Viathyn

Biography

Viathyn got its start in 2006 when brothers Tomislav and Dave Crnkovic joined forces with guitarist Jacob Wright. Both brothers had been playing music for years, but it was their shared taste in music that finally pushed them to form a band as adults. The meeting happened when Tomislav, then working at an Axe Music store in Calgary, saw a young Jacob Wright walk in and start playing. The trio recorded a bunch of demos, which led to an instrumental EP called Demagogue.

Session bassist Greg Musgrave played on it, and the whole thing was put together using gear Tomislav owned or could access through his job at the music store. That instrumental release was meant to help them find a permanent singer and bassist. It worked: in 2009, they brought in Alex Kot on bass. Kot played an 8-string NS/Stick tapping fretboard instrument, which gave the band a distinctive sound.

With four members now, they started work on their first full-length album. Tomislav handled recording, mixing, and engineering at Bard's Tavern Studio, while Sacha Laskow mastered it at Walk as Chaos Studio. The Peregrine Way came out in August 2010 to positive reviews. The album tells the story of an unnamed wanderer moving through life's ups and downs.

Guest vocalist Camille Austria appeared on tracks like "Through the Orchard" and "Sirenum Scopuli," and there's also a fully acoustic song called "Canvas." Critics noted the songs were solid for an independent act and that every member played well, with no obvious weak spot instrumentally. Viathyn's second album, Cynosure, dropped in October 2014 and brought in 7-string guitars. It was recorded between 2012 and 2014 at Perfect Fifth studios, with Tomislav engineering again and Jacob Wright helping with recording and editing.

Sacha Laskow once more handled mixing and mastering. The title "Cynosure" means a focal point, guiding light, or source of inspiration.

Style and influences

Viathyn's music demonstrates a folkish, natural feel, with vocals that are rather subdued compared to traditional power metal, sometimes comparable to the softer vocals in shoegazing acts. Double-bass drum patterns common in power/speed metal are frequent, as are sweeping techniques in lead guitar. The band has been compared to the sound of Falconer. Members have indicated varied influences, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, In Flames, Angra, Blind Guardian, Ensiferum, Rhapsody of Fire, Leprous, Dream Theater, Elvenking, Wuthering Heights, Cynic, and Atheist.

Tomislav Crnkovic claims his favorite bands were older acts from the 1980s such as Iron Maiden, while his younger brother Dave is into symphonic/power metal bands from the 1990s like Rhapsody of Fire and Luca Turilli. Tomislav was introduced to these bands via his younger brother, and both grew to appreciate this music. Tomislav stated that their biggest influences are power and folk bands, but their writing intentionally favors a progressive sound, allowing for an individual, interesting sound for guitar parts and a more varied approach to simple power metal song structures.