Founded in 2015 in Calgary, Canada, by friends Scott Onofrychuk, Jeff Perry, Darren May, and Brandon McNeil, ILLYRIAN was formed from the remnants of several bands and music projects in their local scene. Seeking to bring together their different backgrounds and strengths, the band quickly set to work on what would become their debut offering, 2016’s Round 2: Fight!
Intended in name to reflect each member’s evolution from where they had come from, now forging a new path, the group set off on a multi-week western Canadian tour shortly after the album’s release. Finding traction with new audiences and garnering a reputation for themselves outside of their hometown, the group continued to be active in the years following, playing several festivals in addition to frequent appearances both home and away.
In late 2018, McNeil departed the band, prompting a stylistic shift in the music with Onofrychuk now the sole guitarist, and Perry stepping in to fill vocal duties. Adventuring out from their prototypical thrash metal roots while embracing the energy and drive from the genre, their sound further evolved into a more focused and precise vision, injecting elements of death metal and less conventional textures such as world percussion and traditional folk instruments into their music.
2019 marked the release of ILLYRIAN’s sophomore record, The Entity, Unknown. Recorded and released as a three-piece, the album solidified the band’s signature approach to the metal genre, blending elements of death and thrash metal with technical and melodic composition. Entity also debuted Perry in a more prominent vocal role, with May and Onofrychuk pushing for a more complex and engaging approach to the album’s musicality and songwriting.
Later that year, the band would return to being a four-piece outfit with the addition of scene-mate, Kelly Haag, after operating as a trio for over a year. Bringing her own unique approach and style further evolved the group’s sound, opening new avenues and soundscapes to explore. While opportunities to continue their touring momentum came to a halt in early 2020, along with the rest of the world, the band continued to collaborate and work together remotely, choosing to see it as a unique circumstance to refine their musicianship and songwriting.
For their album, The Entity, Unknown, ILLYRIAN was awarded the 2020 YYC Music Award for “Metal Recording of the Year,” punctuating a comparatively quiet year for the unit. Soon after, the band set to work on writing and recording their next production – a concept EP. Intentionally narrowing the scope of it to fully explore and realize its story and musicality, it was written and refined in isolation from one another both due to circumstance and creative choice.
Now, with the EP recorded and ready to be unleashed, late 2021 will see the arrival of Aegis, and the return of ILLYRIAN.
Jeff Perry – Bass/Vocals
Scott Onofrychuk – Guitar/Vocals
Kelly Hagg – Guitar
Darren May – Drums
https://www.facebook.com/IllyrianBand
https://www.instagram.com/IllyrianBand/
https://www.tiktok.com/@illyrianband
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2l3ghXIwGYLHHriUWTPBk8
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF5RNfsl7m7PdncsC2nqf_g
