WORDS OF EDITOR
IMMINENCE " LOST AND LEFT BEHIND"
H . PEI FON @PEIFON JOURNALIST, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ROCK MEEETING'S GENERAL DIRECTOR
ello reader, we started our works for 2022 wishing for better days and hoping we can leave this pandemic behind. Well, we all know was a hard time when all bands were subjected to the new restrictions in the past two years. With this imposed reality, musicians had time to create and develop their music, since during tours is hard to compose and perform all the same time. In 2021 great re-
Photo: Oscar Dziedziel
leases show up and one of them deserves to take over this editorial. The new album from Imminence, from Sweden, “Heaven in Hiding” was released by the end of November and I had spent the last month of the year with this album. A little before the release, I had the privilege to listen to this album and was love at first ‘play’. Throughout 2021 five songs were released, but the cherry on top was on the other tracks from “Heaven in Hiding”. I must highlight “Lost and Left Behind”, which got me in the first seconds of listening. Why? Those who know Imminence, or just got introduced to their sound now (like me),
noticed the distinct musical elements they bring to their songs, which makes them unique. Not specific the violin being inserted, since other bands have already done that, but is how they manage to make this instruments balance and dialogue with the others creating a whole atmosphere that messes with our feelings. “Heaven in Hiding” for sure is a manifestation of sincerity, honesty, and creativity. Thirteen tracks explore the feelings in a singular way, with riffs full of passion, catchy melodies, and emotive vocals. Listen to this album and enjoy the same experience I had.
SUMMARY 2022
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76 06. MEMORIST ONI/KIJO 16. HOLDING ABSENCE “THE GREATEST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE” 26. DAGOBA NEW ALBUM “BY NIGHT”
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36. PERSEFONE METAL FROM ANDORRA 64. SETYØURSAILS NEW ALBUM “NIGHTFALL” 76. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY "OH WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS..." 90. LIVE REPORT GLÓRIA, AXTY & CURA
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GENER A L DIR ECTO R Pei Fon EXECUT IV E DIR ECTO R Felipe da Matta COV ER PHOTO Oscar Dziedziel S TA F F Barbara Lopes Fernando Pires Gustavo Tozzi Kayomi Suzuki Marta Ayora Mario Van Bayle Mauricio Melo Murilo da Rosa Rafael Andrade Uillian Vargas
48 IMMINENCE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO BRAZIL
C O N TA C T contato@rockmeeting.net
WWW.ROCKMEETING.NET
INTERVIEW. MEMORIST
“WE TEND TO SHOUT WHEN WE WANT TO BE HEARD”
MEMORIST BY MURILO DA ROSA PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVER COGHILL
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INTERVIEW. MEMORIST
T
he feeling of being able to scream all that is confined within us is certainly what makes us human beings. Artistic expressiveness and sound imagery are also part of this liberating process of which we are all part of – finding the fine line between serenity and aggressiveness. It is through this will that Memorist seeks to influence listeners and fans through their distinctive and profound musicality. Bringing influences from Japanese popu-
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lar culture, as well as other artistic/social movements, the English sextet is composed of guitarists Chris and Ash, bassist Josh, drummer Benji and the essential keyboardist Crayg, while establishing its identity as an entity that propagates itself through of a dark and graceful aura at the same time, using electronic atmospheric effects, heavy riffs and mathematical and progressive drum lines; all this mixing with the vocal intensity of Jon, who enjoys his technical quality and his emotional
appeal to move his listeners.
also addressing trauma left by the lockdown due to the pandemic. How
Surpassing the 1M play count on Spotify, in addition to a large number of views on YouTube, Rock Meeting wasted no time and took advantage of the diffusion of this futuristic group to interview them at this new moment in their career. Check out below how this conversation was full of details and curiosities about Memorist’s productions and compositions. In the lyrics, you express anguish based on certain toxic relationships and talk about traumatizing episodes experienced by the members,
do these factors influence the band during song writing? Our songwriting often starts with the music, which for the most part doesn’t always have a concept; but instead, a mood that we try to portray so that we can give Jon (vocals) a solid soundscape to create lyrical content to. Quite often these marry together well but, in some instances, we revisit the instrumentals after seeing what Jon has written & carve out areas that can emphasize his message and help him tell his story.
INTERVIEW. MEMORIST
Your songs are marked by atmospheric and hypnotic effects, promoted by electronic instrumentation, which allow the listener to navigate through the narrative as a kind of emotional transcendence. Besides musical influences, what else inspires you? We’re very much inspired by the beauty of creation. From Science, Nature, Technology & what it means to be human. Everything that happens or is going to happen is a chain reaction of something else. That explorative and inquisitive attitude inspires us in the way we approach our music. In most of your songs there is a much bigger presence of melodic vocals, leaving only some gaps to the highest critical moments for the gutturals and screamos, giving an even stronger proximity to the listener due to the clar-
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ity of the lyrics. What’s the idea behind this choice? As people we tend to shout when we want to be heard, or when we feel speaking just doesn’t cut it. Thats the idea behind which lyrics we choose to shout as opposed to singing or talking. We will definitely have songs that lend more into aggression and other songs that are completely calm throughout. With the EP Kijo now on demand, with a compilation of the 5 singles released, starting with the song “Kijo” itself, followed by “Slither”, “Second Sequence”, “The Empiric” and “Oni”. In a narrative logic,
what is the relation established between these songs and how do they relate as a whole? The EP is now out with five tracks, one being the final song we have released, but also being the EP opener. The correlation between these songs is tied together through Jon & his experiences in the last 18-24 months. Without being overly cryptic, it’s not all on the nose intentionally. This way our listeners can hopefully experience what Jon was going through but in a way that relates to them.
the cover arts, differentiated only by the symbol that represents that specific song, with a difference in color and presented as written in Japanese. What’s the proposal behind this visual concept? Jon is a big fan of communicating through imagery and Kanji are the purest form of that, there was also a lot of Japanese influence in the writing of the EP in terms of sound imagery. The color of the singles were to represent the moods of the songs.
In the visual aspect, for each of the singles that make up the EP Kijo, the band developed a unity among
During the isolation, the group continued its activities through lives on streaming platforms,
INTERVIEW. MEMORIST
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spreading their music to fans around the world, spreading their message through technology. Have you guys thought about how to use the lives for future releases? We have worked with what we have had at our disposal in regards to releasing music through the Pandemic which was a learning curve but one that we felt allowed us to connect with fans across the world when everyone needed it the most. There will definitely be more Live content coming very soon.
the most important platforms of this type of service, reaching 1M views on YouTube and 2M plays on Spotify. For you, how do these channels help to promote the Memorist? We’ve been very fortunate with the team we have working with us & especially grateful to those people that have enjoyed our songs enough to play them & add them to their own playlists for others to discover. Spotify & YouTube have been especially kind to us in regard to giving us a platform to be not only seen but heard.
And you have already achieved great marks in viewing and streaming on
The single “Loss”, released in 2019, is already reaching the 1M mark of
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plays on Spotify, being the song with the greatest reach of the group so far. With dense vocals and a significant presence of sampler effects, what makes this song so special to you? This song is an extremely personal song to us as a band and especially to Jon as you can hear through the lyrics. What made this song so special to us beyond what it initially did was the way it resonated with people & brought stories out from our listeners and gave everyone a chance to come together through ‘loss’ and not feel alone. We had no idea on the scope of what this song would mean to people outside of our band.
