Many classic horror movies, with their campgrounds and teenagers and killers, take place in the summer. So what better summer interview than Skinher? Hailing from Greece, this band has just released its debut album, a true homage to 80s metal and the horror movies of that time. Not to mention, it’s a really good album. Enjoy this talk I had with band founder Kyle Skinher!
Hi, this is Rick! Who am I talking to, and what’s your role in the band?
Hello, it’s Kyle Skinher here, I wrote everything myself, I also played most of the instruments, it’s a solo project.
This is Skinher’s debut album; what is the story of the band so far? I understand you three all play in Hail Spirit Noir.
Yes, it’s the debut album. We have no story so far to be honest. Even though the music is far from Hail Spirit Noir, this is the kind of music and movies I grew up with.
Heartstuck is a delicious mix of classic 80s metal, with its catchy choruses and melodies, and modern sound added. Did you have some other bands in mind, when you were thinking about where to go, musically? How do you approach making music that’s inspired by the past, without sounding stale and repetitive?
I wanted to write music in the vein of Europe, Alice Cooper, Malmsteen, Dokken with the aesthetics of old slasher movies. I am a big fan and tried to write songs that could be included in the OST of these kind of movies. The lyrics are small horror stories I have written myself, they are very typical 80s stories. In 2021, we also released an album with Hail Spirit Noir, based on a horror/slasher/sci fi story, this was a synthwave album that included remixes of HSN songs.
Why did you adopt this ‘aesthetic’? Were you already set on it when you started out with Skinher, or did the idea come later?
Νo, this was the idea that initiated the whole project. These songs with different lyrics would sound very different to me. I tried to write melodies and riffs that are not very horror-ish but could be played by a band in a scene of a horror/slasher movie. You know, the killer hunts the victim and they enter a club with a rock band playing my songs. This was the concept.
Are you planning on doing a tour, now or later? I can already picture you opening for Alice Cooper himself!
I would hope so, because as I said he is one of my main influences for Skinher. But so far, there are no live plans.
Obligatory question, what’s your favourite horror/slasher flick?
Wow, there are lots of them. I would pick Friday 13th because I am born Friday 13th of October. In general, I love horror movies related to camps and teenagers, that is most of them hehe!
Many thanks to Kyle, and everyone involved in Skinher for this interview! Heartstruck, released on April 21st via Aural Music, is available on Bandcamp. Follow the band on Facebook and stay tuned for updates!
Rick is a physics student from Italy, who besides loving metal music, also digs books, movies and science. He plays the drums, guitar, and kazoo.