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Interview with
DARKYRA

(16th June, 2025)

Interview with Dave Bruce

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How did the band come together? Where did it all begin?
Well, there are a couple of ways to answer this when referring to Darkyra and Life Force especially as there is the band I recorded the album with which are based in various parts of the world and then there’s the band that I perform with here in Australia. Both groups have been equally important in shaping the Darkyra brand. I think most of the information on the recording members has been talked about quite a bit so I will talk about the Band I perform with here in Australia and our plans moving forward in the future as they will all primarily be involved in writing, recording and touring and shaping Darkyras new sound.
I met Maaz about two years ago when I was looking to begin performing Darkyra’s music live again. I really wanted to find people I click with in Perth to write music with. Maaz answered an advertisment I put up online and I think he was also in the same circle of music acquaintances at the time. There were a few other musicians that made up our performing band back then but unfortunately none were really dedicated enough to want to write an album. Maaz had some great ideas and is a competent songwriter in his own right not just a bass player. Take Me Far Away, was a song I instantly gravitated towards and found it easy to incorporate into the Darkyra style. It’s taken a while to get this far but we were lucky enough to be joined by Drew on drums who has been an incredible asset. We have only just begun really and are all still finding our footing in the Perth gig scene, but ideas are being tossed around for the next release. We still have a few minor hurdles of finding a couple more band members we are comfortable working with to complete our lineup.

Briefly describe your journey to date.
My Personal Darkyra Journey has been a bit of a learning curve, the first two concepts, were works in progress with some phenomenal international talent. I’ve learnt a lot since then and with album three ‘Life Force’ I felt a lot more confident in my writing and where I wanted to take the music which is moving away from the orchestrally symphonic sound to more of a progressive cinematic art rock nature. I’m also ready to move on from Darkyra of the past and embrace the ideas of music colleagues here in Perth, it’s been a slow transition but coming to fruition. Theres a lot of things that get overlooked when working as a solo artist with overseas collaboration and one of missing elements is being able to spontaneously jam out the roughs of the songs to see what can be developed at rehearsals and improvisation. Feeding off everyone’s ideas…….this is something that I think is the missing ingredient that makes a great band and I’m really looking forward to exploring that side of things for album 4.

How would you describe your sound? Cinematic Metal, Epic Metal, Gothic Rock, Art Rock, Opera Metal and/or Progressive Rock? You have a few to choose from.
Cinematic Art Rock.

Why do you think fans resonate with your music?
I think the messages behind the songs even on the themed albums have a story that most people can relate to at some point in their life.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
I have several influences but the ones that shaped my personal vocal journey and writing are Dio, Rush, Kamelot, Royal Hunt, Devin Townsend, Nightwish, Iron Maiden, Edenbridge and Kate Bush.

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Your new album ‘Life Force’ has just been released! What’s it all about? Describe its origin and evolution.
This is an album that is very personal to me as the songs are based on my own life experiences, feelings, people I have lost, Cancer, Autism. It’s an exploration of both the dark and light within human nature, yin and yang, balance of one’s own eternal essence and how far is one willing to go to get to where they need to be. It’s a little cheeky at times, a little quirky but if you were expecting it follow the heavily orchestral arrangements of the first two albums which were more in a symphonic metal vein then perhaps you might be a bit surprised. It really is quite different, but it still has a hint of where i last tread with the first two albums.

What are the signature tracks on the album, and which are your favorites to play live?
All of the tracks play a significant part in the overall theme of the album but the ones that we enjoy playing live are Life Force, Quiet the Mind, Take Me Far Away and Leap Before You Die.

What tours and events are coming up? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
We have a couple of festivals coming up. We kick off our first interstate tour in September so Stormrider Festival here in Perth is a great send off, which is September 6th, followed by a Canberra show on Friday 26th September, Rockdale MetalFest Sydney on Saturday 27th September, a Sunday Session at the Moshpit on the 28th September then we head to Brisbane the following Thursday to do a few shows. Final dates and venues are still coming in for those ones. Fans can expect to hear songs selected from all three albums.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
If I could perform with a dead one it’d have to be Dio, simply because he was my favorite singer and his voice shaped a lot of my musical tastes. In the land of the living there are many I would love to share the stage with but high on my list of singers to do a duet with would be Russell Allan. Such a big voice!

What are your long-term aspirations as a music artist and how are you progressing towards them?
I think my emotions will always dictate the direction of my artistic growth but also the company I keep and perform with will be an essential part of what shapes Darkyra musically going forward. To share ideas, the same aspiration to create unique and beautiful music that comes from within without ulterior motives, connecting as a music family is high on my priority list.

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What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
Theres a whole different level of emotional delivery and spontaneity that transcends when performing on stage. Feeding off the energy of those watching and in sync with my music counterparts on stage delivering as one tight unit.
A career highlight has been meeting some amazing musicians along the way. This is worth more than any award, money or recognition.

Now for some of the quick-fire stuff (elaborate if you wish):
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Saying yes to everything before I know what its about
What is the one topic you can talk about for hours? Cheese
What is the thing you like most about yourself? My ability to stay grounded in any situation

And the favorites –
FAVOURITE:
Album –  Shine (Edenbridge)
Artist –  Kate Bush
Movie – The Breakfast Club
Place to visit – Hobart
Venue to play – Milk Bar
Food –  Cheese
Drink – Espresso Martini
Person in History –  Amelia Earhart
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?)  I have a giant tribal butterfly done with black ink that sits just below my lower back over the top half of my backside to the span of my hips.

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Performer Credits:

GINA BAFILE – Lead Vocals & Backup Vocals
GARRY KING – Drums, Percussion, Loops & Backup Vocals, Extra Keyboards on (Bonus Track ‘Tested the Water’)
LUCIO MANCA – Bass Guitar (excluding ‘Take Me Far’ and ‘Celebrity Smile’)
GUS MANSUR – Guitars (all tracks incl. Breathe, Extra Guitar parts and solo on ‘Tested the Water’)
FAB JABLONSKI – Keyboard, Piano and Synth
MAAZ MANIK – Bass Guitar (Celebrity Smile, Take Me Far Away)
VINNI BAFILE – Clean & Drone Guitar (Quiet the Mind)
JAMES MICHAEL – Guitars on ‘Breathe’ and ‘Tested the Water’

Songwriter / Production Credits:

‘Life Force’ album,  Produced and arranged by: Garry King and Gina Bafile
Edited and Mixed: Garry King at La Foret Studios, South West France
Composition and Lyrics: Gina Bafile (Breathe, All in Good Time, Life Force, Tomorrow Without You, Celebrity Smile, Quiet Mind, One Foot in the Grave)
Composition: ‘Take Me Far’ by Maaz Manik, Lyrics: Maaz Manik and Gina Bafile Composition: ‘Leap Before You Die’ by Krissy Sanfead (overall guitar concept) and Gina Bafile,
Lyrics: Gina Bafile
Composition & Lyrics: Bonus Track – ‘Tested the Water’ by James Michael

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Follow DARKYRA
Bandcamp – Instagram – Facebook – Spotify

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AMNPLIFY – DB