Interviews: Omen//Skye

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Metalcore band Omen//Skye from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it, or did it just come out like that?

Nick: Our guitarist, Josh, came up with the name for the band! Actually, I’ve been asked if the name came from a video game called Valorant. There are two characters named “Omen” and one named “Skye” spelled the same way.

Brian: I actually joined the band a year after they had all started jamming together, so the name was already solidified. But I think it's a cool name, and the double slashes give us fun opportunities for branding/marketing/logos/artwork.

Josh: It’s a reference to a Sleep Token lyric, “when we met I could see dark signs, omens in your skies.” The “E” was added to the end of Skye for symmetrical purposes lol.

Dillon: I believe this came together after some discussion. I know it has a deeper meaning than what I fully understand!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Nick: We’re all big fans of heavy music. However, my love for heavy music started early when I first heard bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. As the years progressed, my taste just continued to get heavier and heavier!

Brian: This is the genre I grew up listening to and have always connected with. It just zaps my brain in the right places when I hear those classic 5-7-8 riffs. I grew up listening to two huge local metalcore bands from my town, Summer's End and The Burning Season. I was too young at the time to be in that scene, but I grew up being inspired by those guys and knew I wanted to have my own band one day.

Dom: I got into this genre after playing Rock Band in high school. Chop Suey by System of a Down exposed me to metal, then from there I dived deeper and deeper.

Josh: Metalcore sort of introduced me to the world of modern metal 22 years ago, so it’s been sort of embedded as an influence from the beginning. It’s also a lot of fun to perform, and it gets a lot of energy out of a crowd, and you can add different flavors of metal to it as well; it’s very malleable in that way.

Dillon: This is the genre that I have the most fun in! I listen to a lot of different types/styles of music, but as far as playing, this genre not only challenges me with its diversity, but with the skill level that is needed for creativity on the drum aspect.

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

Nick: I knew Dillon for about a year before he told me he was interested in forming a band. We met at a Born of Osiris / Veil of Maya show in 2022. I didn’t know any of the other guys at that point!

Brian: A couple funny stories actually - Several years ago probably around 2018 or so, I was desperately trying to find other musicians to start a band with, and one day I was invited by this vocalist named Jalen to come jam with him this other guy Dom (who I didn't know at the time) who played bass and guitar and had a studio setup at their house. I went over, and we met and started jamming together, but nothing ever happened after that one session, and I never saw either of those guys again. Then several years after that, probably around 2024, my ex-wife and I were at a concert at the Baltimore Soundstage, and we ran into Nick and Dillon. My wife apparently used to work with Nick, and they started catching up. Nick told us that his band was playing a show at Angel’s Rockbar in a few weeks and invited us out. Fast forward to the show, and I see Dom there and had no Idea he was in the band and caught up with him. Then, after Omen//Skye finished their set, Nick shouted out in the mic, “If any of you know anyone, we are actively looking for a second guitar player”. I kind of got excited like, wait a sec, I've been looking for a metalcore band to play. I went up to Nick after the show and was like, Yo, I play guitar! And the rest was history.

Dom: Dillon and I played in our own respective bands back in the 2010’s, so we were familiar with each other for a while. Everyone else I met once I joined the band.  

Josh: I have known our drummer, Dillon, since we were in our late teens. He played drums in a band called Silent on Fifth Street with my high school buddy Alan, who introduced us about 13 years ago, and the rest is history. I didn’t know anybody else in the band until just a few years ago.

Dillon: I knew each member as we formed the band individually. I had known Josh from our friend group since around 2012, met Dominic playing with his former band since around 2013, and I met Nick through going to shows, and we have just built a great friendship! Brian came in later on as an addition to the band.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Nick: In the metalcore genre, I would have to say After the Burial. Earlier metal, Lamb of God. Favorite band of all time, Led Zeppelin.

Brian: Oh man, this is such a hard question to answer, as it really depends on my mood, and it also depends on how you define favorite. I think, gun to my head, I would probably just blurt out Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory and Meteora, just because it is such a core part of my DNA and defines me. Every year it feels like I change which bands I’m obsessing over, though, so it's hard to say what my favorite band is right now, because in 10 months it could be totally different. It kind of feels like how in Toy Story, Andy always gets a new toy and starts neglecting the ones he had before. So I’ll stick with Linkin Park, because I don't think anything will ever make me stop listening to those two albums, and I’ll never get tired of them. Dom – System of A Down.

Josh: That’s very hard to say because the answer changes every so often. As of right now, while I’m typing this, it’s Dethklok. But it goes in and out between Humanity’s Last Breath and Devin Townsend and Tool and a few others. It’s quite seasonal, honestly.

Dillon: That's a tough question, for I have many favorite bands! If I had to pick one, it would probably be August Burns Red for the inspiration that Matt Griener has been for my whole drumming career. Close follow-ups would be Lorna Shore, Spiritbox, After The Burial, Jinjer, Whitechapel, and many more!

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Nick: Everyday life. I find inspiration in my own personal struggles and in the stories of others around me.

Brian: As corny as it sounds, my emotions inspire me to write songs. There are days when I am in a certain mood, and my brain subconsciously starts just orchestrating melodies in my head to try to match the mood I’m feeling. And then I just want to grab my guitar and sit at my computer and start trying to flesh the idea out. What usually ends up happening, though, is that I am never fast enough from “realizing I have this melody cooking in my thoughts” to getting to a computer and everything booted up and guitar tuned and ready to record fast enough. So a lot of those ideas come and go, and I’ll never remember them lol. 

Dom: My songs are usually inspired by current events or how I’m processing my personal situations.

