Beneath The Blood Red Sky with Axxios

Beneath The Blood Red Sky with Axxios

Axxios unleash a compelling amalgamation of death, power, thrash and black metal – and with the unveiling of their latest masterwork Beneath The Blood Red Sky, this Indiana-based collective present an intensive soundtrack to a world destroyed by wars and nuclear radiation.  This bleak apocalyptic tale is rendered epic in scope thanks to the imaginative storyline and absolutely captivating musicianship found within the Axxios brigade.  Highwire Daze caught up vocalist Dan Baggarly to find out a whole lot more about the raging sonic devastation of the almighty Axxios.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Axxios and how long the band has been together.
Dan Baggarly – Vocals
Dave Matthews – Lead Guitar
TJ Fernandez – Rhythm Guitar
Alex “Chucho” Barrios – Bass
Aaron Grove – Drums
Axxios has been around since late 2013, but our lineup has changed a bit since the start.

Where is Axxios based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
Dan: We are located out of Griffith, IN. I would say our music scene in Northwest Indiana is pretty dead, mostly because there nearly all the venues in our area have shuttered or stopped having live bands, but Chicago’s metal scene is doing quite well.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the CD title Beneath The Blood Red Sky?
Dan: There is. Here’s the except from the album liner introducing our concept story: The year is 427 CD, 427 years after the Cataclysm, in which the Allied American Forces and United States of Soviet Europe nearly destroyed the Earth. Rendering most of the world uninhabitable, the few remaining areas are controlled by small monarchic nation-states that constantly war over Earth’s dwindling resources. As Europe was destroyed by the war, many Europeans took refuge in migrating south towards Africa, away from the intensely spreading radiation. Our story begins in Osiradin, a land before the Cataclysm was once known as Egypt.

Who did the cover art for Beneath The Blood Red Sky and how much input did you have on it?
Dan: There’s a guy named Jordan Grimmer out of the UK that did our artwork. He’s done some artwork for other bands in our area. Dave, our lead guitarist, actually was supposed to do the art and had a rough sketch of what we wanted, and then Jordan just kinda ran with it. We’re super pleased with it.

What was it like opening for Venom Inc and did you get to meet or hang out with anyone in the band at all?
Dan: It was fantastic. It was our first larger show in Chicago and we received a great crowd response. I met the bassist/vocalist of Venom, Inc. and he was definitely one of the most chill and down-to-earth people.

Another band you recently opened up for was Sanctuary. What was that experience like?
Dan: Opening for Sanctuary was like a dream come true for me. Warrel Dane (RIP) is one of my largest vocal inspirations, so it was a little surreal being able to share the stage with such a personally influential band.

If Axxios could open up for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Dan: Good question. I’d have to say Iced Earth or the legend himself, King Diamond.

What could one expect from a live Axxios show?
Dan: Shredding, face-melting, and high energy entertainment.

How close is Axxios to writing and recording all new material?
Dan: We just finished our 4th song for our next album. We have many other song ideas in the arrangement process now.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of Axxios?
Dan: Aaron is in a band called progressive/power metal band called Idol Throne, and Chucho is in a progressive metal band named Farwatch.

What’s up in the New Year for Axxios?
Dan: Hopefully returning to the studio and playing plenty of shows come this summer.

Any final words of wisdom?
Dan: Go check out our album at axxiosmetal.bandcamp.com or find it wherever you stream your music.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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