Martin Walkyier (born 20 September 1967) is an English singer known for his involvement in the heavy metal bands Sabbat and Skyclad.
Walkyier was born on 20 September 1967. He formed the bands Hydra and later Sabbat with Fraser Craske. He left Sabbat in 1990 and returned to the music scene with Skyclad, a band that blended heavy metal with folk music and helped pioneer folk metal.
After the release of ten albums, Walkyier found himself financially strained. He later remarked, "The insight that you can't live on dreaming came too late. Unfair contracts, incompetent advisers, poor decisions, and my naivety nearly broke me. I felt like I was in a marriage, not divorced because of the children."
Following his departure from Skyclad, Walkyier took a job as a nightwatchman for a furniture store. He performed occasional concerts under the name Return to the Sabbat and started a company called Prick Tees, which designed and produced T-shirts.
With bassist Iscariah he founded a new band, The Clan Destined. According to Walkyier, Iscariah left the band without explaining his reasons. Walkyier completed the album In the Big Ending but was disillusioned and announced it would be his last musical project. Martin Walkyier structured and arranged the music previously composed by Iscariah. The resulting album featured a DVD with a video for the song "A Beautiful Start to the End of the World," inspired by the novel Aimée und Jaguar. According to Metal Hammer journalist Detlef Dengler, the video "is professional and looks very expensive"; however, Walkyier noted that "it cost almost nothing." He continued, "The Clan Destined consists of Pagans with a common life philosophy as artists, designers, and filmmakers."
Sabbat reformed in 2006 to play a series of well-received shows.
In late 2008, Walkyier completed the recordings for The Clan Destined's debut album and recorded vocals for Hell's debut album. "Hell and especially their singer Dave Halliday were my idols in the early 1980s. My friends all listened to Metallica, but I was drawn to bands with image and true personality. The theatrics of bands like Hell influenced me tremendously."
With Walkyier's friend Andy Sneap, also "a fanatic Hell supporter," they approached the remaining three members after Halliday's suicide and offered to help them as singer and guitarist, modernising the old songs.
Walkyier also provided guest vocals for Cradle of Filth and Forgodsake.
In 2008 and 2009, Walkyier announced he was working on a rock opera. The story, entitled Plugging Hellfire, was published in Devolution magazine and illustrated by Neil Sims, with a biography contributed by Paul Stenning.
In October 2009, Walkyier announced that he was writing and recording new material for The Clan Destined.
The late Metal Hammer journalist Detlef Dengler described Walkyier as a "great lyricist" noted for his extensive vocabulary and "brilliant puns". Author Paul Stenning has referred to Walkyier as a "lyrical genius".
During Walkyier's career, he has made several guest vocal appearances such as: