The Texas duo Mythologik are in this week’s Meet The Band spotlight. Their debut album is Blood In The Sky. Vocalist Joe Gregory and multi-instrumentalist Bryan Eckermann introduce us to their band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Mythologik.
Joe Gregory: I’m a big fan of Bryan’s solo work and his work with Scars of the Flesh. Valkyrie was taking a break from recording and performing and I wanted to keep busy. So, I reached out and said I’d love to sing on one of his songs if possible and the rest is history.
Bryan Eckermann: Yeah, after Joe asked about doing vocals, I just happen to have a bunch of songs finished musically just sitting around, and I sent him one song initially, (Across Again), just to see what might happen. He sent vocal tracks back in just a few days, and after mixing it, I was like HELL YA I really dig it! And pretty much at that point we collectively decided to just turn it into a new project.
Describe the songwriting process for Blood In The Sky.
Bryan: I pretty much craft the song musically with all instruments and then send it over to Joe and just let him do his lyrical/vocal magic to it, he sends the vocals tracks back to me and then I final mix and if any small things need adjusting I might ask for an extra thing or two from him, but it’s been a pretty easy process all around.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
Joe: Just how epic the album is, especially “Fallen Empire!” 8 minutes of magnificence!
Bryan: I agree “Fallen Empire” was huge in the fact that it was the first song done for the album, the most epic and pretty much set in stone the concept/theme we were going to use throughout the album.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
Joe: “Fallen Empire!” (laughs)
Bryan: For me “Fallen Empire” had been a kind of golden egg I was hiding on my computer since back in 2019 surprisingly enough. So I can’t fully remember how difficult it was to craft, but it’s fantastic regardless. The entire album was literally no sweat for us to create though, everything from the time we started writing together just flowed so seem-less and smooth.
How would you characterize its style/sound?
Joe: The perfect mix of old and new. You have elements of melodic death, thrash and others in the music, but with old school thrash style vocals. Modern metal with a spin.
What lyrical topics do you cover?
Joe: This album is influenced by Milton’s Paradise Lost. The songs are chapters of Lucifer’s war against God and Heaven.
A lot of the song titles would have made good album titles. What led you to go with Blood In The Sky?
Joe: We thought it encompassed the theme of Lucifer at war with God and his angels, tearing each other apart. Hence, Blood in the Sky.
Bryan: Yeah, we had some debate going through the process of creating the album of potential titles, the first being Fallen Empire, since it was the first song we wrote. But by the end of the writing process, I also had been mocking up artworks for each song during writing, and the Blood in the Sky art just symbolized the entire theme of the album in our eyes also.
What led you to go the independent route for the album release?
Bryan: I am honestly used to releasing independent albums by this point in my musical career, as I have done dozens of times, so it’s the more normal route for me. Full control of everything, no one else making decisions but us. I would also like to send a big thank you to Clawhammer PR, they have worked with me on my last few releases and have definitely helped in an area I knew I was lacking, getting the music out to media sites, radio etc and helping spread the word.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
Joe: World domination! (laughs)
Bryan: I concur! And I would just say as long as we are gaining new listeners and they are enjoying the tunes is all we can ask for.
Do you have any plans to play live shows?
Joe: Fingers crossed, yes! I think Bryan and I with a full band would be amazing! We’d make sure people got their money’s worth when they come to see us.
Bryan: As of this moment it is just Joe and I, so to play a show we definitely will need to recruit some fill in members or possible new full time members. It will be a big undertaking preparing, but I won’t put it out of the realm of possibility moving forward. We have started by reaching out to a few festivals to see if we can’t nail down something bigger than just a local show to make that happen and worthwhile.
Bryan, you’ve released several solo albums. Are there plans for another?
Bryan: Yes, actually, even though I used several songs that were possible solo songs I had sitting around for Mythologik. Starting this project with Joe actually revitalized my inspiration and soon after our EP was released last year I took a couple months and wrote an entire new solo album musically, I am currently letting it simmer for a while before I dive into tackling the lyrics/vocals. The plan is to make it a sequel to my 2016 album The Haunting at Helmbrook so queue the sadistic horror vibes!
What other bands/projects are you currently involved with?
Joe: My other band, SA Valkyrie has 8 songs recorded and in the can. We just need to mix and master them. We’re in slo-mo right now and taking our time.
Bryan: Scars of the Flesh is still active, we just started writing sessions for the next album as well as are starting to book some shows now that have a new bassist recruited. My solo stuff as I mentioned above is in progress for a new album, but other than those and Mythologik I think I’ve come to the conclusion that those are enough for me. I also am working on some new artwork/graphic design stuff for a few bands and it’s possible I might do some studio mixing/mastering help for some bands coming up.
How’s the metal scene in San Antonio these days?
Bryan: San Antonio is filled with great metal bands, and I would say the metal scene is thriving, although sometimes the crowds don’t represent the talent that is on stage here. But I have been fortunate to share the stage with many great musicians in other bands that I feel all deserve more attention.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
Joe: I write books on the side, 7 so far, working on number 8. I’m a pretty quiet guy. I read, workout and watch movies.
Bryan: I currently have a slight problematic addiction to buying metal band patches and making battle vests hahaha, on vest #3 at the moment. I also like to Crochet blankets surprisingly enough if I ever find the time to let my brain rest.
What’s currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Joe: Judas Priest, Fates Warning, Mercyful Fate, Texas Metal Bands!!!
Bryan: I’m a big fan of the new Judas Priest, Attic, Kerry King, Daath and Vesperian Sorrow albums from this year. As for older stuff always in my playlist, Hypocrisy, Dimmu Borgir, King Diamond etc etc.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Joe: Please give the album a listen and let us know what you think. If someone can listen to one of our songs and forget their problems for a little bit, we’ve done our job.
Bryan: Just a big thank you to anyone who has jammed our new music so far, or finds us in the future. Every listener is appreciated, and we want to hear feedback good or bad, love us or hate us. Let us have it!!!
(interview published June 15, 2024)
Watch Mythologik – “Lord Death” Video
