Skyclad are a British
heavy metal band with heavy
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
influences in their music.
They are considered one of the pioneers of
folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
. The etymology behind the term "skyclad" comes from a pagan/
wicca
Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...
n term for
ritual nudity, in which rituals are performed with the participants metaphorically clad only by the sky, as a sign of equality. The name alludes both to the band's religious leanings and to their social beliefs, as set out in the song "Skyclad" on their first album.
History
The band was founded in 1990 by then former
Sabbat
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...
vocalist
Martin Walkyier
Martin Walkyier (born 20 September 1967) is an English singer, known for his participation in the heavy metal bands Sabbat and Skyclad.Detlef Dengler: ''Martin Walkyier''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', February 2009, p. 129. The late ''Metal Hammer'' j ...
and
Satan/Pariah guitarist
Steve Ramsey,
after Walkyier left Sabbat over an argument with guitarist Andy Sneap as to the direction of the music. The two's aim was to put together the 'ultimate pagan metal band' (initial ideas for the band included such extravagances as traditional
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...
costumes, though these concepts were soon dropped). Rounding out the group with another ex-member of Pariah, bassist Graeme English, as well as drummer
Keith Baxter, they penned a deal with German record label
Noise International and recorded and released ''
The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
''The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth'' is the debut album by British folk metal band Skyclad, and is regarded as one of the first folk metal albums, with the track "The Widdershins Jig" in particular pointing the way for the genre. Front cover ar ...
'' in 1991.
The album cover was designed by Garry Sharpe-Young.
After a tour with
Overkill they added Fritha Jenkins on violin and keyboard and a second guitarist in the shape of Baxter's friend Dave Pugh, allowing for a more
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
-based sound on their follow-up release ''
A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol'' in 1992. The group's early output was followed by ''
Jonah's Ark'' in 1993. In 1994 the band released ''
Prince of the Poverty Line'', on which Cath Howell replaced Fritha Jenkins. Jenkins had left to have a baby, and Howell had deputised on the ''Jonah's Ark'' tour, it being Jenkins intention to return. When she elected not to do so, Howell became a permanent member.
Howell resumed her studies and was replaced by Georgina Biddle for 1995's ''
The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea'', after which both Baxter and Pugh left the group. Having a deficit of band members, the band was generally unable to tour, although they replaced Tiamat on the Black Sabbath ''Forbidden'' UK tour in 1995. This was whilst recording ''
Irrational Anthems'', which was released early the following year.
''
Oui Avant-Garde á Chance'' was recorded within the space of a year and, like ''Irrational Anthems'' used studio/session drummer Paul AT Kinson. ''
The Answer Machine?'' followed in 1997 with Kinson on drums, but the band still lacked a permanent drummer, Jay Graham and guitarist Kevin "Riddler the Fiddler" Ridley (who had previously been the band's producer, background vocalist and singer/guitarist in the punk band
Forgodsake
Forgodsake were an English rock band from Newcastle Upon Tyne formed in 1990.
History
Forgodsake formed in 1990 by Kevin Ridley, Steve Wallace, Drew Gallon, Gary Binns and Chris McCormack. They recorded a demo and signed to Bleeding Heart ...
) signed on in 1998, in time to record ''
Vintage Whine'' for a 1999 release.
The lineup remained stable for the recording of 2000's ''
Folkémon
''Folkémon'' is a studio album by the British folk metal band Skyclad. It is the last album the band recorded with Martin Walkyier as vocalist. As is normal with the band's works under Walkyier, the album's lyrical themes deal with politics, ...
'', but founding member Walkyier left the band in 2001, citing various reasons, such as financial difficulties and the band's unwillingness to tour in South America owing to security concerns as the final straw, though other band members have commented that his somewhat acerbic personality was one of the major contributing factors to the group's lineup instability. Walkyier went on to form The Clan Destined. For many fans, Walkyier's lyrics and delivery style were one of the band's central attractions, and there were fears that his departure spelled the end of the band. After replacing drummer Jay Graham (who left shortly after Walkyier) with drummer Arron Walton, and moving Kevin Ridley onto vocals, the group sprang into action to remedy these fears with 2002's ''No Daylights... Nor Heel Taps'' which featured studio recordings of "Irish Pub versions" of Skyclad classics by the new line-up, preceded by a single, 2001's "Swords of a Thousand Men". The single's title track, a cover tune (originally recorded by
Tenpole Tudor
Tenpole Tudor are an English punk band fronted by Edward Tudor-Pole. The band first came to prominence when Tudor-Pole appeared in the Sex Pistols' film ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' and on three of the singles released from the soundtr ...
), also appeared on ''Folkémon'' as a bonus track, although in a different version. The single featured two recordings of the track, one of them with Ridley on vocals and one with Ridley sharing the microphone with Ten Pole Tudor's vocalist
Edward Tudor-Pole
Edward Felix Tudor-Pole (also known as Edward Tenpole, though he introduced himself as "Ed" on several episodes of '' The Crystal Maze''; born 6 December 1955) is an English musician, television presenter and actor.
Originally gaining fame in t ...