Josh: As far as riffs go, getting a cool rhythm pattern stuck in my head that kinda came out of nowhere while doing a random task, and then expanding on that. Lyric-wise, different things that pique my interest or make me feel something deep that compels me to write. I’ll sometimes write a song after watching a really good horror film, or listening to a really creepy occult-themed story or podcast, or reflecting on something that occurred in my life that impacted me in a way that compelled me to write about it. 

Dillon: Matt Greiner is the largest influence on me! His creative style always impresses me and makes me strive to better myself!

6. Where was your last gig?

Nick: Our last gig was at Morsberger’s Tavern in Catonsville, MD, just outside of Baltimore City. We opened for Resistor and Yosemite in Black. Brian – Then, before that, we played at The Basement in Catonsville, headlining for the Radar Rock Fest pre-show. Dustin is a super cool guy and invited us out, and we were happy to play. Met a lot of cool people that show, including my new favorite band I’ve never heard of, Kilbarron. Seriously, those guys are sick - Joey Nierva is a nasty guitar player.

7. Where would you like to act?

Nick: We would love to play at Baltimore Soundstage. A smaller club in Baltimore City where we see our favorite metal artists perform.

Brian: I think my dream would be to get Omen big enough to play at those huge annual rock and metal festivals. The idea of taking a few days off work for a long weekend, flying out and watching all the sick bands, and then also getting to play in front of a ton of people, just seems awesome. Doing that a few times a year would never get old.

Dom: I’d love to play a show in Germany.

Josh:  I assume this means “where would you like to play” in this context, and the answer is everywhere.

Dillon: I would love to play Soundstage in Baltimore again! I played there many years ago and would love to get back to that stage again!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Nick: I would love to feature someone like Anthony from After the Burial. Or Randy Blythe from Lamb of God.

Brian: would love to have Ben from Breaking Benjamin do a feature. I just love the way he delivers his voice and the energy and passion he puts behind his lyrics. They have some of the hugest, most dramatic choruses in Rock and I definitely could see us finding a way to blend our style with his.

Dom: Just about anyone who is where I want to be.

Josh: Another tough question. I’d definitely say some old heroes of mine, like Howard Jones or Jesse Leach. Somebody whose music helped mold me, even recently! It would be super cool if we could get Filip Danielsson on a song at some point in the future. And I’m sure he’d never do it, but if Devin Townsend ever collaborated with me, I could probably pass away happily.

9. Whom not?

Nick: I’m open to pretty much anyone and everyone!

Brian: As corny as it sounds, I don't want to collaborate with anyone who doesn't want to collaborate with me… It's that simple. So often, you meet people who are just a-holes and will throw you or your band under the bus if they think it will in any way benefit them or their band, and once I notice that, I’ve written you off forever.

Dom: Diddy would be a good start.

Josh: Anybody whom I didn’t know of already before being asked to have them featured or do a feature with them, or anybody whose voice I don’t like.

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

Nick: Yes! Our first performance, my mouth was so dry from stage fright that I didn’t think I would be able to sing. It turned out to be one of our best performances. After you get through those first 30 seconds, you get into a groove, and the stage fright kind of falls away.

Brian: Oh man, I am the king of stage fright. I have the worst performance anxiety there is, it's always been something I’ve struggled with. Luckily, before Omen, I was in a 90s cover band that played mainly bars and breweries, so I had a couple of years to get used to playing in front of people. But those early days were brutal, I remember legit having full-blown panic attacks while trying desperately to remember what to even play for a solo that was coming up in a matter of seconds. It truly feels awful when you whiff something. The good news is, I have never been booed off stage. Here’s some good news for those starting out who worry about that…it’s totally okay if it happens. Everytime It happens, nothing bad has ever happened. If you whiff a note here or there, literally no one cares. If you totally whiff a solo and all eyes are on you, it's ok, literally no one cares. In fact, the more you mess up, the more the audience starts to clap and cheer you on. I guarantee you - if you whiffed a huge moment and just looked at the crowd and made a silly face and shrugged your shoulders and then moved on, everyone would find that even more memorable and fun if you had just played it clean and looked cool. So remember it's about having fun, not being perfect.

Dom: I still get butterflies before I go up on stage. But once the first notes are played, it goes away. For me, when I first started playing, I would mimic some of my favorite artists on stage until I developed my own presence.

Josh: Oh, absolutely. The only thing I could say about that is just try and, as Marshall Mathers puts it, “lose yourself in the music”. Let it move you, let it excite you, and give you energy. You’re up there because you love what you play, at least I hope so, so love it in that moment.

Dillon - I don't get much stage fright, but I also hide behind a drum kit! I would say just don't focus on the crowd, but focus on what factors you can control!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Nick: Bands like After the Burial, Lamb of God, Slipknot, Spite, Meshuggah, and Between the Buried and Me.

Brian: Well Definitely Linkin Park, as those first two albums permanently fused their way into my DNA. As I Lay Dying's sophomore album, ‘Shadows Are Security’, definitely set the tone for my style of guitar playing. That album absolutely had riffs for days, and Nick Hipa and Phil Sgroso are legends. Growing up, I absolutely looked up to The Burning Season and Summer’s End, as they were both huge local bands from the same city as me, and I wanted desperately to be on the same stage as those guys. Dom – Slipknot, System of A Down, Lamb of God.

Josh: I’ll say some of the biggest influences I had when I first started writing my own music were bands that weren’t quite as heavy, like Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, KoRn, Sevendust, and similar bands. That’s obviously changed a lot since then, Spiritbox and Humanity’s Last Breath being some of the bigger influences nowadays. But recently I’ve been listening to a lot of melodic death metal, so we’ll see where that takes us

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