Ohio Doom Metal outfit Frayle are set to release their new album Skin & Sorrow on September 23rd. The band’s vocalist Gwyn Strang and guitarist Sean Bilovecky took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about the band’s upcoming album, filming in Salem, Massachusetts, for the band’s video for “Blind Eyes”, being under Oracle Management, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: The band’s new album Skin & Sorrow is set to be released September 23rd, what can you tell fans about the upcoming album?
Strang & Bilovecky: This album is about feeling empty and hollow when someone close to you passes. It can feel like all that’s left of you is skin & sorrow. It was written during Covid and we (like a lot of you) had a lot of losses. Writing helps to process pain. The release of the album had to be pushed back due to issues with vinyl pressing. We are excited to finally get it out there!
MER: How was the writing and recording process for the album?
Strang & Bilovecky: Our process is always the same. Both Sean and I have a library of song sketches that we reference when it’s time to write. We get together and decide which ones we want to flesh out, and then I write a melody, any harmonies and lyrics. We get together and arrange everything then Sean mixes and masters everything. We learned that we work best when we stay out of each other’s way.
MER: The band recently released the single “Bright Eyes”, what kind of feedback have you been able to receive so far?
Strang & Bilovecky: Feedback has been great so far. I think people can relate to putting on a happy face to get through the day. That song seems like it’s resonating with people. It has a different feel than most of our songs and that was intentional. To us that song pushes, or maybe even challenges what “Doom” can be.
MER: How was the experience filming the video for “Bright Eyes” between Salem, Massachusetts, and New York?
Strang & Bilovecky: We absolutely love Salem and look for any excuse we can to get back there. Sean originally saw a clip of @hasley_skates on Instagram and thought she would be perfect for the video. She did a great job keeping up with the camera and her performance was beyond our expectations! We think it’s an interesting statement to start the video with her roller skating past the house of the judge that condemned a number of women/men to death for witchcraft. It’s like a big middle finger to persecution. New York has an electricity that you can’t find in any other city and we always have a great time. We were there for a show and managed to shoot Aviv’s (@grimvr) scenes before the show.
MER: Do you feel “Bright Eyes” gives the fans a good idea on what to expect from the full album?
Strang & Bilovecky: I think if you take the first three songs that we’ve released it will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. I think there’s a lot of different moods and ideas on this record. I would say “Bright Eyes” is almost a middle ground for the record.
MER: The band recently signed with The Oracle Management, which is run by Dez Fafara of DevilDriver along with his wife Anahstasia, how has that been working out so far?
Strang & Bilovecky: Dez and Anahstasia have been wonderful! It feels great knowing that they believe in us and what we are trying to do. Dez has reached great heights twice before with Coal Chamber and DevilDriver, and Anahstasia is the glue that holds it all together. You can’t ask for more than that! We feel very fortunate to be working with them for sure.
MER: The band recently completed a North American tour with Cradle of Filth, how was that tour for you and your bandmates?
Strang & Bilovecky: The tour was amazing! It’s not often you get to play with legends! We didn’t really know how their crowd would react to us at first. But they were really into it. We were able to connect with most of them within the first few songs each night. Both Cradle and their crew were very accommodating and made sure we were taken care of at every venue. They are a world class act!
MER: What do you see as plans for the band after the album release?
Strang & Bilovecky: We have a record release show on the 24th of September here in Cleveland at the Grog Shop which also happens to be their 30th anniversary. In November we go back to Europe for a few weeks and play almost nonstop. We are excited to be playing Damnation Fest as well as Gloomnaar Festival!
MER: What are some of your favorite releases of 2022 so far?
Strang & Bilovecky: Ether Coven-The Relationship Between The Hammer And The Nail, Darkher – The Buried Storm, and Emma Ruth Rundle –Night
MER: Who do you hope to tour with that you haven’t yet and why?
Strang & Bilovecky: There are so many bands that we would like to tour with! I would love to do something with Darkher and King Woman. Can you imagine what a powerful female bill that would be? For Sean it would probably be Sleep.
MER: What have been some of your favorite memories since the band’s formation in 2017?
Strang & Bilovecky: The obvious ones are the festivals that we’ve played. Desert fest is always a favorite! One of my personal favorite memories is seeing the emails come in when we first put White Witch on bandcamp. Actually selling that digital EP was such a surprise to us and we are so grateful that it actually pushed us forward into this incredible ride we’ve been on. For Sean he loves driving through the European countryside. We feel extremely grateful that being in Frayle has allowed us to tour all over North America and Europe and meet so many wonderful people.
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