In the video for “The Empiric”, we noticed some visual and aesthetic references that refer to futuristic films and comics, especially belonging to the Cyberpunk genre, such as The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell, as well as alluding to the cover of the EP. What is the idea behind these references to the song’s message? The Masks were relevant to the state the world was currently in during the pandemic but also to touch on a dystopian future that would feel dissonant and bleak. Lyrically the song was very much about the current state that our country was in and how the government were
INTERVIEW. MEMORIST
handling the pandemic. Through your journey, you have acquired a notoriety among other figures in the New Metal scene, having featured in streams together with members of names like TesseracT, for example. How does it feel to be working together with such figures these days? We were featured on Dan Thompkins twitch channel when reviewing and listening to music which was of course awesome to just have our music present in
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front of such staple names like Dan. It meant a lot to know that we were reaching these kinds of people. Among the tracks on Kijo’s EP, “The Empiric” is currently the one with the highest number of plays on Spotify, being the song that closes the work with its rigid sound, striking chorus and lyrics that express the melancholy of its authors. What ideas contributed to the creation of this song? This song was written by Chris & Jon and
then brought forward to the band. The difference in the way this song was written as opposed to others was that Vocals were in mind every step of the way. We really wanted to explore more industrial and grittier sounds with this song so that both musically and lyrically it lent itself to that theme. Even in some video clips, the group makes a point of expressing its concern about the situation of COVID-19 due to the use of masks themed with identity. How can bands contribute to raising awareness in favor of health
measures and precautions? Be sensible, respect each other & do the right thing for everyone around you. Finally, we are very interested to know: with the EP finally released, housing 5 of the most important songs Memorist has released, what fans and the general public should expect for now on? Thank you so much for the opportunity and keep making good music! We will be performing our music live for the first time in 2022, touring & we are already writing for the next chapter of Memorist.
INTERVIEW. HOLDING ABSENCE
“WE’RE JUST EXCITED TO WRITE MORE MUSIC FOR EVERYBODY”
HOLDING ABSENCE BY PEI FON PHOTOGRAPHY BETHAN MILLER
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INTERVIEW. HOLDING ABSENCE
W
hen music and feeling come together, the first impression is one of sadness. There are many ways to talk about emotion without falling into this erroneous common sense. And to show this emotional creativity, the Welsh Holding Absence released their second full, “The Greatest Mistake of My Life”. a collection of intelligently sung human conflicts. The Cardiff quartet’s second album
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is a collection of human conflicts tackled in an intelligent and easy-to-understand way. It’s even hard not to get carried away by the melodies of each song like “Afterlife”. The band is formed by the intense vocals of Lucas Woodland, the guitar is with Scott Carey, the bass is Benjamin Elliott who takes the place and to keep the heart always beating Ashley Green is the one who takes care of the drums.
The friendly Lucas spoke exclusively with Rock Meeting. Talking about the band since its inception and, of course, about the new album and the return of in-person shows, you now follow this frank and direct interview. Since 2015 active, Holding Absence already has two full albums, the newest being released in 2021. How was it for you record during the
pandemic? What was good and bad about this period? Lucas - At first, we didn’t mind it too much because it was nice to take a little break, but now we just missing play shows! It definitely made releasing an album harder too, but altogether we’ve been very lucky compared to some bands. Your second album, “The Greatest Mistake of My Life”, was featured
INTERVIEW. HOLDING ABSENCE
in media playlists lists as a highlight of 2021. To what do you attribute this notoriety? We’re very grateful for the kind words about the record because you always hope people will regard your music highly, but you can never anticipate that it will actually work out that way! We did really focus on things like pacing, transition, and album aesthetics though, so that type of effort really must’ve struck a chord with people, which is good to know!
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During the recording of TGMOML, the band suffered with the departure of members. It’s natural to think it might get you discouraged, but it didn’t. Where did the strength come from to move forward, find new people, and continue writing? It’s always hard when people leave, but it was a longtime coming and we were prepared for it… If anything, it was harder for us personally than professionally. That being said though, the main creative core of
the band is the same and we’re just excited to write more music for everybody. Talking about feelings is not synonymous with sadness, TGMOML is proof of that. Who do you want to reach with this album? I tried not to make this album too monotone in its theme, I really just wanted to speak to the human condition and tackle a variety of topics that people could relate to. Everything from love, grief, drug abuse or faith, I think
INTERVIEW. HOLDING ABSENCE
there’s a place for people to find closure on this record. Your second album shows you how to exercise emotion in many ways. What was the reason that led you to compose an album with this direction? It’s what we do best, mainly. But I also believe that if you’re not saying something truly purposeful, then there’s no point saying anything at all. There’s usually a natural pressure that comes down on bands when it comes to releasing a new album. Being such a young band with young members, did that pressure get to you? It really got to us on album 1, and I think that inspired us for album 2 because we were back to writing music with freedom again and not caring about people’s perception. For album 3, I’m hoping we carry that forward with us! Your second album has the tutelage of Romesh Dodangoda and also the presence of important people like Zak
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Pinchin, Toby Evans, Arwel Brown and Caitlin Woodland. What do you want with this project? We just think it’s important to work with people you believe in! The album was produced by Dan Weller, and he’s a great example of somebody we believe in and want to work alongside. It’ll bring out the best in you! From “Awake” to “The Greatest Mistake of My Life” there is an interesting musical coherence. Almost a year after its release, how has the repercussion of this album been? We really wanted this album to feel like a captured place and time, and we think we did a great job of that! It’s all about the tones and themes in the album being present enough to understand subconsciously, whilst still exploring your music. Have you ever paralleled the pandemic with the first phrase of “Cel-
INTERVIEW. HOLDING ABSENCE
ebration song” - “I’m Alive”? How does this impact people’s lives? Have you talked about it? That’s a special part about this album, and that lyric, too… It feels more relevant today than when I first wrote it! It’s about embracing the world, and not wasting your life. And after the pandemic, I think we all feel that way. With more than 6M of plays (and counting), “Afterlife” was one of the first songs released. Did you imagine reaching these numbers? Not at all. Afterlife has performed beyond our wildest dreams, and we can’t wait to write more songs that’ll hopefully get even more streams and reach even more people! You’ve recently reunited with the audience after a long period without shows. What have these performances been for the band? What is the general feeling for this return? They’ve been unforgettable, truly. We never took longer than 6 months off
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from playing shows, so 18 months was a real long time for us… That first download performance, and the headline shows recently, are shows we’ll never forget. Finally, do you intend to release a full video of TGMOML Live & In Color? And 2022 is just beginning, success and take care! Thank you! It’s something that’s very much on the cards, but no immediate plans as of yet… Thanks for all the kind words and great questions!
INTERVIEW. DAGOBA
“WE’RE REALLY HAPPY TO MAKE OUR MUSIC TRAVEL ALL AROUND THE WORLD”
DAGOBA BY MURILO DA ROSA PHOTOGRAPHY MORGANE KHOUNI & HARVEY MOUNTS
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INTERVIEW. DAGOBA
D
aily we are going through changes that alter our paths and define new ones. It would be no different for the band Dagoba, a group that began to explore the most extreme levels, showing that their eighth album is proof that you can follow the world in motion. The France quartet is formed by vocalist Shaw, with Richard de Mello on guitars, Kawa Koshigero on bass and Théo Gendron on drums. Today this group celebrates with the fans the arrival of the album “By Night”, signed by Napalm
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Records. Experimenting with elements that refer to Synthwave and full of great references to Cyberpunk classics, modern metal on another level. Getting on a journey to a dystopian future that marks both the visual identity and the overall concept of this work, Rock Meeting takes the opportunity to exchange an idea with Shaw about this new game and many other subjects. Along with the recognition by the public and media, in your songs in-
fluences on industrial music and, mainly, on Groove Metal of the late 90’s. What motivated the union between these two styles? Shaw - We really listen to all kind of music, and what’s really cool with Metal is that you can add any kind of arrangement into it and still be able to find a way to make it sound interesting. Actually, we really appreciate the electro/indus scene and the classical movies soundtracks, and of course we grew up with Metal icons such as Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura... So, the
union between all those influences came really naturally. The band’s career already consists of seven studio albums, with the eighth on the way, in addition to EPs and singles. What is your assessment of these nearly twenty years on the road? It’s a dream came true, and even if it was pretty tough to make music for a living, we now enjoy every second of our life! We’re coming from France, and back in the days
INTERVIEW. DAGOBA
it wasn’t known as a Metal land, so yeah, we’re really happy to make our music travel all around the world. Started in 2003, the group released the first full length in an era of constant changes, in addition to the emergence of new paths in the music market. What was it like to enter the music industry experiencing the change in music consumption? It was pretty intense. We knew that we’ll have to adapt to the world 2.0, and that for now we’ll have to spend most of our time on the road, because the records selling was about to de-
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crease. So, we adapted, and for good we love travelling and touring. Gathered with the heavy instrumentation and two ripped and crushing vocals, an element that reinforces your identity is the use of electronic music effects, as well as the construction of dark atmospheres through samples and keyboard. How do these elements add to the messages implicit in the compositions? All the arrangements, the synth or classical adds, are composed to make our music more cinematographic, powerful and martial.
