Interviews: Skarthia

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Melodic Death Metal/Groove Metal band, Skarthia from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The name "Skarthia" originated from our first drummer. He was a World of Warcraft fan and loved making up band names, it was unique as a word and we liked it! It seemed fated because the name fits perfectly with our song messages. Skar-thia, which can be translated to mean "place of scars", our world is just that, a place crafted by humanity, and humanity has left its scars on the world and ourselves. Besides, the name sounds cool as fuck!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Some bands aim to play a specific style or genre, but that's not what we're about. We've always created the music we wanted to hear and that's how we write. We class ourselves as melodic death/groove metal because the terms are vague and wide-ranging enough to describe us. Our style is clearly metal, nothing unorthodox, but we're not tied to any labels. We simply focus on writing good riffs and memorable melodies.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

We met in high school; that's how it all started. The band was formed when Gigi and Av put on a charity gig with some friends and Sapir came to watch. She mentioned she played guitar, so Av asked her to try out for a new band he was putting together.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Av - it's impossible to answer with just one band as a favorite, but I'll say that "Children of Bodom" was a massive influence on me. Alexi had an ear for melody and unique riffs that I felt were underappreciated, as he was mostly known for his shredding skill.

Sapir - For me, "Gojira" has always been a go-to. I sometimes like to get lost in techno and "Gojira" has many of the same qualities in their music. I love the tribal nature of it and Joe's voice is hypnotic.

Gigi - I still listen to the same bands. I can always listen to "System of A Down", no matter how I feel. I love Korn but I can only listen to them in the Winter. Some bands are season specific like that. "System" is just a band whose energy I could relate to. Even as a kid, it was always on at home, and their vocals are catchy as fuck.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Music inspires us! It's a pathway to the soul, we couldn't be more inspired by anything else! There's just something about hearing that one bit of a song that makes you feel warm inside, riffs that make you feel powerful and far more capable than words ever could. Music can bring out a fire in you that no other medium can. Think about it, we get together as a band to create something that no one can see or touch, and yet it changes people.

6. Where was your last gig?

We last played the HRH Metal festival at the O2 Academy Birmingham, UK, alongside Alestorm, Grave Digger, and Evil Scarecrow. The crowd really vibed to the new songs, and we had an awesome time!

7. Where would you like to act?

We'd love to tour the whole world and there's nowhere we wouldn't want to play. But we don't do what we do to play onstage and just enjoy ourselves, we play to share our music and expose people to it. Our motivation has always been believing in the music we write and in sharing it. For some listeners, it's not just a song, it's medicine and we take that seriously.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Chuck Schuldiner, though, if it had to be someone alive, then we guess Randy Blythe would be awesome to feature with

9. Whom not?

That's a tough one, if it has to be a musician then we can't think of anyone

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

We've never had stage fright playing our own music, but some of us do sometimes experience nervousness. With time and experience, it does fade away. The more you practice the more confident you are, and the quicker you can get past it and deliver onstage. A good tip is to walk around the venue before the show. Become familiar with the layout of the place and you should feel more comfortable in the environment. Also, even if you genuinely believe you suck, never announce your thoughts to the audience. You may be underestimating yourself and you'd be surprised how many actually enjoyed your performance.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

"Death" and Chuck Schuldiner are incredibly inspiring to us, Chuck was always one to do his own thing and you can hear his passion for music in the riffs and melodies he wrote. "Korn" obviously played a big part, they had a sound that inspired a whole new generation of sound design and production. While we love bands like "Lamb of God" and "Meshuggah", in terms of inspiration we have to go back to our formation days as kids, back then we were inspired by "Bullet For My Valentine", we learned a lot from them and it helped us grow up fast.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We generally don't get weird requests from fans. Sapir gets some weird messages from guys sometimes,

13. What do you think of your fans?

Many people have really nice things to say to us and while we love and appreciate the support, we're dreadful at accepting compliments. Fans are good to us, but they don't owe us anything; we're giving our music to THEM. It's gratifying to see our music impacting people in a good way and we're all about that.

14. What do you think of our site?

It takes a lot of hard work and effort to stick around for almost ten years. You've gotta really make an impact and that's what Breathing The Core has done by establishing itself as a go-to site for discovering new bands and music. The fact there's even a "free music" section just goes to show their commitment to delivering to the community

15. Something to add?

Check out our new release "Legacy". If you like your music ferocious, dripping with riffs and good melodies, then this is what we aim to deliver. We really hope you enjoy it!