Dylan Gers, the son of IRON MAIDEN guitarist Janick Gers, will release his debut solo single, "Moon Rise", on April 22. According to a press release, the track encapsulates "a sparse minimalist vibe which drags you to a place within your own head, with influences such as Nick Drake."
Dylan comments: "Writing this was an interesting task, as before I had never wrote a song, just played my guitar and I was happy. Next thing I knew, I had 'Moon Rise' completed. I guess I was trying to find a way to let myself be heard and that only was through music at that time."
"Moon Rise" starts with lone guitar dipped in reverb and delay and is later accompanied by Dylan's fragile-yet-powerful vocals which make you think and go inside your own head, with lyrics everyone can relate to. A soft guitar solo midway through the song grabs your attention just ever so slightly while you are drifting along. The solo is short lived as the vocals, and the guitar riff re-emerges, but this time with an added extra of a sample of bird noises and moments. It is followed by a bellowing scream from Dylan to grab your attention and to release emotion.
Dylan is not the first offspring of a MAIDEN member to pursue his passion for music. MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson's son Austin fronts AS LIONS, while his other son Griffin is the vocalist of SHVPES. MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George is one of the founding guitarists of the band THE RAVEN AGE.
Janick Gers was the lead guitarist of the band WHITE SPIRIT before joining GILLAN, a group formed by then-former DEEP PURPLE vocalist Ian Gillan. After GILLAN disbanded, he played in the group GOGMAGOG (with former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno and drummer Clive Burr) and with various artists, including Fish of MARILLION. In 1990, he played guitar on Dickinson's first solo album, "Tattooed Millionaire". During the recording of the LP, he was asked to join MAIDEN in place of departing Adrian Smith. He has remained with the band ever since, even after Smith rejoined the band in 1999.