From “Rush” to the most recent works, your cinematographic collection consists of more than 10 video clips, including the releases “On the Run” and “The Last Crossing”, all with striking and provocative visuals. Among these audiovisual experiences, which was the most interesting for you? The Hunt. We wanted to propose a video focused on the location, the characters and the special vfx, instead of the band performing. We wanted to honored our beloved movies Blade Runner, Akira and Star Wars. Now it’s done!
years since “Black Nova” (2017). Besides the pandemic, you went through changes in the band itself. How did these ‘events’ influence the development of “By Night”? Actually Theo (the drummer) replaced our previous drummer during the second part of the Black Nova tour, and Kawa (bass) was our tour manager. So, both of them were already part of the family. They knew where the band wanted to go talking about composition, so everything rolled easy and sweet. I composed all music and lyrics since our first album, so it didn’t change much
A lot has happened in the last five
concerning the music.
INTERVIEW. DAGOBA
Unlike previous works, the single “On the Run” brings a much more emotional charge and a structure marked by primarily clean vocals and an aura that spreads through the commotion implicit in the music. What led you to follow this path? We wanted to propose a piano/vocal song for a longtime, and By Night is the right album, with the perfect global atmosphere to do it. We like melodies, we always proposed clean vocal parts. The very new thing is the feature of a female singer. Seeking to capture the listeners in the first verse, the band brought to the single “On the Run” a female vocal, giving a new face to the band’s
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identity. How did the idea for this partnership come about? Composing the piano line, I tried to sing on it, and my tune sounded too low, and we didn’t expect for something like a crooner singing on this album haha! She’s singing way higher than I can do, and thank to her capacity the song keeps all its fragility. In the composition of “On the Run”, it talks about a character in search of someone distant who, through pain and overcoming, is on a constant journey to rescue something that means a lot to him. Also, what other symbols and meanings are implied in the music?
Our lyrics talk for 80% about love, and 20% about death. Love can be cruel, beautiful, gone, it’s infinite and I really like this subject. It can be threated with the finest poetry. It’s pretty interesting to play with the contrast between a heavy song with Metal riff, and some love poetry. In the compilation of the three video clips, we can see that “By Night” alludes to postmodern society, condemned to a futuristic and technological fanaticism, even without leaving our customs and beliefs aside. How did the idea to use these cyberpunk elements and neon colors for the album concept come about? We like our artworks to be relied to our
music. Because By Night is sounding ultra modern, the artworks / videos directions were pretty natural. Could have been unlogical to propose a cover with a knight fighting a dragon for this one. In the song “The Hunt”, the heaviest among the three released, we have precisely a contrast between the brutal energy of Groove Metal with the melodic and immersive atmosphere of electronic music. What makes this song so different from the others performed? The structure of The Hunt is very special for Dagoba. The clean vocal part arrives during the bridge, with a guitar lead, and the ending is epic, synth and classical adds
INTERVIEW. DAGOBA
are joining together, in a long fade out. This song is progressive, in way, wish is not common for the band. In “The Last Crossing”, a harmony between the aggressive and the melodic mentioned in the previous songs is present, so that the structure of the song is close to electro-pop, abundant in modern music, but without losing the aesthetics robust, dense and provocative of Metal. What are your main influences for this song? It’s a straight to your face Dagoba’s song, with the By Night late 80’s synth mood. We really wanted all this album choruses to be unic and unforgettable, hopefully The Last Crossing is one of those! Finally, with the release of “By Night”, what can we expect from this new phase of Dagoba? Thank you for your attention and success! Lot of fun touring, when everything will be okay for the whole world. Stay safe brothers!
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INTERVIEW. PERSEFONE
“WE HAD THIS DREAM OF MAKING THIS BAND, THIS IDEAS AND THIS KIND OF MUSIC”
PERSEFONE BY PEI FON & M A R I O VA N B AY L E PHOTOGRAPHY ERIC ROSSELL
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INTERVIEW. PERSEFONE
J
ust like life, music also needs time for reflection. Dialogue about existential issues is not easy and bringing it to music is even more challenging. For the band Persefone to explain this subject, it was necessary to resolve their personal and musical fears, drawing a plan where they maintain their essence by adding modern elements. From this perspective, the Andorra sextet releases their brand-new album “Metanoia” on Napalm Records. This material is a new stage in the search for existential growth in music and takes a jour-
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ney into oneself through fear and pain. Persefone is formed by the vocals of Marc Martins, on guitars are Carlos Lozano and Filipe Baldaia, on bass Toni Coy, on keyboards and clean vocals by Moe Espinosa and on drums with Sergi Verdeguer. To talk about “Metanoia”, Rock Meeting spoke exclusively with guitarist Carlos Lozano. Very friendly, he talks about the past and the current moment lived by the band, Andorra and… read it right now and meet Persefone. It’s been more than twenty years on
the road, and you’ve experienced a lot since then. What is your assessment of your journey in the music scene? It’s been very long and very accidental, because you have to think that when we started we had this idea of making this band work somehow, but we didn’t know how to do anything, so it was a road full of mistakes and frustrations and you know, lots of upsets… but it felt like we’re a bunch of friends playing music together since the beginning, it’s not like a professional thing, we had this dream of making this band, this ideas and this kind of music, it’s very slow, I had hair back then, now I don’t have anymore, some members of the band they got kids and everything, we look back sometimes … and see pictures, it’s been a journey and we are grateful we’re still together and we hope to keep making more music in the future, now
it’s complicated you know because of the responsibilities, the jobs and everything, but we have learnt a lot, specially being from Andorra, I think is more complicated to get out, you know, it was like a challenge, but yeah so far so good! It’s probably the first time I’ve heard a band from Andorra... Yeah, we are probably the most international act here so far, so it’s fun because people support us a lot, even when they don’t like the music you know, it’s like “your music I don’t like it so much, but it’s nice you’re playing out there you know, putting our name on the map” … so It’s a funny situation we have here. Persefone started 2022 with a new album by Napalm Records right!?…
INTERVIEW. PERSEFONE
This is happening now, what are your plans for the future? It’s difficult to make plans nowadays because of this crazy situation we’re dealing with … so you never know. But you know what, the last album we did Aathma it was release by a smaller record label called ViciSolum, there was only one guy working there, amazing guy Thomas, he really helped us and he’s a huge friend, now with Napalm everything is new for us, Being taking to you right now, there’s a lot of media happening even before the album is out, we can feel there’s a very strong team in the label that really want to help the band to grow, also with some offers for touring… things that never happened before, so I think that the plans for the future is touring as much as possible,
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of course but it’s difficult to know cause the situation is complicated not only because of the pandemic but also because this is the first time ever we are in this kind of great place in our careers, so we don’t know what to expect at all. Your new album “Metanoia” has several participations and was signed by renowned people in the music scene. What was it like to work with these personas in building the sound of the new material? How do you feel about it? If you’re a musician you kind of understand that I don’t feel that that’s really good at all, “the good music is the other music I listen to everyday” the music I do … mmm, as musicians everything you do you feel inse-
cure about it, so when someone tell me it’s great, I feel good about it, but the process was like really complicated because It’s a very low process, at some parts you know, those moments if you’re a musician you’re writing with someone and you really feel some part “ this is really cool, this part is very nice, I’m so happy about it” but maybe two days later you’re like “This is horrible! Why is this here, doesn’t make any sense, but then maybe one week later you really like it … I remember going back from Sweeden for the mixing process with David Castillo and I’m having another crisis with the album in my hand, with the whole thing done and I was thinking “this is a really bad album man, no one will ever like this!” So, it’s a very stressful situation. But making these albums gave us the opportunity to
work with some people we really admire because of their talent, and have a relationship with them, which is even better, because in the end of the day we’re fans of music, I’m fan of all the musicians that are playing in the album. So that feels even better, so when I listen to intro Metanoia and then Elinar Solberg is singing gloriously in your record you know, that’s something that I feel really grateful for, and I think that it adds a lot of value to the project. “Merkabah” and “Katabasis” already show the path you are taking to “Metanoia”. In addition to maintaining the sound essence, you show that they are listening to modern metal and learning new skills. What were your inspirations for this direction?
