GREYSTONE CANYON

track-list:
Vultures
Price on Your Head
We all Become Yesterday
Breathe Again
Sky is Falling
Raging Waters
Reborn
Over and Over
No Saint

GREYSTONE CANYON are:
Darren Cherry – vocals, guitars
Richard Vella – guitars
Dave Poulter – bass
Sham Hughes – drums

Australia’s hard n’ heavy metal act Greystone Canyon has released their highly anticipated second album ‘Iron & Oak’.
Greystone Canyon:
“This is our second album and stylistically it is an extension of the debut album so we are hoping fans will embrace it and grow with us. The album is a representation of who we are as people and musicians so we hope that people will connect with us through our music. The songs are very honest musically and lyrically and we have added elements that were not present on the debut to give the listener something more.”
Following the success of their debut release, ‘While the Wheels Still Turn’ the band embarks on a new sonic journey that reflects years of dedication and evolution.
Describing their sound as a blend of ‘Tone, feel, fire, honest & true’, the band aims to connect with fans on a personal level through their upcoming album.
With a diverse range of songs, including immediate and catchy tracks alongside dramatic and epic compositions, Greystone Canyon promises a musical experience that transcends genres.
‘Iron & Oak’ is a testament to the band’s diverse influences, ranging from the aggression of Megadeth to the classic vibes of Led Zeppelin, the darkness of Ozzy Osbourne to the southern rock spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
This fusion creates a unique hard n’ heavy metal experience where flashy elements coalesce seamlessly with the band’s commitment to musical authenticity.
Greystone Canyon entrusted the mixing duties to Grammy-nominated producer Glen Robinson (Queensryche/Voivod, etc.), ensuring a masterful blend that accentuates the album’s power while remaining authentic and dynamic.
Since their formation in 2015-2016, Greystone Canyon has been committed to delivering a sound that is true to their passion for music.
The band has incorporated additional instruments, such as 12-string guitar, Hammond organ, strings, and piano, to enhance the listening experience.
With a deliberate effort to provide a longer and more immersive album, Greystone Canyon moves away from instrumentals and interludes, presenting back-to-back songs.
‘Vultures’:
“This is the album opener and it’s kind of reminds me of Megadeth’s ‘Holy Wars’… it’s up tempo and epic and has a lot of teeth and emotion. The song about the Native American Indians.”
‘Price on your Head’:
“This is a mid tempo stomper… a foot tapping, head banging rocker with a big chorus… it reminds of something that might have been on Ozzy’s ‘No More Tears’ album… the song is about an Australian outlaw that terrorised the outback in the mid 1800’s.”
‘We all Become Yesterday’:
“This is the first single from the album… the groove is based on Toto’s ‘Rosanna’ it’s a rock song with some pop influence… the arrangement is to the point and the chorus has a sing along quality to it …we hope. The lyrics deal with time passing us by, looking back to your youth and the fragility of life.”
‘Breathe Again’:
“This song…. We are very proud of this one… this is something different for us… it has an arrangement akin to Ozzy’s ‘Killer of Giants’… using the classical guitar to play the first verse and then moving the same chord progression onto the electric guitars. I think the music and lyrics on this really paint a picture… the song is about getting back to nature …leaving the fast paced craziness of modern society behind and being at one with the animals, the landscape, the lakes and streams… the message is to look to nature for the answers and to cleanse the soul… this will also be a single with accompanying video.”
‘Sky is Falling’:
“This is the fastest track on the album… not thrash fast… more like Dio ‘We Rock’… the song is straight forward in arrangement only broken up by a great guitar & drum break in the middle. The chorus is another catchy one and the lyrics are about stepping out of your comfort zone and no matter what happens…. Love and hope will prevail.”
‘Reborn’:
“This is the darkest song on the album… building from an Alice in Chains/Black Label Society vibe into an almost Viking metal crescendo with some tasty guitar solos. The lyrics doting the dark theme deal with alienation with the family… this is a personal theme for me… and when you don’t feel you belong you can find a family amongst music and fellow outcasts and enthusiasts.”
‘Raging Waters’:
“This is another single from the album and shows a different side to the band… it’s kind of a Lynryd Skynyrd meets Aerosmith track… starting with some slide and 12 string guitar and has a real classic rock feel. The song is about sitting up late at night and having conversations with those that have passed on…. A kind of spiritual seance that connects us with those beyond this mortal coil. We have some guests on this track and sing some backing vocals, piano and violin and viola.”
‘Over and Over’:
“This song mixes Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac esque acoustic guitars with some punchy Aerosmith verses and morphs into some King Diamond style guitar harmonies… it’s a strange combination but we feel it works well and tied together our broad tastes and influences… the song is a personal one and recounts the tale of when I relocated from Australia to the UK with my band as teenagers…. Many years ago… we were young and didn’t have a clue but we were brave and tried our best and had an amazing adventure.”
