Check Out Dave Hale’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Hale. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Valkyrie’s Fire started as a vision from the heart and soul of Founder and Bassist Dave Hale in early 2020. During the summer of 2020, Dave started the process of designing the logo, creating social media pages, and a marketing strategy, and looking for bandmates who had the same passion for Symphonic Power Metal.

Dave’s background consists of both informal music training and recording engineering during his formative years from his father – who was also an engineer and bassist – and formal educational training in both marketing and recording industry management. This has allowed Dave to bring his vision to life in creating the brand behind the band. Dave’s talents include website design and marketing for the band, writing lyrics, and creating the unique blend of rhythmic timing mixed with his pronounced low-end attack on the bass guitar, which provides the perfect style of power and symphonic metal on which Valkyrie’s Fire has been built upon.

Male vocalist Adam Sanders joined in the summer of 2021, bringing his background in music composition to the band. His education in music theory and composition has provided the band with their signature blend of metal and classical styles, while his vocal ability and formal training have also contributed to the signature vocal sound Valkyrie’s Fire was looking to create with a dual vocalist approach.

While still diligently working to create the Valkyrie’s Firebrand, the search for bandmates for Valkyrie’s Fire continued moving forward, with drummer Ryan Metroka – formerly with the progressive metal band Crusade – joining Valkyrie’s Fire in the fall of 2022. Ryan’s unique ability on the drums combined with his formal educational background in percussion, has created the signature power metal backbeat that is so prominent in Valkyrie’s Fire.

Finding the ideal candidates for guitarist and female vocalist proved to be a long process, with Dave, Adam, and Ryan networking within the local music metal scene in Nashville, and searching for the ideal musicians that would bring the vision of Valkyrie’s Fire to life.

In June of 2023, guitar virtuoso Joey Grimaldi joined Valkyrie’s Fire after being approached by bassist Dave Hale and drummer Ryan Metroka during a local recurring music event held in Nashville – called Guitar Night – where Dave and Ryan had frequently been spectators and supporters.

Joey’s training and formal education in classical music, blended with his passion for Symphonic Metal, bring a unique set of skills to the band. Joey has formal training in both guitar and piano, and his ability to compose and write music creates the signature sound, for which Valkyrie’s Fire is known.

Female vocalist Beth Floyd – known to her fans as Bettie – joined forces with Valkyrie’s Fire a few weeks later, also in June of 2023, bringing her passion and love for Symphonic Metal to the band. She started her vocal training in her teenage years, taking vocal lessons regularly, and pursuing her dream to become a Symphonic Metal singer. Beth’s unique blend of lyric soprano and mezzo-soprano vocals is drawn from her longtime inspiration Tarja Turunen – former vocalist for the powerhouse Symphonic Metal band Nightwish – and Beth can evoke the emotional and powerful sound that Valkyrie’s Fire was looking for in a female vocalist.

The songwriting process began in July and August 2023, and all music and lyrics in Valkyrie’s Fire songs are composed and written by all members of the band. Each member contributes equally, often pulling elements from their respective talents as well as their musical inspirations. This process has allowed a great amount of creativity within the band during the songwriting process and creates the unique and powerful sound that Valkyrie’s Fire is known for.

Valkyrie’s Fire is classified as a Symphonic Power Metal band and describes their music as EPIC EUROPEAN METAL FROM THE USA. Valkyrie’s Fire cites their musical influences as bands from both the Power Metal genre and Symphonic Metal genre. Those influences include European bands and artists such as Nightwish, Amaranthe, Within Temptation, Tarja Turunen, Dianne Van Giersbergen, Epica, Delain, Beyond the Black, Nocturna, Sonata Arctica, Powerwolf, Battle Beast, Visions of Atlantis, and Ad Infinitum; as well as American bands such as AfterTime, Shield of Wings, Anaria, Seven Spires, Empress, Kamelot, Edge of Paradise, and Savatage.

Valkyrie’s Fire has recently worked with photographer Jessica Sullivan of SynnFox Photography in October of 2023, who captured the outstanding band images that are portrayed on the band’s website and social media channels.