. The single/album release was accompanied by ''The Same...But Different'' tour, the largest Skyclad had undertaken for many years. Also in 2001 the band's former record label released ''Another Fine Mess'', which featured live recordings from 1995 and the contents of the ''Outrageous Fourtunes'' EP.
After some unpleasantness between Walkyier and the other band members over copyrights and royalties for his lyrics, as well as the release of tracks featuring him, 2004's ''
A Semblance of Normality
''A Semblance of Normality'' is the eleventh studio album by the British folk metal band Skyclad, released in the year 2004. It is the first "new" album the band recorded with Kevin Ridley as vocalist since this album's predecessor '' No Day ...
'' marked the band's first new material post-Walkyier. Its style was very much in the vein of previous releases, with Ridley's lyrics making an obvious effort to follow similar themes and styles to Walkyier's whilst retaining an individual identity.
Skyclad self-released an EP, ''
Jig-a-Jig'', in 2006. A new album had been planned for the same year but Black Lotus Records went out of business just a few months after Skyclad had signed to it.
The band's twelfth studio album ''
In The... All Together'' was released in spring 2009 via Scarlet Records.
In June 2012, Walkyier announced that a band called "Martin Walkyier's Skyclad" would be headlining a festival in Nottingham, England in September of that year.
Skyclad's 13th studio album ''Forward Into The Past'' was released on 28 April 2017 via
Listenable Records
Listenable Records is an independent metal label originally founded in 1990 in France. The label specializes in metal, with a focus on extreme metal music.
The company has published albums from many acclaimed extreme metal bands, such as Immo ...
. It is the first album since 1995's ''Silent Whales of Lunar Sea'' to feature second guitarist Dave Pugh, who returned to Skyclad as a full member in 2014.
Band members
Current members
*
Steve Ramsey (guitar) since 1990 (also in
Satan, Pariah, Blind Fury)
* Graeme "Bean" English (bass, acoustic guitar) since 1990 (also in Satan, Pariah, Blind Fury)
* Dave Pugh (guitar) 1991–1995, since 2014
* Georgina Biddle (violin) since 1994
* Kevin Ridley (vocals since 2001, keyboard, guitar since 1998, producer since 1990)
* Arron Walton (drums) since 2001
File:Skyclad Rockharz 2018 07.jpg, Steve Ramsey
File:Skyclad Rockharz 2018 06.jpg, Graeme "Bean" English
File:Skyclad Rockharz 2018 09.jpg, Dave Pugh
File:Skyclad Rockharz 2018 01.jpg, Georgina Biddle
File:Skyclad Rockharz 2018 05.jpg, Kevin Ridley
File:Skyclad Rockharz 2018 14.jpg, Arron Walton
Former members
* Jay Graham (drums) 1998–2001
*
Martin Walkyier
Martin Walkyier (born 20 September 1967) is an English singer, known for his participation in the heavy metal bands Sabbat and Skyclad.Detlef Dengler: ''Martin Walkyier''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', February 2009, p. 129. The late ''Metal Hammer'' j ...
(vocals, lyrics) 1990–2000 (also in The Clan Destined,
Sabbat
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...
)
* Nick Acons (guitar, violin) 1997
* John Leonard (
flute,
banjo,
mandolin) 1997 (Now with
Ferocious Dog
Ferocious Dog are an English folk punk band from Warsop, Nottinghamshire, England. The band has headlined tours of the UK and Europe, performed in Dubai, festivals such as Bearded Theory, Alchemy, Deerstock, Farmer Phil's Festival, Splendour a ...
)
* Mitch Oldham (drums) 1997
* Dave Moore (session guitar) 1996 (ex-Velvet Viper)
* Paul A.T. Kinson (drums) 1996
* Paul Smith (drums) 1996
* Dave Ray (guitar) 1995
* Jed Dawkins (drums) 1995
*
Keith Baxter (drums) 1990–1995
* Fritha Jenkins (violin, mandolin, keyboards) 1991–1993
* Cath Howell (violin) 1993–1994
* Danny Porter (session guitar) 1991-1991 (Also in
Ruiner)
Timeline
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:17
PlotArea = left:110 bottom:100 top:20 right:20
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/2023
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1990
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1991
Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars
id:violin value:drabgreen legend:Violin
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
BarData =
bar:Martin text:"Martin Walkyier"
bar:Steve text:"Steve Ramsey"
bar:Dave text:"Dave Pugh"
bar:Nick text:"Nick Acons"
bar:Kevin text:"Kevin Ridley"
bar:Fritha text:"Fritha Jenkins"
bar:Catherine text:"Catherine Howell"
bar:Georgina text:"Georgina Biddle"
bar:Graeme text:"Graeme English"
bar:Keith text:"Keith Baxter"
bar:Paul text:"Paul A.T. Kinson"
bar:Mitch text:"Mitch Oldham"
bar:Jay text:"Jay Graham"
bar:Arron text:"Arron Walton"
LineData =
at:10/17/1991 color:album layer:back