‘No Saint’:
“This is the album closer… this song is full of surprises… it opens like something you hear sitting in a French cafe… the lyrics continue the theme from the previous song recounting the adventures pf young teens moving from Australia to the UK as 18 year olds… we got super ambitious with this song breaking it into two parts… there is an acoustic interlude branding the two… there are some gospel vocals rounding out the outro after some fiery guitar solos and harmonies…. Like the debut we wanted the album to close with something special and we hope listeners will appreciate that…”
The lyrics draw inspiration from various sources, including personal experiences, historical facts and a shared love for the Wild West.
Songs explore themes of reflection on youth, facing adversity and choosing one’s life path.
Greystone Canyon draws from life’s intricacies, weaving them into a tapestry of music that resonates with listeners.
“From the album opener to the closer we have tried to cover as much of what we love about music, trying to execute all pf this as best we can and stay true to our passion.”
Will it connect with listeners?
Only time will tell…
Why did you form? How did the idea come to be?
“The idea to put an original band together of this nature came in 2015 – 2016. I was playing guitar as a fill in for many bands touring Australia and had also 4 years paying in King Diamond tribute band… I had the opportunity to see so many talented musicians that it drove me to put together a band of the best players I could find and create something original.”
How would you describe your sound in five words?
“Tone, feel, fire, honest & true”
Your upcoming album, how do think it will be received by fans?
“This will be our second album and stylistically it is an extension of the debut album so we are hoping fans will embrace it and grow with us.”
What kind of listening experience is trying to give fans with this album, its singles?
“The album is a representation of who we are as people and musicians so we hope that people will connect with us through our music. The songs are very honest musically and lyrically and we have added elements that were not present on the debut to give the listener something more.”
How is the writing process for the band?
“We do a lot of demoing to see what songs, parts work and continue that process until we feel each song is album worthy. On this album both Dave & myself split a lot of the lyric writing and everyone contributed to the music… Sham also plays Hammond organ on a few tracks.”
Are any of the band members known on the local scene from any other bands?
“All the band members have played in multiple bands and are known in the local scene.”
How did you decide on the tracks for this album? How much more music can fans expect?
“We wrote the best songs we could and kept refining them… we wanted to have a diverse range of songs… some immediate and catchy, some dramatic and epic… there are a lot of instruments features on this album to add additional colour and texture and we hope that adds to the listening experience. This album is considerably longer than the debut and that was conscious effort as the debut was only 33 mins. The debit had a few instrumentals and interludes but this time it’s back to back songs.”
What can people expect live from your band compared to other bands?
“Only time will tell…. After our debut album covid hit and we also had a line up change so we wanted no time and starting working on album #2…. We all have a lot of live experience but Greystone Canyon will be making its live debut this year.”
Where do your lyrics come from?
“The lyrics come from lots of different places depending on the song topic personal experiences, historical facts .. we love the Wild West so we have a song about an infamous Australian outlaw ‘Mad Dog Morgan’ and another about the Native American Indians. Then there are others about reflecting on our youth or facing adversity and staying the course to live life that way you choose.”
What inspires your writing?
“Everything, life, the people around you, history, the future and of course all the great music that we have all grown up listening to.”
Are the songs a collaborative effort?
“Yes everyone has their input and also a say on everyone else’s parts.”
Does the band have a main songwriter?
“I would be the main songwriter in that conceptual ideas come mostly from me but the end result is a true group effort.”
How does the music affect the lyrics and vice versa?
“I always try and capture a certain feeling when creating the music and that feeling will connect with a subject matter…. In a few cases I have had lyrical and theme ideas pre conceived and written the music around this… both approaches seem to work well for us.”
How would you describe the evolution of the band’s sound?
“We looked at the debut album and asked ourselves what could we add this to expand the sound…. We added a lot of elements on this album, 12 string guitar, Hammond organ, strings, piano, additional voices… on the debut album I did all the harmony and backing vocals but on this album we have a variety of voices that change the tonal aspect for the better I think.”
What metal genres influence you as a band the most?
“The Influences that can be heard are Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin, Megadeth…”