. Musically, what’s the core of Osyron? What makes a great Osyron song?
“A great Osyron song is an instrumental! Joking aside, the fact that we are five individuals with a range of tastes lends us great strength when coming together to write music. We all have experienced different things in the world, and that reflects how we approach everything from composition, to execution, technique, etc. Lyrically our inspiration comes from history, fantasy and personal struggles and experiences. ‘Dominion Day’ and the other songs on this record are strongly influenced by the past two-and-a-half years – the pandemic, lockdowns, mental health, death and overcoming self-doubt and personal hurdles.”
Q6. What’s the best gig you’ve performed so far, and what made it so special?
“Honestly, the shows keep getting better. We've had the absolute pleasure to play with some gems like Into Eternity, but we're becoming tighter as a band without the expense of the live ‘show’ of it. We've been able to play some of the new songs live to test them out, and everything is going over really well. And we all like to have fun on stage, poke fun at each other, and make sure the audience has a good time.”
Q7. What album (or albums) made you think ‘I want to be a musician; I want to do that’?
Reed – “Iron Maiden ‘The Number Of the Beast’, Guns N’ Roses ‘Appetite For Destruction’, and Alice In Chains ‘Dirt’”
Krzysztof – “Metallica ‘...And Justice for All’, Pantera ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’, In Flames ‘Clayman’”
Bobby – “Metallica ‘Master of Puppets’, In Flames ‘Clayman’, Nightwish ‘Once’”
Tyler – “when I saw Iron Maiden live for the first time on their ‘Somewhere Back in Time’ tour. But if I had to then bring it down to an album, it would probably have to be ‘The Number Of The Beast’”
Cody – “I first found my passion for drums watching a Mike Terrana VHS tape (the name escapes me) on repeat as a little kid until I wore it out. Follow that up by discovering Mike Portnoy during his days with Dream Theater, right around the time they released their 2003 album ‘Train of Thought’ which was the most influential album for me in my early years as a drummer.”
Q8. What are your strengths as a band?
“Our strengths are the instrumental parts of the songs. Tyler and Cody both being professional audio engineers has helped us tremendously with our on-record and live sound. The chemistry we have when writing together, bouncing ideas off each other or someone taking the baton, so to speak, and running with it on an idea produce tremendous results, and we're very fortunate to have this group.”
Q9. What’s next for the band? It must be time for a new album?
“You’re right! We have a new album coming out at the end of the year, and then the plan is for touring nonstop in 2023-2024. Fingers crossed we'll be able to make the trip over the pond and play a show near you!” [On the day following this interview it was announced that a new album ‘Momentous’ is set for release on 4 November.]
Q10. If you drove an ice cream van, what tune would it play?
“It would definitely be ‘Concerning Hobbits’ from the ‘Lord Of The Rings’ soundtrack!"
Video clips:
‘Dominion Day’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk3G-eknBng
‘Beyond The Sun’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9mScoZIwZY
© John Tucker September 2022