INTERVIEW. PERSEFONE
We had “Katabasis” done, that was the first song we did for the album, we did the whole thing, we always try to have the music then we add the lyrics then we add the vocals, it is a process but Napalm, they wanted to have one full song to listen the approach we’re having with the album, so we did “Katabasis” way before the other songs were finished and we felt really happy about the result at that point we were feeling confident, then we thought it’d be a good idea to make it the main videoclip, we did the video, then we did “Merkabah” and we realized that maybe it would be interesting to have a song that starts with clean vocals, maybe it’s a good welcome song for the people are beginning to know the band because of the new label or whatever, you know!? When it comes to inspiration, I can tell you one story… while I was at the “Aathma” tour I was trying to have a guitar riff to start the new album and then I’ve found myself doing “triplets” (notes) in my compositions, and I realized it was becoming a pattern in my riff writing, so I decided I’d start this new approach with “16th” notes. By the sabe time I started to play 7 string guitars
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instead of a six, I’m still struggling a little bit with that extra string, but it’s ok. But the main inspiration if I may, was putting this on a cinematic way, like a landscape of songs. So that was the main inspiration for the whole album and these 2 songs. You guys have a really unique approach on the vocals, what do you attribute to that? Thank you, that’s because “Mo” (Miguel Espinoza Ortiz) he wasn’t a vocalist at first place, he started singing because we didn’t find any other vocalist in Andorra, he just played the Keyboard back then. So, over the years he has been training and all and now he has this voice that is so recognizable within the band. And he feels more confident now, so I’m really happy. “Merkabah”, “Katabasis” and “Anabasis” are very different words, can you tell us more about their meaning? Sure, it goes with the concept of the album, we’ve been trying to talk about spiritual developing, inner knowledge and all that stuff. We feel confident to talk about it because we are human beings, with flaws and we can relate to that. Metanoia means something like “Deep change within a human being through a painful process” like “changing beliefs” something very complicated, the process of changing that. “Katabasis” means like Going Down some-
INTERVIEW. PERSEFONE
where, in some places means the descending to your personal hell. “Anabasis” means the ascension back up, coming out as a whole new being. I don’t know if that was the right move to make a conceptual album nowadays, but I like conceptual things you know!? “On my knees, I still believe”. This phrase draws a lot of attention and is said several times in “Merkabah”. Was it some kind of plea to keep believing in something or someone? If you spot where “Merkabah” is on the album is exactly before going up again on “Anabasis”. We talk about fire all the time in the album, one of the first things Mo says in the album is “Let me dance, I’ll meet the flames” which means I’m willing to go and burn myself, burn everything inside of me that doesn’t suit or serve me, so I can go out as a new person”. “On my knees” is all about being exhausted
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about the process, but it’s still the process you believe will take you to a better place within yourself. This Metamorphosis is brutal even cruel but necessary to keep evolving. “Katabasis” comes with countless riffs in the first few seconds, there’s not even time to breathe. Intense and calm, melodic and aggressive... Is this what you expect the listener to have throughout the album? Yes, especially in the first song! These are the 16th notes we were talking about earlier; I don’t like to listen to a song and after 4 bars I can predict what’s coming next in the whole song … I respect that, but I get sort of bored with it. I like to compose in a way that the listeners that when they think they got this… then “Haha”, it goes another direction… Like a surprise effect, I really like it. And because of that I think it’s not a music to
listen in the background, it’s a little crazy and you got to pay attention, but once you do, you’ll find a lot of nuances and will be really fun to listen to. On the album you still have “Consciousness Pt. 3”, the series started in your fourth full. With 11 minutes of intense sound variations, what is behind the continuity of this song made almost 10 years ago? It’s like… the time we did this 11-minute instrumental song for the radio, I mean… (Laughs). When “Spiritual Migration” came out, I didn’t listen to it that much afterwards, but today is my favorite album of us, but I remember in 2013, the album came out and nothing happened you know, we went on tour with “Leprous” actually and they were touring
“Bilateral” back then, it was cool! But we were like the “punk” band, like the third in there, doing our thing but no growth whatsoever on that album, but over the years for some reason people started to listen to it a lot and they are so into that album. You’re a musician, I think you’ll agree with this, when you make an album, you take a picture of that moment in your life because you are living it… I don’t have beautiful memories from “Spiritual Migration” myself, it was like a very bad and tough personal moment for me and for some other members of the band, so I never listen to that album because it brings memories back that I don’t really want. I can play the songs and I enjoy because I relate the song’s life with the people enjoying them, you know what I mean? Finally, still with the sanitary
INTERVIEW. PERSEFONE
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restrictions for musical events, do you intend to launch any livestream to present “Metanoia”? Thank you so much for being with us, success and take care. Not really, no plans to do that… the other day on an interview I was asked this if we were planning something for February or whatever, but no. I prefer to wait for this whole thing to be better and we are able to tour and play live shows, I don’t like or enjoy stream live shows not even as a fan, it’s not the same you know, there’s not a connection like on stage with the crowd. I even appreciate people do-
ing that, but I want the real thing, if possible; if not, that’s ok! The album will be out anyway, but it was meant to be shared with people face to face. For us it has to be a human experience, nothing wrong with listening to music at home, but it supposed to be more human, I’m kind of sick of live streaming you know!? I love technology and the fact we’re talking right now because of it. But you know… We want to have these experiences with people, not machines or devices. Absolutely man! Thank you for having me! This was very nice, take care … “Auf Wiedersehen” (Bye)!
MAIN. IMMINENCE
“HEAVEN IN HIDING SPEAKS OF SEARCHING FOR YOUR OWN VALUE”
IMMINENCE B Y PEI FON PHOTOGRAPHY OSCAR DZIEDZIELA
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MAIN. IMMINENCE
M
usic has a fascinating power to touch people in the most varied ways, it is an instrument to bring truths, identification, and comfort to the heart. Therefore, the new album by the Swedish quintet Imminence, “Heaven in Hiding”, is a great synthesis of this, it is impossible not to feel something when listening to this new play. With a career spanning 10 years, the quintet did not limit itself to composing its fourth full and made it an
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unparalleled sound experience. It's full of emotion, beautiful melodies, extremely heavy riffs that speak to all the unique feelings present in each song. The band formed by Eddie Berg (vocals & violin), Harald Barrett (guitar), Peter Hanström (drums), Alex Arnoldsson (guitar) and Christian Hoijer (bass), and they are part of the 'oxygenation' of heavy music worldwide. It's a band to be on the playlist, for sure!
