Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Hail! We discussed their interesting history, inspirations, past singles, future plans and more, all of which you can now read here!
Firstly, introduce yourselves! What do each of you do in the band? How long has the band been around for?
Hi, we’re Hail – a 4 piece symphonic metal band comprising of Chris (bass), Charlie (guitar), Jake (drums) and Hayley (vocals). We’ve been playing together for about a year and a half.
Who would you say are some of your biggest inspirations when it comes to your music?
We all have diverse music tastes which slightly overlap in the middle. Charlie is more into classical rock, Chris loves prog metal, Jake is influenced by hard rock/metal and Hayley is a bit more bubblegum pop… which somehow became symphonic metal as a collective.
You’ve released a few singles over the years, for example “Fallen Angel”. What does the song mean to you?
Hayley: I wrote “Fallen Angel” after a bad break up – the song is about finding out someone you loved is not what they once seemed.
Who did you listen to growing up? Did any of these artists influence your music as a band?
Chris: I didn’t properly get into metal until I was a teenager in the mid 2000s. From there it was bands like Dragonforce, Trivium and Nightwish. Nightwish was definitely an influence, but the others less so.
Charlie: I was the kid stood on the coffee table playing air guitar to Motörhead, Joan Jett, AC/DC and Iron Maiden.
Do you have any big plans for 2025? Maybe new music or some gigs?
Jake: We’re starting off 2025 strong with lots of gigs in January! We are competing in Metal to the Masses on the 16th, supporting our friends Vexmantra in Southampton on the 18th and then Skarlett Riot in Bournemouth on the 31st! We hope to keep gigging throughout the year. We’re also hoping to start recording some new songs to release.
What does your dream performance look like? Is there anywhere you’d like to perform one day?
Charlie: I would be happy to play anywhere! I just want to go and see places!
Jake: Wembley is the dream but for now the cheese and grain in Frome is one place I’d like to play.
What is one of your favourite memories as a band?
Charlie: Supporting Kill the Lights.
Jake: and Jay (from Kill the Lights) walking in on our sound check.
Chris: First time we went out for dinner as a band and Charlie taking forever to choose something to eat. I think she’s still there now!
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?
Chris: I would love to work with Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish. I did a lot of work on the orchestral arrangements for the band so I would love to understand what goes on in his head.
Charlie: Lita Ford is a classic metal queen! 👸 She can really shred. 👌
Jake: Amy Lee from Evanescence.
How did you come up with the band’s sound? What was the thought process behind it? Did you know from the beginning that this was the sound you wanted?
Chris: The band’s sound developed over the last year or so really. Some of our songs initially started as a solo project from Hayley which over time we have developed into our own. The way we play songs like “Oblivion” now sound completely different compared to how they sound on the studio version.
Hayley: And I will say that when writing the first songs, I did not have a plan or sound in mind. I have such an eclectic music taste and my musical background for singing was classical and musical theatre – I didn’t know what I wanted to do! I was just trying things out until I got to “I Can’t Breathe” when I had a vague idea of the direction I personally wanted to go in. It was a few releases after that when I found these guys and the sound has only grown and evolved since then.
Where do you hope to see yourselves in a few years? Is there anything you hope to have achieved by then?
Charlie: A few album releases and touring as much as we can!
Jake: I’m hoping we can start playing some of the big festivals and maybe release some music videos with our songs.
When writing new music, is it a long process or does it come naturally?
Charlie: It’s a mixture. Some of it comes out naturally, and other times, we spend ages changing bits until we’re happy.
Chris: It’s quite an organic process and we all bring ideas to the table. Normally it starts with me or Charlie coming up with a riff and general structure, then after adding a basic drum pattern, Jake elaborates on it before Hayley writes the lyrics. We all have our strengths.
Are there any countries you especially want to perform in one day?
Charlie: ALL OVER THE WORLD.
Jake: Denmark, Norway, America would be some of the places.
If someone had no idea what to expect from your music, what would you tell them? What song of yours would you recommend to them?
Charlie: Velvet vocals with harsh bass, screeching guitars and loud drums. I’d recommend “Fallen Angel”.
Chris: “Oblivion” is probably the middle ground for most of our stuff. Heavy, Epica style guitars, Nightwish style orchestral arrangements and Evanescence-like vocals.
Thanks for your time! Finally, do you have anything you’d like to say to your fans and anyone that has supported you over the years?
Charlie: Thank you to everyone who has seen us play, streamed our music, bought a t-shirt and anyone that’s come to have a chat with us. You’re awesome!
Chris: Thank you for all the support you’ve given us. It hasn’t gone unnoticed and it drives us onto the next step!
You can keep up with Hail’s activities at their social media accounts linked below! Thanks again to the band for agreeing to this interview!
Instagram: @hailofficialuk
TikTok: @hailofficialuk
Facebook: HAIL Music
YouTube: HAIL Official UK