I came across Stuckfish by chance, and I am so very glad I did. I’m probably betraying my age here, but listening to their rock melodies and ballads, with tones reminiscing of Scorpions and Queensryche, I felt right at home. Their music would fit any Fantasy world, and it would make a great accompaniment to movies, games and TV series.
Stuckfish is the 2017 collaboration of two musician friends; singer-songwriter, Philip Stuckey, (Judas Rising, VOTV, Black Sedan, Overkill) and guitarist/composer/producer, Adrian Fisher, (Heavy Load, VOTV, Tony Liddle, Thrust, Overkill).
Together they have created an album of 10 melodic rock songs with a progressive twist. ‘Calling’ is a combination of storytelling lyrics and fascinating, multi-layered musical journeys of the unexpected, with soaring guitars and dramatic vocal harmonies.
‘’These are the songs we’ve dreamed of writing and recording, definitely our best work so far.’’ Phil Stuckey.
‘’The final song on the album ‘Something to believe in’ still sends a tingle down my spine.’’ Ade Fisher.
We asked Philip and Ade to tell us something about themselves:
“Ade and I used to be in a NWOBHM band together in the 1980’s (that’s New Wave of British Heavy Metal) called Overkill. An album was produced then but never released as the recording process was the last thing the band did together.
We all grew up in Wallsend on Tyne and for some reason a lot of great rock bands emerged from the general ‘Newcastle’ area at around about the same time, such as Tygers of Pan Tang, Raven, Blitzkrieg, Venom, and so on.
But we were listening to UFO (Ade later became Michael Schenker’s tour manager), Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Budgie, Nazareth, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull. These days we are just as likely to listen to modern folk or opera too, but our love for melodic rock remains undiminished.
Ade and I went our musical separate ways and yet came back together over 30 years later with a desire to create something different. Whilst arguably, all rock music can be summed up as ‘dark versus light,’ most of it is from the standpoint of the dark. We wanted to give the light a voice and propose an alternative view on life. Yes, there are songs about lost love in the great tradition of the blues, but there are also songs that think about where we’ve come from, how that changes who we really are, and our place in the world.
I have always been influenced by strong melody, harmony and storytelling lyrics and I know Ade is heavily influenced by guitar solos that become part of the story and are not just there to fill a space or to show how fast you can play.
My love of fantasy has shaped all my writing. I have recently completed a fantasy novel called ‘The Hunt for Moss and Magic’ which is now ready to look for a publishing home. Most of the songs on the album have developed from my short stories or fantasy themed poetry. Songs about the Jewish Golem myth, creation, witchcraft and the spirit world are not usual themes, but they work for me.
We wanted the album to be dramatic, cinematic, and take the listener on a journey. This is why we published the lyrics on the first video for Calling, so that the story came through. The song is in fact an adaption of one of my short stories called ‘The Forest Trembles’.
Ade has created powerful music, worthy of film score and so interesting and complex that the songs are presented like a sonic portrait. The final track ‘Something to Believe in’ is our homage to Game of Thrones. How wonderful would it be if it was to somehow find its way to Westeros?!
You can tell how excited we are about it. After all these years we have finally revealed our true selves.”
Stuckfish is giving away two CD of their latest album. All you need to do is email us at [email protected]. Hurry! You have until the 21st of February!
Meantime, visit the official website www.stuckfish.net. and watch their first video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CQ6nKOALp5E