For the first time being interviewed by a Brazilian media, Rock Meeting had the privilege of talking to the guitarist and one of the founders of Imminence, Harald Barrett. Very friendly and to the point, he proudly talks about “Heaven in Hiding”. And you can check it out right now! The band's history begins in 2010 with Eddie and Harald, and it features four full-length albums. What is your assessment of these more than 10 years of career?
Harald - Imminence was formed in tiny village, somewhere far out in southern Sweden. Me & Eddie were two teenagers with no insight in what it meant to live a life in music, we had very little input from the alternative scene that was emerging in Europe and used to be dreaming about one day maybe even be able to record an album in a real studio. From the point where we literally had to convince our friends to come and rehearse with us in order to even get a band together, we’ve climbed every single step on the ladder
MAIN. IMMINENCE
to reach the level where we’re at right now. We learned to write songs, produce our own music, film, and edit our own music videos, booked our own tours and have done pretty much everything else in our pursuit to develop as a band, without any blueprints or guidance from others. Looking in retrospect, I’d say we have accomplished so much more than those two kids could have imagined 10 years ago. The metal scene in Sweden is quite vast: festivals, renowned bands, and plural styles. You are part of
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the oxygenation that every scene needs to have. What is the modern metal scene in Sweden like and what is the global perspective? Thank you for the warming words. Sweden has produced some huge acts that have also had great influence on myself and the rest of the band, but in terms of the modern metal scene, I wouldn’t say that there has been great development over the past 5-10 years. There are a handful of bands that are starting to do very well internationally, most of them personal friends of mine and are definitely well deserved of their success due to splendid potential,
but I’d say that the general audience over here are not very supportive of the new styles of traditional rock and metal. We have a strong scene for the old school and classic alternatives genres, but for some reason people haven’t really caught up to the new emerging artists of this scene. I guess this is the reason why younger acts are aiming for other territories, and by doing so, building their fan base in other parts of the world. In a free translation of the band's name, you are on the verge of something or someone, an example of
that was your new album “Heaven in Hiding”. Now that it has been released, how is the feedback from the media and listeners being? The response from our existing fan base and people that recently have discovered Imminence has been absolutely overwhelming. We were aiming for putting more effort in to all aspects of the new album, being it song writing, production, music videos or anything else, but would never have expected such fantastic feedback. People have expressed their sincere appreciation and support of our new record in ways that we would never have
MAIN. IMMINENCE
expected. We’ve been fortunate to see all our previous achievements in terms of views, listeners, album sales etc. surpassed by the new release, and to have seen each single grow bigger than the last one we put out has been absolutely humbling and incredible. Coming out of the hardships most artists have endured due to the pandemic, we couldn’t be more thankful for the appreciation people have been showing us with the latest album. Your fourth album is an explosion of feelings and sincerity. Who do you want to reach with these messages? Our music is for anyone who finds joy in listening to the songs. You can appreciate
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and interpret music in any way that seem fit, and if you find your own comfort or meaning in our artform, then that’s what the song was about. However, if you are a person that are struggling with finding your purpose, self-worth or path in life, this album could be for you. Heaven In Hiding speaks of searching for your own value and your own guidance by the ability to trust yourself and to love yourself. The album is there to show you that others are sharing your story and to give you confidence that you eventually will find your way. The first song I heard from you was "Temptation", and I confess that the violin won me over in the first few seconds. Some modern metal
bands use symphonic elements, but in Imminence it's not just an arrangement. What was it like to add the violin as an integral part of the sound they make? Actually, the violin has been integrated in our music for many years, but it wasn’t until our previous album Turn the Light On that we chose to front it as a solo instrument. Modern and traditional metal bands have used plenty of symphonic elements, but few of them have a band member actually playing the instrument themselves, which I believe is a great asset for us, as it becomes a very natural addition to our sound and songwriting. It replaces Eddie’s vocals in
M A I N . I M M I NMISSTIQ ENCE INTERVIEW.
parts where it’s needed, hence it’s a perfect complementary lead instrument, at the same time as we sometimes also just use string arrangements for width and character. I believe that the violin enhances the tragedy and grandiosity that have always been a part of our music. Just like "Temptation", "Chasing Shadows", "Ghost", "Alleviate" and "Heaven in Hiding" are accompanied by music videos. With a cinematographic production signed by Pavel Trebukhin, what is the intention of showing this visual dynamic to your songs? The visual element is very important to Imminence, as it gives more depth and
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nuances to the music we’re writing. We’re all loving cinema and the visual storytelling, which we really wanted to apply to our latest album. We really wanted to build a Heaven in Hiding for the listener, at the same time as we wanted to challenge the concept of releasing music in a modern format. Instead of relying on the fast communication that is so common today, we wanted to encourage people to really take their time to dive into our universe and discover it together with us, hence why we for example chose to release a 9-minute music video that now is our most successful single release. “Surrender” has a beautiful set of heavy riffs and striking vocals that
MAIN. IMMINENCE
are characteristic of the genre, but you have one more element that sets you apart from other bands. How is this process of challenging yourself, bringing new components to your identity? If you are referring to the violin in this song, it’s an instrument that doesn’t really speak volumes in this specific track - and that’s fine. As you say, Surrender is a song that is centered around other aspects, but the violin comes in to fill out and add character at some parts, but it’s not doing more than so. That’s how we’re always approaching the use of different instruments or soundscapes, we never force it just for the sake of it. “Moth To a Flame” is a beautiful example that there is no impediment to emotional explosion and sincerity. The listener feels every manifestation sung by Eddie. Will
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this song enter the setlist? (LOL) The setlist for a live performance? I’d say that’s absolutely possible. We’ve already started to rehearse all the songs on the album. “Lost and Left Behind” calls my attention for the melodic line brought by the violin. This further heightens the emotional charge the song has, and it definitely makes my playlist. Tell us a little about this song. This track was actually the first song we wrote for the new album. I believe that it’s the most similar to Turn the Light On, but naturally with a lot of new elements shining through. We experimented with some of our teenage year nu-metal influences but ended up with
MAIN. IMMINENCE
something that was an interesting mix of old influences, a development of our previous album and the start of a new album cycle. In “In Niz Bogzarad” and “Intermission” I dare say that these are the tracks where Eddie Berg shows even more his musical knowledge with the violin and the voice. Any special reasons for bringing these unique songs to the album? The intermission track was written as an intro for the title track Heaven in Hiding, but we decided to make it a standalone track on the album. “This Too Shall Pass” is form of hybrid track between our re-imagined versions and original versions. The song highlights the ambient elements of our sound and is a way for us to express something more beyond what’s expected from a band in our genre. “In Niz Bogzarad” has an influence on Arab melodies adding even more value to the music. Where did this inspiration come from?
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Photo: Lucas Englund
MAIN. IMMINENCE
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I believe we have naturally gathered inspiration from elements in traditional or folk music, especially in our re-imagined versions. The influences in this song didn’t really come from a specific style of music, rather from different cinematic themes, such as “El Laberinto del Fauno”. I concluded that “Heaven in Hiding” is a collection of beautiful and intense melodies, accompanied by the harmonic identity that makes Imminence's sound unique. You are ready to take the front line of artists in the genre! Thank you so much for lovely compliment! Finally, do you intend to release something this year? Thank you very much for your time and here is the space for your considerations. Success! Only time will tell. Thank you for the interview!
INTERVIEW. SETYØURSAILS
“IT’S AMAZING THAT MANY FEMALES UPFRONT OF BANDS SHOWED UP“
SETYØURSAILS B Y M A R I O VA N B AY L E & G U S TA V O T O Z Z I PHOTOGRAPHY PETER LEUKHARDT
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INTERVIEW. SETYØURSAILS
H
ow long does a band take to release their songs? This is one of those questions which don’t have a definitive answer. For the German band, SETYØURSAILS was necessary only six months. Since their debut album “Enough”, the four-piece band is composed by the charismatic Jules Mitch, on guitar André Alves, Dominic Ludwig on bass and Dizze Pascal take over the drums. In their second album “Nightfall”, released by Napalm Records, you can feel how much they had matured by their musical evolution present in this album. In an exclusive interview for Rock Meeting, Jules welcomed us with open arms and an interview turned into a conversation between friends. Charismatic, she talks about the songs they created in
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the past, collaborations, and more insights about their new album.
