GRACE AND FIRE
Big melodies and a big sound from rising English prog rockers.
“WE WANTED TIME signature changes, we wanted to take the listener on that journey that only prog really allows you to do,” says Grace And Fire vocalist André Saint. “But we wanted to always give them that chance to sing along to melody-driven choruses.”
The ethos of his band stems right back to their name; there’s the lofty earworms, but snarling back are the fiery prog rock and metal chops. The history of English quintet Grace And Fire can be traced to 2019, when the rest of the group were hand-picked by Saint and his writing buddy, guitarist Aaron Gidney.
“It wasn’t going to be five guys that fell out of school together and tried to learn instruments and play together,” he explains. “We were looking for specific people for the band.”
Completing the line-up are drummer Graham Brown, who rules the throne in prog-certified acts Cairo and The Paradox Twin, ex-Galahad bassist Tim Ashton and Joshua Gidney on keys. The fruit of their labour is debut album Elysium, a juggernaut of melodic prog metal produced by Threshold’s Karl Groom. Saint says the reaction to the record, released in 2021, has exceeded expectations; their stock is bolstered, though, by guest cameos from keyboard whizz Derek Sherinian and ex-Yngwie Malmsteen vocalists Göran Edman and Mark Boals.
Their melting pot of inspiration includes Genesis, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden, and despite some noodly heroes the song itself remains the beating heart.
“Aaron is such a great guitarist, but he never tries to play as well or as fast as he can,” Saint adds. “He always serves the song with his guitar.”
The singer is the band’s sole lyricist, and he warns of taking some of the album’s track titles – see A Warrior’s Tale and Eyes Of The Seer, for example – too literally.
“One review said,‘ They write about fantasy’,” Saint says.“Actually you could say they sound like fantasy themes, but there is a parallel meaning to pretty much everything in the song. It’s personal songs that I’ve disguised with alternate meanings.”
The album’s closing two-parter, The Great Divide, for example, pivots on a theme of separation between social groups, particularly the classes:
“It’s really just sticking up two fingers and saying you carry on drinking your gin and having your high-class parties with your fake friends, and while you’re doing that I’ll be working my arse off to make my dreams happen.”
Buoyed by the response to Elysium, a second album is already in the works, and a European tour is in their sights too. At the core, though, appears to be a sincere wish just for the sounds of Grace And Fire to soar their way into as many ears as possible.
“We’re not contriving anything, it’s just taking it as it comes,” Saint says when asked about the future. “We just want to get the music out there as far as we possibly can. It’s never been about money. I just want the music to be heard.”
“WE JUST WANT TO GET THE MUSIC OUT THERE AS FAR AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.”