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Thomas Anderer on the sound of Grey Skies Fallen’s “Molded By Broken Hands”

Explore the making of Grey Skies Fallen's "Molded By Broken Hands" with insights from bassist Thomas Anderer.

Grey Skies Fallen are set to unveil their latest album, Molded By Broken Hands, on March 8th, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of their debut, The Fate of Angels. As the release date approaches, we sat down with bassist Thomas Anderer to discuss the album’s production details, the band’s musical development, and the bass equipment essential to their distinctive sound.

In the interview, Anderer sheds light on his selection of his Mayones Slogan Custom 4-String Bass for the album’s recording sessions. He elaborates on the instrument’s bespoke elements and how its distinctive characteristics contribute to the band’s sonic identity: “Mayones is a small, family-run company out of Poland that specialises not only in custom guitars and basses but also has an incredible core lineup. I saved up and created the monster in 2013 when I joined Grey Skies Fallen, which was shortly after Rick Habeeb of Grey Skies Fallen joined Buckshot Facelift, of which I was the bass player. So, we basically joined each other’s bands, became friends, hung out all the time, and wrote music for each outlet. I think the Mayones bass contributes a lot of big, low-end girth and is super easy to play due to the action on the bass being exactly the way I like it: nice and tight and easy to play chords, which is a big part of what I bring to GSF; big, rich, full, low-end bass chords to fill in the riffs and add to the atmosphere of the song.”

The conversation then shifts to the broader soundscape of the album, with Anderer detailing the amalgamation of effects pedals and amplifiers that enrich the band’s atmospheric quality: “My pedalboard includes the Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 Bass Preamp Pedal, Fuzzrocious OCD Overdrive, Origin Effects Cali76 Limiting STD Compressor, and a Boss TU-3 Tuner. This goes into a Vintage Hiwatt DR201 from 1979 (Dan Reeves) which connects to a Black Market Custom 2×12 Bass Amp, that I had custom built by a small company where I got to pick the tolex color, etc. It took years to figure out this combination, but I’ve been rocking the same setup since about 2017 and couldn’t be happier. These pieces of equipment add a lot of personality and character to the music, shaping the tones and emotions behind them. The combination of vintage and modern gear gives me numerous advantages, resulting in a monster bass tone that adds depth and atmosphere.”

Peering into the core of Grey Skies Fallen’s approach, we touched on the construction of bass lines within their dark metal framework. Anderer provides insight into the nuanced task of integrating bass parts with the band’s distinct melodies and harmonics in Molded By Broken Hands: “As the bassist, my job is to complement the guitars, help them stand out, give them contrast when needed, etc. I pick and choose my spots, but the focus is on the guitars and I try to really make the songs better with that in mind. These guys write a ton of riffs, and then we collaborate, and I write my bass lines on the spot. Record it, listen back, correct it, go back, on and on and on until you’ve got the next record. We’ve already started, so I’m excited about that. But when writing with the guys, I like to get lost in the song and experiment a lot until settling on my parts.”

Turning our attention to the expectations surrounding Molded By Broken Hands, we asked Anderer to reflect on what this album brings to the table and how it signifies growth for Grey Skies Fallen: “This is a record that saw the return of Joe D’Angelo (original member) and features some of the best songwriting I have been a part of since I joined in 2013. This is a record that I think properly showcases what and who Grey Skies Fallen are, and marks the long overdue release of an album on a proper label with Profound Lore Records, which is an incredible label to be a part of. This record showcases the best of the doom, the guitar harmonies, the soaring vocals, and everything GSF is known for; all represented here, and I am proud to say I took part in it.”

Pre-order Molded By Broken Hands at this location.

Joel Costa
Joel Costahttps://bassempi.re
With over two decades of experience in the music industry, I've worn many hats - from running a record label and a PR agency to contributing to esteemed publications like Metal Hammer and Terrorizer. I've also authored books on iconic subjects such as Kurt Cobain's guitars and The Beatles. My journey led me to the editor's chair of Guitarrista, a print magazine dedicated to the crafts of guitar playing and building. Despite this diverse background, my true passion has always leaned towards the bass guitar. I have a particular fondness for offset basses and play a Thunderbird.
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