The band started in 2017 and released its debut album (Enough) to the public in 2018. Could you tell us a little bit about this journey so far? Jules - We released “Enough”, the first record, when we only knew each other for half a year, basically we just started songwriting self-released it and threw it out to be able to play shows... At the time you only known each other for six months? Wow, that’s impressive! Yeah, we’re not really happy with the first re-
cord, it was more writing demos and stuff, we just really wanted to put something out and be able to play shows. And since that time so much has changed, pretty much everything, you know, we played a couple of festivals, a lot of shows, we signed to Napalm Records, we signed to Extra Tours that’s a booking agency here in Germany... We also signed with Impericon, which is a huge merchandising shop here in Germany, I guess worldwide... they are shipping worldwide. And we wrote the songs for “Nightfall” and you can clearly tell the difference between “Enough” and “Nightfall”, ‘Cause its way more grownup and way more well-produced and stuff. Your sound combines various styles (hardcore, post-hardcore and
metal), with a very singular approach on Julian’s vocals and really intense and catchy instrumental lines. What are the main influences of the band, soundwise? I would say a lot of different bands and a lot of different genres since Andre has a way different background than me, he’s a real metalhead, he’s listening to Slayer, all these real metal bands, and I more of listening to pop, post-hardcore, and metalcore, stuff like that. I believe that that’s the main reason why the record is so diverse, ‘cause there are really soft songs on it and also there’s a rock’n roll style-ish kind of songs and metal songs, you know, it’s very diverse I feel like. We didn’t really sit down thinking of ‘the record we wanna make’, it just came naturally,
INTERVIEW. SETYØURSAILS
you know, we just started songwriting and came up with very different sounding songs, but at some point, they all fitted together, and so we decided to put them all together and make it a record. I think even though the songs are so different I feel like they fit together somehow. So far you’ve released two singles, “Ghosts” and “Mirror”. “Mirror” after only 3 days released had over 30k views. How do you see this new moment you’re living, that things are starting to happen to SETYØURSAILS? How are you guys feeling as artists? Man, this record was actually done since 2020, so we were actually sitting with the record for a pretty long time and it feels so good to finally put it out, ‘cause we talked to the label and they pushed the release date, of course, because we weren’t able to tour. I mean, we are talking about songs right now, which I wrote in my bedroom where I’m sitting right now, that’s totally crazy, it’s finally out! The songs are so personal and honestly
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written, they are part of my history, so that’s a little scary to actually to put that out, ‘cause it feels like it’s a diary. It’s very scary but also very great to finally be able to release it. “Ghosts” presents a darker/ heavier sonority, the lyrics and melody highlight to the internal conflicts, It’s more somber than the band’s previous material. The sound and also the video, shows a more mature band and a clear evolution of the members musically and artistically, of course the production evolved alongside with the band, can you tell us a little about this process? The process of composition of the upcoming album. Yeah, the thing is that there are songs on the record which were completely instrumentally written by me, there are songs on the record which were completely instrumentally written by Andre, and then the record was written by both of us, so basically, we’re sitting either in my bedroom or his bedroom, passing the guitar, figuring out new riffs, and playing around
with synths and stuff like that and that’s pretty much how our songwriting works. I think the most comfortable room should be your room, that’s why in my mic and desk are in my bedroom. I feel like that’s why the lyrics also are so personal... When we started this album, we had no idea we’d have the opportunity to release it and sign with such a big label. Beyond the featuring of Rudi Schwarzer (Annisokay), “Nightfall” also features Andreas Doerner (Caliban) and Mike Perez (No Bragging Rights). It’s a pretty cool lineup, What else can your fans expect on “features” and can you say anything about it at all? Yeah, absolutely! We actually had a meeting with the management we were picking out the sales for “Nightfall” and what we would want to release first and then we came up with “Ghosts”, “Nightfall” and “Mirror”. And then we thought because we went to the studio with the lead guitarist of Annisokay, “it would be so cool if one of you guys could feature us on one of our songs”, and we figured that “Ghosts” is the perfect song for us to work on, then we asked Rudi, the screamer of the band, to be on it... He was on fire, he was like “Yeah! I wanna do it” and when we played it, it was done and we loved it, he was even
INTERVIEW. SETYØURSAILS
down to shoot a video. The same thing with Andy from Caliban, while we were having a meeting, and one of the managers sent him (Andy) a message with the song, with “Nightfall”, and he replied within, I don’t know, 5 minutes… he was like “Man, this song is sick! I definitely wanna do it! And he also went to the studio one week after that ‘cause Caliban were recording at the time, and he was also down for a video, which will also be released pretty soon. I’m a huge No Bragging Rights’ fan for a very long time, and I just thought “man it would be so sick if Michael is on it” and the same thing, we wrote the message and he replied, also within ten minutes and he was like “Yes! I wanna do it! That’s awesome!” and… I really have to say that, we work with so many amazing people on this, we got so much love from these people and we’re still
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in contact with all of them, we’re so grateful we’re working with really awesome people, also Napalm Records, these guys are so passionate it’s insane … it’s crazy! We’re really grateful. Jules, in this second album you seem to have challenged yourself more on your vocals, pushing your limits further. Did you planned to build this vocal identity/strength or it all happened naturally along the way? It came naturally. When I sat down for the vocals, I just started building the songs in my head. I basically wrote the vocal melodies and then figured out where in the songs I wanted to go clean and in where I wanted to shout. There were things that didn’t work out when I recorded the demos so I had to change a couple parts. I sometimes put too many words in
a sentence and forget that I have to breath in between the shouting parts. Hahaha. The track Nightfall has a really powerful vibe, it isn’t by accident that Andy Doerner (Caliban) jumped on board for this feature, launched a few days before the full album, what are the feedbacks you’re getting from it? Man. The feedback is just sick. We’re getting messages everyday from all around the globe. Having Andy on this track is still honouring us. We actually had a live Q&A with all three of our feature guests and what can I say... Such sweethearts. We are so thankful for being supported by such amazing and talented men. “FCKOFF” It’s an impressive one! Full on aggressive, can bare-
ly hear you breathing in between the lines, can you picture yourself playing live again!? By the way, congratulations for the song, it’s already on my playlist… Thx dude! I can’t actually picture myself staying away from the stage any longer. I am so loaded with energy, that everyday without having a concert just hurts. FCKOFF will def be one of our favs to play live! We can’t wait for it! Where did the idea of recording SETYØURSAILS version of “Shallow” came from? How did you guys thought about it? I got a phone call from one of our managers some day in 2020. He had just heard ‘Shallow’ on the radio or on tv, I don’t remember. He was like “Jules! You guys have to cover this! It’s gonna be insane!” and so we
INTERVIEW. SETYØURSAILS
did it and we love it. Listening to the album “Nightfall” it’s undeniable how the band grew by all means. It seems like your well deserved way ahead is this! Is there anything or anyone else you relate to this achievements and new paths chosen soundwise? We really took our time to sit down, work on the songs and just write music that comes from our hearts. By the time ‘Nightfall’ was already completely done, we’ve had no clue that half a year later we’d sign a worldwide record deal with Napalm. So, the growth came naturally but it also was a lot of work to get there, so I am really happy about your feedback and the fact that you can hear we’ve grown. I’d say that our producers Christoph Wiezcorek and Julian Breucker from Sawdust Recordings really helped us finding our sound. They taught us a lot about producing songs and building song structures. Without them we wouldn’t sound the way we do. We