Valkyrie’s Fire continues to push forward into 2024 and most recently played the historic EXIT/IN in Nashville, where they performed their version of the song “Deck The Halls” for the Misfit Toy Ball in December 2023, which was a resounding success and caught the interest of several local bands in the Nashville area. Immediately after that show, Valkyrie’s Fire was approached about being added to the bill to play their original music for a couple of upcoming shows in February and March 2024 with another local Nashville band Blackwater Down, and those shows have been added to the website, with more shows being scheduled for 2024. Valkyrie’s Fire is also in the process of finishing the composition of material for their new songs that will be unveiled as upcoming singles and music videos, and also on their album in 2024.

Valkyrie’s Fire is not currently signed to a record label and is actively looking at, and exploring, all available options for record label representation, management, and booking. All local booking inquiries can be directed to Monster Music Works through their website at www.MonsterMusicWorks.com, or by reaching out to the band directly through their website at www.ValkyriesFire.com.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall, creating a band that plays original music can be a challenging and time-consuming process.

Developing your music, your image and brand, marketing your vision to others, and making the connections that are vital to the success of the band, is a lot of work and can be seen as daunting or even overwhelming at times. With that being said, I would say that the biggest struggle we have faced as a band thus far is finding the right musicians. It was a bit of a challenge for me, as I was looking to create a style of music that – while hugely prevalent in the European market – is still growing in the USA market.

It was important for me to find some of the most talented musicians in our area who shared the same vision and passion for Symphonic Metal, and that process took some time and a great deal of patience. The lineup we have in place is perfect for our vision, and I can honestly say that I have some of the best bandmates any musician could ask for!

What we have been able to accomplish in under 6 months together as a band, is incredible, and we continue to make great strides together as a band heading into 2024.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, as a musician, I am best known for building Valkyrie’s Fire, and bringing it to the masses in a truly mind-blowing way! Our shows are high energy, full of soaring highs, visual exhilaration, and epic music that evokes an emotional and passionate response from our audience. On a personal level, my creative passion lies in writing lyrics, marketing the band and our brand, and creating websites within our musical community. Those are things I truly enjoy doing, and looking back on the result of my work is very satisfying.

I am most proud of my passion! What we are building within Valkyrie’s Fire is more than just our music – we are building connections with our friends, fans, and family – both locally, and worldwide. Valkyrie’s Fire is a result of many years of passion and endurance, and seeing it come together is nothing short of awe-inspiring, to be completely honest. Symphonic Power Metal is passionate music, and it’s a natural fit for genuinely expressing myself.

Networking within the Nashville music community is a blast, and getting to know my fellow musicians and share my passion with them is something that is a joy for me, and I enjoy that as well. I would say what sets Valkyrie’s Fire apart from other bands is our delivery. Our delivery – in every aspect of what we do – is EPIC!! We deliver epic music, epic lyrics, epic visual elements on stage, an epic logo, an epic website, and epic passion!!

Everything we do is done with so much passion and creativity, and we believe that sets us apart from other bands in a big way. Within Symphonic Metal, there are so many great opportunities to deliver epically – in all aspects – and Valkyrie’s Fire takes advantage of those opportunities, and capitalizes on them to provide a memorable experience, with memorable merchandise, and memorable music for our fans across the entire metal genre.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am a father of 4 amazing kids and I love Corvettes!! Getting to share memorable moments with my kids is what I live for, and if it involves Corvettes, that is even better.

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a father, and I knew I wanted to own a Corvette. I didn’t realize, however, that those 2 things would one day become 2 of the most passionate parts of my personal life. I love the moments I share with my Corvette buddies, and I love the moments I share with my children even more.

Creating this band, writing lyrics, and all aspects that come with our music – is something I am extremely passionate about – which I feel is pretty obvious. The only thing that ranks above that, is the joy I experience in sharing the love of my music with my family. Being a father is a lot of fun, and seeing the smiles on the faces of my children is something I am most proud of!!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.valkyriesfire.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/valkyriesfireofficial
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/valkyriesfireofficial
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/valkyriesfire
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@valkyriesfireofficial
• SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/valkyriesfireofficial
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@valkyriesfireofficial

Image Credits
Jessica Sullivan with Synnfox Photography