Interview mit Darin Wall von Greyhawk

Hi and thanks for taking the time for this interview! How are you?
Not a problem at all! We are always happy to speak to the heavy metal press over in Germany! I am doing great thanks, and yourself?

Considering that GREYHAWK aren’t very well known in our part of the world yet, maybe tell us a bit about the band and your history!
Sure! And we hope to change that! (laughs) The foundation of the band happened in 2016 when I met our lead guitarist Jesse Berlin. At the time I had just moved to Seattle, WA and was looking to form a new band. I saw this guitarist playing Malmsteen and RACER X covers on youtube and I thought, „I need to see if this guy will write some songs with me!“ We hit it off, and after some searching we found a cohesive lineup and wrote and recorded our first EP „Ride Out“. That EP got some attention and we wound up getting signed to Fighter Records out of Spain for our first full length album „Keepers Of The Flame“, which helped us get festival appearances at events like LEGIONS OF METAL, HELL’S HEROES, MAD WITH POWER and even some festivals in Germany like HAMMER AND IRON in Essen, and KEEP IT TRUE! We then released another full length album called „Thunderheart“ but sadly we were not able to tour much on it because our old singer left but luckily we found our new singer Anthony Corso very quickly – he was the first to audition – sometimes it IS the first guy. We then set to work to write and record the new album „Warriors Of Greyhawk“, which lead to us being signed by one of my favorite labels Cruz Del Sur Music and here we are today!

You’ve just released your third album „Warriors Of Greyhawk“. What can you tell us about that record?
I am immensely proud of „Warriors Of Greyhawk“! To me, it is easily my favorite piece of music that I have ever worked on. The concept of the title had been in my head for a while but it had not felt right to put it to use until now. The idea of „Warriors Of Greyhawk“ is that of enduring strength and perseverance. This band has endured a lot of hardships – members leaving, a global pandemic which cost us festivals and tours, and actual shooting at one of our shows where one of us (me) was shot in the process and the legal process that followed that plus more – and we are still here playing the music we love. The message is we are all „Warriors Of Greyhawk“, and we all have that same strength inside of us.

In what way is „Warriors Of Greyhawk“ different from your previous albums? Did the addition of a new singer add a new layer to the music?
Yes, absolutely. I believe as a songwriter making melodic music that if you are not setting your singer up to shine, then you are not doing it correctly. Anthony has a very different voice than our old singer, so the challenge was to pivot the songwriting in a way that caters to his voice but still maintaining most of the elements that have made our fanbase like our music in the first place. You do not ever want to forget where you come from, or forget the people who supported you in the beginning. We have done our best to do both here. The formula is the same, if anything we reverted back to the epic metal approach we took on „Keepers Of The Flame“, but we have added some faster songs and some power metal elements that we feel highlight Anthony’s strengths. I know some people will like it, some won’t. Hopefully most people will like it!

How does the songwriting process in GREYHAWK work?
Usually one of us will pitch an idea in the form of a demo. Sometimes that is a finished song, sometimes a riff, sometimes a rhythm, sometimes a melody, sometimes a lyrical concept! After that everyone adds their input and writes their parts – then we write pre production demos. The purpose here is to refine everything and get the small details figured out before we start paying for recording time. We will try to collect 20-30 song demos at any given time when we are preparing to deliver and album, then we all sit around a table with plenty of beer and listen and debate which songs will make it and which ones won’t. I can tell you, those debates get passionate. Respectful of course, but passionate debates.

2026 not only marks the release of your third album but also the tenth anniversary of GREYHAWK. Did you consider this in any way while making the record? Or do you have anything else planned to celebrate?
Wow you are right, I did not even think of that (laughs)! Probably not this year, but when our first release from 2018 turns ten, we will definitely have to do something to celebrate that. We have so much planned this year as far as shows, videos, and various other ideas are concerned. 2026 will easily be our busiest year and hopefully that will carry over into 2027. We are primed and ready!

