Grace Hayhurst Talks Her Debut Album

Following on from the success of her debut EP “Existence Is Temporary”, British progressive metal guitarist/vocalist Grace Hayhurst has returned with her debut full length album “The World Is Dying”. We chatted to her here: 

What is your earliest musical memory?

Has to be Elton John playing Crocodile Rock on Bob the Builder. A legendary performance that I still think about to this day. (This is not an ironic answer!)

When did you begin songwriting?

I was in an indie rock band in my teenage years that never went anywhere, but I wrote a couple of songs around that time to start dipping my toe into the compositional waters.

I eventually realised I wanted to write something a bit heavier, so I picked up guitar and bass, and started to move on to where I am now – putting together progressive metal nonsense!

You have your new album ‘The World Is Dying’ out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

I wanted to go to extremes with it – throw as much as I could at the wall and hope for the best. That has led to nine rather unique compositions that reach into different flavours of my music taste. Everything from Dream Theater to dodie, there’s a little bit of something everywhere.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

The album was recorded in a mix of places. Sensible Music Studios in London which I run did the bulk of the vocal tracking, French Horn tracking, piano, as well as all the post production.

Old Street Studios also in London had some drum tracking and harp tracking done there, bass guitar was recorded out in an apartment in Berlin when I lived out there for a few months, keys and guitar were mostly recorded in my home studio.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album’s recording sessions?

My favourite one has to be from during the drum tracking sessions in 2022. We were late into the evening and got a text from Ray Hearne (Haken) who asked if we wanted to go for pints… The answer was no as we were mid song, but said he was welcome to come and join us in the studio.

Long story short, he couldn’t help himself and ended up providing some additional claps and clicks on the record that can be heard in the track Revolution.

Who were the musicians who performed on the album with you?

The main highlight is Robin Johnson (Kyros) who wrote and played all the drum parts. I’m utterly incapable of writing any drum parts, so Robin put that together for me for the whole record and did an incredible job! On top of that, Alexander Thomas played the Harp, and a string quintet from Ukraine played the string parts I wrote. Aside from that, it’s all me!

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

My trusty Fender Telecaster Deluxe covered the rhythm parts, with my Ibanez RG550 covering leads, and a Fender Strat covering the cleans. Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 string bass covered the low end exclusively. Synths were 95% Arturia Pigments, as well as a few other Arturia plugins. Vocals were all done with a trusty Neumann U87 at Sensible Music. My John Packer Rath French Horn is also heavily featured!

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest? Hahahaha. Good one. Revolution definitely channels the most anger and disdain. Absent Futures is certainly the most reflective song of them all.

Was it a difficult album to write?

I think it was a challenge for me to get to the finish line. When you’re the writer, producer, and instrumentalist in multiple facets with no one to bounce ideas off of, you spend a lot of time second guessing yourself on all sorts of decisions which slows the entire process down. Sometimes you just have to go with an idea and hope for the best.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

London – the capital of music worldwide.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

It’s in the works in the background, but as I’m currently touring with another band and running a recording studio in London – my time is very sparse to get things moving!

Do you perform solo or do you have a band?

I have a band yes, I don’t think I could do any of my music justice if it were all on backing tracks!

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I play a bit of everything on stage, keys, guitars, and singing of course! But I’m definitely most comfortable behind the keyboard!

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Rammstein, Opeth, Haken, Dream Theater, Dodie, Steve Hackett, Mastodon, Steven Wilson, the list goes on…

Feature Image Photo Credit: Kevin Ashburn

Grace Hayhurst’s debut album ‘The World Is Dying’ is out now and available to purchase on CD and Download from her website here: https://gracehr.st/