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are really thankful for all the amazing people we’ve worked with. Before the pandemic, you have already shared the stage with acclaimed bands like Bullet For My Valentine, Hatebreed, Jinjer, and Walls of Jericho. What is your valuation about this experience in festivals? Sharing a stage with these guys. Yeah, we actually had the singer from Walls of Jericho watching our set on one of our festival gigs and it was so crazy because on that day, we were playing as you said, with Walls of Jericho, Hatebreed… and we were at this festival, backstage for the first time… and that was the moment that it clicked in my head when I knew “This is it, this is where I belong” it felt so natural, I felt I had to do it. Actually, she came up to me after the show and she said “man, that was a great show!” And I was like “what is going on? Why are these people so fucking awesome, why are they so supportive” … a lot of bands, I can’t even remem-
ber, but we were sitting backstage eating food with all these huge bands and it was insane, but at the same time so natural, you know!? We have tons of respect for all the people, but as I said at the same time this is exactly where we wanna go and we knew at this point and we also had to make a decision whether we would continue doing it on a professional level or not and we decided we definitely wanna do this, so we feel very honored to have met so many awesome people, and yeah, we just wanna keep playing as many shows and festivals as possible. How is this last year treating you guys, you said the album was ready since 2020 on hold due to the COVID pandemic, what are your feelings about it? Are you scared or hopeful for the near future? Actually, I had a lot of struggles with the whole situation, I was struggling with a lot of mental issues because it seemed to never stop, you had this isolation and at the same time we had to stop doing things, we were ready to go, you know!? We were like “Ok the record is done!”, “We have this and this and this… let’s do it!”. And we couldn’t do it, it was very hard for us to stand still and not do something, and that affected my mental health on a very huge level, it was real-
INTERVIEW. SETYØURSAILS
ly knocking me off and we really tried to stay as positive as possible, well at least the boys, they really pushed me to keep going, because there was actually a short time when I was ready to quit because I was so done, you know!? I felt like “there’s no hope, it’s never gonna work, everything is shit, the album sucks” and stuff like that… I was stuck in that mindset for a pretty long time and then finally the tour got announced and the release got announced, and we started working again, we started working on the videos, we started working on photoshoots, we started meeting people again and made a plan, somehow it started making sense again when I realized that there are peo-
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ple having our backs, they are actually working on our interest, if it was just the band it would be different, but there are actually people working “for” you, working with you to make this happen, they are having your back, they are still there. I feel like that’s the main reason why I said “Ok, let’s keep on doing it” because we didn’t get started yet. It was definitely difficult times but we’re hopeful if you can be these times. Jules, in this last year many good bands appeared, and a good part of them with women taking prominent places. How do you evaluate this female performance in metal, especially in the modern scene?
I think it’s amazing! I’m not really that gender-focused, I never walk around thinking “I’m a woman, I can or I have to do things because I’m a woman”, that’s never been a part of my mindset so I think that everyone, no matter who they are, should do what they love and be encouraged by other people so… I think it’s amazing that many females upfront of bands showed up and also there’s a lot of more women playing instruments in bands, I think it’s great, I mean why not!? As I said, you shouldn’t be so focused on your gender, if you wanna do something then do it! Being visible is very important too I think, no matter who you are, that’s probably one of the first things to go for. But I think it’s great.
Would you like to say anything to your fans in Brazil or do you have any considerations? Definitely, I want to say, again thank you so much for having me, it’s really insane that we are talking about, as I said “stuff we wrote in our bedrooms” right now … Man, I really hope that you guys gonna like the record and I really hope some people can relate to the lyrics, because that’s like the most important part to me personally, that maybe some people, even if it’s just one person, can relate and maybe, you know!? Get something positive out of it for themselves. So I really hope you all stay safe! Thank you so much that was a really nice chat! Take care, bye!
INTERVIEW. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
“THE BAND IS GROWING, MORE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO SEE US”
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY BY MURILO DA ROSA & M A R I O VA N B AY L E PHOTOGRAPHY PROMOTION
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INTERVIEW. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
W
hat does the future hold? This is a question that the pandemic has brought to everyone. This is the question that the group from New Jersey (USA) Fit for An Autopsy addresses in their sixth studio album, “Oh What the Future Holds”. But without waiting for what will happen tomorrow, the sextet released “Far from Heaven” an appreciation of how far we are from heaven, as guitarist, producer and founder of the band Will Putney says: “The world we live in is clearly “far from heaven”. Institutions are exploited, and people are taken advantage of. There is a power struggle between those in control and those who are not. This is a very literal reflection on the world today.”
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Currently the band is formed by the vocals of Joseph Badolato, the guitar trio of Patrick Sheridan, Timothy Howley and Will Putney, with the bass of Peter Blue Spinazola, and the drums assumed by Josean Orta Martinez. Exclusively, Rock Meeting spoke with guitarist Will Putney about the new album, the band’s trajectory and what the future holds for them. The band already has 5 full albums, as well as numerous singles and EPs launched from 2008 to this day. Towards the 6th album “Oh what the future holds” how do you see the evolution of the group? Will Putney - I think where we are today
obviously, we sound vastly different from when we started. I think over the years we’ve slowly incorporated more of our musical taste from outside of the genre, I think we just became a little less interested in writing and playing music that was sort of a little more one dimensional. We all listen to a wide variety of different styles of music, that doesn’t really fit into the Death metal/Deathcore world we come from, you know!? We’ve overtime just put into write more stuff that we like and kind of bring it to the fold with our own style, and it’s been just this constant evolution of our sound from record to record, but we really enjoy what we do now, which is cool, we’re all happy with where it’s headed.
It’s really noticeable the evolution of the sound over the years and the fact you weren’t imprisoned on any sort of pattern, always pushing it harder with new approaches and new sounds. There was some changing in the band formation over the years right!? In 2015 Joe Badolato joined the band, which made a huge difference on the way the band sounds, how do you see it? Yeah, once the band starts touring full time and stuff, our lineup had shifted and there were guys who just weren’t as interested in being in a band full time so… when we got Joe, we were looking for someone to add that had a different style of range compared to our original vocalist. It gave
INTERVIEW. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
us the ability to take the songs in other directions too, where we now have a singer who can kind of fit some of the style and “violent” stuff. So that was sort of a conscious choice back then to be like: “Ok, let’s see what else we can do now!” You know!? So, since 2015 it’s obviously noticeably more difference of the shift in the band so we finally had the tools to do what we wanted to do. You are constantly testing and reinventing yourselves on every album. What do you guys expect to show on this new material? I don’t have a ton of expectation on how people will receive it, we learned a little while ago that if we just kind of do what we like, songs that we like, basically care a little less
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about what people think about it, and just do the things we’re into, it goes really well for the band. The band is growing, more people are coming to see us, more people are listening to us, so I feel like we’re on a cool path. At the end of the day, I want people to like the new record, if it’s not for them, that’s ok though, but I think if you’re a fan of the band you’ll enjoy where we are now. I think it’s our strongest record, we all really like playing these songs, it’s just being really cool making this one, pretty stress-free and fun. We can’t wait to play it; it’s been a while. This Pandemic times has been really weird/hard for bands who used to be on the road touring all the time. How are you guys dealing with it?
