It is somewhat ironic that hard rock band Blue Sky Abyss was once called To No Avail, particularly since the band’s recorded output so far – the latest of which being new single Making of a bomb – has at its core a socio-political undercurrent that seeks to address very relevant issues and which directly flies in the face of what ‘to no avail’ represents by definition.
The follow-up to their May 2014 debut single Beauty & the Beast, the new single is relatively softer in sound, but certainly heavier in topic. “The song was inspired by the Palestinian conflict”, guitarist Robert Callus remarks, explaining that its story is as sad as the reality that dominates the news day in, day out. “It’s about the way that war can affect normal people, in some case driving them so far over the edge to the point of becoming suicide bombers”.
Starting out somewhere around the late 1990s the band, at the time called Migraine and focusing mainly on old school punk rock, lasted long enough to give a few gigs. More importantly however, the experience was a short, sharp yet effective enough shock that instilled a lasting passion for music among the band members. Other musical forays apart, more than a decade since Migraine was laid to rest, and the idea to resurrect the band became a reality.
Under the name of To No Avail, the five-piece band started to work on new music and, perhaps as a reflection of evolving musical trends and tastes, a new sound that had at its core a melodic hard rock punch. A couple of gigs later – one at the now-defunct live music mecca V-Gen and another at Coach & Horses as part of an activity by the Decriminalise It! movement, the band went through further changes that eventually led to a re-launch as Blue Sky Abyss.
The band will be performing live on Saturday, October 11 as part of the Gravitation event alongside Cyberia and DJ Hades at Remedy (Coconut Grove) in Paceville.
Blue Sky Abyss is Etienne Turner (vocals), Robert Callus (guitars), Daniel Barta (guitars, backing vocals), James MG (bass) and Benjamin Pullicino (drums).