at:04/08/1992 color:album layer:back
at:06/03/1993 color:album layer:back
at:03/22/1994 color:album layer:back
at:03/24/1995 color:album layer:back
at:02/12/1996 color:album layer:back
at:11/04/1996 color:album layer:back
at:09/01/1997 color:album layer:back
at:02/15/1999 color:album layer:back
at:10/23/2000 color:album layer:back
at:03/11/2002 color:album layer:back
at:06/21/2004 color:album layer:back
at:05/22/2009 color:album layer:back
at:04/28/2017 color:album layer:back
PlotData =
width:11
bar:Martin from:01/01/1990 till:06/01/2001 color:vocals
bar:Steve from:01/01/1990 till:end color:guitar
bar:Dave from:01/01/1992 till:06/01/1995 color:guitar
bar:Dave from:01/01/2014 till:end color:guitar
bar:Nick from:01/01/1997 till:04/01/1997 color:guitar
bar:Nick from:01/01/1997 till:04/01/1997 color:violin width:3
bar:Kevin from:06/01/1998 till:06/01/2001 color:guitar
bar:Kevin from:06/01/2001 till:end color:vocals
bar:Kevin from:06/01/2001 till:end color:guitar width:3
bar:Fritha from:01/01/1992 till:08/01/1993 color:violin
bar:Fritha from:01/01/1992 till:08/01/1993 color:keys width:3
bar:Catherine from:08/01/1993 till:06/01/1994 color:violin
bar:Catherine from:08/01/1993 till:06/01/1994 color:keys width:3
bar:Georgina from:06/01/1994 till:end color:violin
bar:Georgina from:06/01/1994 till:end color:keys width:3
bar:Graeme from:01/01/1990 till:end color:bass
bar:Graeme from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1998 color:keys width:3
bar:Keith from:01/01/1990 till:06/01/1995 color:drums
bar:Paul from:06/01/1996 till:09/01/1997 color:drums
bar:Mitch from:09/01/1997 till:01/01/1998 color:drums
bar:Jay from:01/01/1998 till:06/01/2001 color:drums
bar:Jay from:01/01/1998 till:06/01/2001 color:keys width:3
bar:Arron from:06/01/2001 till:end color:drums
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
''The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth'' is the debut album by British folk metal band Skyclad, and is regarded as one of the first folk metal albums, with the track "The Widdershins Jig" in particular pointing the way for the genre. Front cover ar ...
'' (1991)
* ''
A Burnt Offering for the Bone Idol'' (1992)
* ''
Jonah's Ark'' (1993)
* ''
Prince of the Poverty Line'' (1994)
* ''
The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea'' (1995)
* ''
Irrational Anthems'' (1996)
* ''
Oui Avant-Garde á Chance'' (1996)
* ''The Answer Machine?'' (1997)
* ''Vintage Whine'' (1999)
* ''
Folkémon
''Folkémon'' is a studio album by the British folk metal band Skyclad. It is the last album the band recorded with Martin Walkyier as vocalist. As is normal with the band's works under Walkyier, the album's lyrical themes deal with politics, ...
'' (2000)
* ''
A Semblance of Normality
''A Semblance of Normality'' is the eleventh studio album by the British folk metal band Skyclad, released in the year 2004. It is the first "new" album the band recorded with Kevin Ridley as vocalist since this album's predecessor '' No Day ...
'' (2004)
* ''
In the... All Together'' (2009)
* ''Forward into the Past'' (2017)
Compilations and live albums
* ''
Old Rope'' compilation (1996)
* ''
Poetic Wisdom
Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
'' Compilation (limited tour Greek edition) (2001)
* ''
Another Fine Mess
''Another Fine Mess'' is a 1930 short comedy film directed by James Parrott and starring Laurel and Hardy. It is based on the 1908 play ''Home from the Honeymoon'' by Arthur J. Jefferson, Stan Laurel's father, and is a remake of their earl ...
'' live album (2001)
* ''
Live at the Dynamo'' compilation/live album (2002)
* ''
History Lessens'' compilation (2002)
* ''
No Daylights... Nor Heel Taps'' compilation/re-recording (2002)
Singles and EPs
* ''
Tracks from the Wilderness'' EP (1992)
* "Thinking Allowed?" (1993)
* ''
Outrageous Fourtunes'' limited edition EP (1998)
* ''
Classix Shape
Classix Shape is a limited edition Picture disc released by British folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use ...
'' limited edition EP (1999)
* "
Swords of a Thousand Men" (2001)
* ''
Jig-a-Jig'' limited edition EP (2006)
Videos
* "Emerald" (1992)
* "Thinking Allowed?" (1993)
* "Inequality Street" (1996)
* "Words Upon the Street" directed by Fernando J. Martínez (2009)
* "Change Is Coming" directed by Fernando J. Martínez (2017)
* "Starstruck?" directed by Fernando J. Martínez (2017)
* "Words Fail Me" directed by Fernando J. Martínez (2018)
References
External links
Official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skyclad
English folk metal musical groups
Musical groups from Newcastle upon Tyne
Musical groups established in 1990
Nuclear Blast artists
Massacre Records artists
Noise Records artists
Scarlet Records artists
Listenable Records artists