Well, from the band’s perspective it was tough at first, we had just put our last record out, and just got into touring when everything shut down, so we had to cancel something like 6 tours you know, and it kind of took the wind out of the last record, which I know a lot of bands are in this position, so we’re not complaining about it, we just had decided: “Alright, when everything comes back we’ll just have a new shiny one, and we just keep moving”. But it’s being good, everybody in the band is pretty self-sufficient, Joe is a Barber, I have a studio, everyone has some sort of side thing, so when they’re home, they have the ability to work and live and stuff, so everyone just had some full time jobs for a while or got to hang out at home, so it wasn’t too bad, we were able to recover from all the
tour cancelations and now we’re all setup to just keep going soon. You are also a great producer, and you’ve done a lot of good work in the last 5 years, how is this going lately? There’s a lot in the Pipeline now because we did a lot of records when everything shut down, now with touring coming back we’re excited for a lot of those albums to be announced, to get out there. The upcoming album’s artwork shows a mother holding her son, sort of wondering about what the future holds is pretty shocking, can you tell us a bit about the concept behind it? I was looking for something that kind of fit
INTERVIEW. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
the vibe of the album and the tittle and wanted it to feel a little somber, using the figure of the mother and the child to sort of represent the Earth x Next Generations… more as an act of symbolism probably, we love that on Burke (Adam Burke - Artist), he’s done a few covers for us now, I knew he would capture the right vibe for it too, where it’s kind of this start picture of somebody just waiting for this unexpected event to happen… it just feels somber in that moment there, you know? Where you have these two symbolic figures surrounded by the abstract dark-
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ness, and wonder “what’s coming” you know!? It was an idea I had early on where I just thought what would best represents what the rest of the album gets into… so it was pretty easy to get this one to go. Is there any sort of “hope for a better future” in that concept? Well, we’re not a really “hopeful band” (laughs) I’d say more worry than hopeful, in this case. The song “Far from heaven” has a
strong emphasis on the technical quality of the group, but it’s also marked by emotional peaks with a really strong and catchy chorus. How was the composition process on this one? That one came together pretty easy, I think it feels like we wanted more straight forward songs probably on the record, I was just really into trying to get this sort of “space” in the drums and more of a slower moving tune compared to some of the other stuff that’s on the album, so that one was a really easy
process and it came together fast, I had a couple riffs that I liked and I didn’t really overthink it from a composition stand point, I wanted it to feel more like of a vocal bed sort of tune, to really lean into the vocal ideas that we had for the song, so that one was more like : “Let’s not overthink this song, we’ll keep this kind of cruising and straight forward and let the lyrical ideas shine on that one”. I was really happy with where it came out in that sense. The lyrics of “Far From Heaven” reflect on conditions and injus-
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tices present in our modern sociocultural situation, but also address internal conflicts and talk about emotional disorders and traumas from the past. What is it like to merge these very important themes into a single song? I really enjoyed where that landed in the end, trying to paint the picture of … there’s that “You are what you’re creating” line where the verse starts to build up… “What the world turns you into” and “how we’ve moved so far from heaven”… like this is the
journey of that whole song, feels really cool to me where the payoff lands and stuff like that… it was a fun process building that one, ‘cause I got to hit it from both angles, sort of like this social injustice side and then also flipping it to what it does to a person. I like the additional layer of that, where you’re not just pointing your finger the whole time through a song, there’s sort of a more personal connection to it too. I’m happy with where that one landed. In the clip for “Far From Heaven”, we see allegories to archaic society, pre-
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sented through thematic costumes, picturesque and dark art direction, addressing contemporary controversies such as segregation and prejudice. How was the construction process for the narrative of this video clip? We sort of put it into an older sort of a problem that has existed for so long that it felt cool to like, maybe even rewind time a little and show “this is just being this thing that’s been here forever” you know? The further back you go in some of that
stuff and look to how it applies today… I mean, it’s the same problems that existed a hundred years ago, today they’re still here, so to me it was cool like to rewind time a little bit with that one. “Pandora” is much faster and has a more deconstructed format and a dense essence, different from “Far From Heaven”, which despite having all the weight, is more lilting and keeps the 3 well-marked choruses. How do these two songs
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represent the identity of this sixth album? Yeah, we like that one because there’s a lot of influence in that song, to me that like covers… it checks a lot of boxes as far as: what we’re into as a band from like the fast more Swedish style riffs and there’s like heavier bits, fast part, slow parts, smoother section,
so that was a fun one because it puts a lot of what the band is into, into one song. We all really like that song cause everybody’s musical taste and interest worked their way into that one tune, and it feels like a really cool representation of a lot of the stuff that we do. As well as the theme of the lyrics, the video for “Pandora” also makes a direct reference to one of the most popular tales
of Greek mythology, but with a much more current idea and framed to the social situation we are going through. How was it to adapt the theme of this tale to the modern and authentic format of Deathcore? I mean, for us it’s like a said before, we just do what we like and we’re lucky that it kind of translates in the right way, you know!? Whether that is speak clear lyrically,
INTERVIEW. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
or whatever… this is just a continuation of the same stuff we’ve been writing about for a while, with just a few different topics and approaches and stuff, it doesn’t feel like uh, you know… we definitely have a message with the stuff we say, I think over the years we’ve just cemented that, so not too many changes there, you know!? It all just came together really cohesively and easy this time because when you know what you wanna write about, when you know what kind of songs you wanna hear, it’s a lot easier to get that out than when you’re searching for stuff. Finally, there are already dates set for the release of “Oh What The Future Holds”, how is the expectation for the return to the stage? We’re just excited to get back I think, but you know, we never really set high expectations, because we’re just happy that people come to see us and people like the band … so generally looks like it’s gonna be pretty awesome, we’ve got a cool lineup and I think we’ve definitely put a lot of work in on this record and so far there is spots that looks like people are excited to come and see us, so I’m hoping when shows rolls around, that there
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will be people there. Great! That’s the common wish we all have right now, is that the bands are able to come back to the stages safely and the public is there to see them. He hopes that everything is back to normal as soon as possible. We’ve been off, I know it’ll be about two years by the time that tour comes back so, I know my guys are very anxious to start playing again! I guess I can speak for the magazine on this one, we’re all fans! Thank you very much for your time and kindness, we really hope that everything runs well with you, the band members and on the tours ahead! Thanks man! I Appreciate you guys taking a second to chat, the interest in the band, it’s always … when you make stuff you never know like who’s gonna be into or what, you know!? So, it’s nice to see that people understand it and get it, I appreciate it! Thank you for answering us and for your generosity! Have a good one! Awesome! Appreciate it man, you too, we’ll talk soon!
L I V E R E P O R T. G L O R I A | A X T Y | C U R A
IMPRESSIVE ON STAGE, GLÓRIA, AXTY AND CURA RETURN TO PRESENTIAL SHOWS BY BRUNO SESSA
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L I V E R E P O R T. G L O R I A | A X T Y | C U R A
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fter a long period without shows, even more aggravated by the pandemic, on December 17, at the Carioca Club in São Paulo, another show by the band Glória, Axty and Cura took place. Having already played at the same venue a week before, and with the city battered by the rains, an empty venue was to be expected. However, that is not what happened. Thus, showing the strength of the band and the scene they belong to. Cura was the first band to perform that night. In line with the event's proposal to present bands with characteristics that mix Metalcore and post-hardcore influences, they showed why they were there. Although the audience of the house was still shy at the beginning of
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L I V E R E P O R T. G L O R I A | A X T Y | C U R A
the event, the band had a captive audience that sang excitedly with the band's presentation and captivated those who still arrived at the event and did not know them. This is undoubtedly an excellent business card for the band. Soon after, we were able to check out the sound of the band AXTY, who had already performed the previous week with Glória himself, also at the Carioca Club. Promoting their debut album “Helpless”. With very technical compositions and full of samples, the band surprises by the incredible compositions of good taste, striking choruses and a great stage presence. Even though they were promoting their debut album, they don't even look like a rookie band at all. It was really an impressive show, with great songs and that will
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L I V E R E P O R T. G L O R I A | A X T Y | C U R A
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put AXTY in the spotlight in the music scene. At the end of the night, Glória showed why they are one of the most relevant bands in the current scenario. Despite the embezzlement of not having performed with their bassist, for health reasons, the band presented a visceral and energetic show. This show also marks the second show of his new guitarist Vini Rodrigues, who was very comfortable and will undoubtedly add a lot to the team, formed by Mi Vieira (Vocals), Peres Kenji (Guitars), Thiago Abreu (Bass) and Leandro Ferreira (Drums).