I feel like I got a very clear idea of which bands inspire GREYHAWK while listeing to your new album. But I’d like to hear it from you: Which bands and styles influence your music?
We all come from vastly different backgrounds. But there are a few bands that unite us in general. DIO is always the common bond between us. We love Ronnie and we draw so much from his music. But for this new one it really is a variety depending on the song. For „Ascension“, our friends in VISIGOTH were the main influence. When I wrote „Land Of Ashes“, I was trying to make a song that blends the shredding of UNLEASH THE ARCHERS with the speed and energy of RIOT. You will hear Malmsteen and RACER X a lot in the lead guitar work. We also love AOR and hair metal bands like DOKKEN, RATT etc. That comes through in some of the songs I think.

For „Warriors Of Greyhawk“, you’ve inked a deal with Cruz Del Sur Music, a well established label from Italy. How did that come to pass?
Cruz Del Sur has been one of my favorite labels for a long time. I have been following them since the early/mid 2000s when they were putting out albums by bands like SLOUGH FEG and ANTIQUUS. I have always wanted to have an album come out on Cruz because I feel the label has such integrity and puts out fantastic releases constantly that metalheads want to hear, and gives these great bands a sturdy platform that a major label would not be willing to give. In 2020 we tried to put „Keepers Of The Flame“ out on Cruz, and their label head Enrico wanted to do it, but due to some business situations it was not able to happen. Fast forward to 2024 and I met Enrico for the first time at KEEP IT TRUE festival at his booth in the metal market, and we got to talking and he said he wished he could have put that album out. Andi said, „well there’s always the future.“ When we started shopping „Warriors Of Greyhawk“ around, the offer from Cruz was by far the best one we received, so considering that and the history, it was the right move to sign with Cruz del Sur. There were other labels who approached us in a great professional manner, and I can only say good things about them. But in the end Cruz was the right move for us.

Power Metal is usually perceived as more of a ,,European thing“. What’s the scene in the U.S. like? Is there a large audience for your kind of music?
Most of the best power metal bands come from Europe that is undeniable. But the scene over here for power metal has grown so much over the past ten years. Bands like HAMMERFALL, BLIND GUARDIAN and HELLOWEEN now tour North America in big venues and either sell them out or come close to selling them out. We have power metal themed festivals like MAD WITH POWER in Wisconsin, PROG POWER in Atlanta and now LEGIONS OF METAL in Chicago has pivoted to invite more power metal bands to their lineup because the scene here is so strong. I would say there is still a lack of bands over here who are playing power metal, but that is probably going to change too.

Considering that GREYHAWK have been around for a decade now, what advice do you have for bands that are just starting out?
Have fun, make music that you love and play music with people you like being around. If the vibe in the band is good, then the vibe around the band will be good too. You’re not going to get invited to do much if you’re a bunch of assholes. Be nice to other bands. Don’t be competitive or jealous. When your peers have success, be happy for them, and instead of getting jealous look to the things they are doing that bring them success and see if you can apply that to your own band. Hire a publicist whenever you release anything. Just putting things out to your facebook friends creates a perpetual echochamber and you never grow. Also, get on the road and tour. Yes, you will lose money at first, but if you have goals and ambitions to play outside of your hometown you have to do it yourself. This is not the 80s anymore and there is not going to be an A&R rep from a big label coming to your hometown gigs to sign you, ever. Also for the love of God, don’t get a manager until you absolutely need one.

What about your touring activities? Are we going to get a chance to see GREYHAWK in Germany anytime soon
Yes! We will be on the road in 2026 a lot. We just announced a Canadian tour with ALESTORM and TWILIGHT FORCE that we are beyond excited about. That tour will take us across most of the country, from Montreal to Vancouver. We also have lots of dates around the Pacific Northwest of the USA, some festivals and other fun things planned. As of right now we have no bookings in Germany but I am making it my goal to change this! Germany is my favorite country to play heavy metal in (But don’t tell any other countries, ok!)

Would you like to add anything?
I just want to thank everyone who has supported the band over the past decade. Whether you bought a digital album on bandcamp, came to a show, bought us a beer, reviewed our album, booked us – whatever it was – our gratitude is eternal. We cannot do this without the support of everyone on a grass roots level. I would also like to thank YOU for this interview, and the entire independent metal journalism scene. You guys do so much to help us bands out and GREYHAWK absolutely loves and appreciates you for this.

Publiziert am 24. Februar 2026 von Thomas Meyns