Triverse Massacre – Hades

Taking the listener by the throat down the five rivers encircling its underworld, Hades is the new EP from British metallers Triverse Massacre and the hellacious outpouring of the potential first bred in their previous releases. Back in 2014, the With Bared Teeth And Truths EP suggested that the band had the wares to make a potent impact on the British metal scene; Hades is that mighty trespass but one still hinting of greater things yet to come.

Bursting from the depths of Carlisle in 2010, Triverse Massacre quickly stirred up local support and in turn within the metal underground crowd with the release of debut EP In The Jaws Of Deceit. It was a growing reputation equally fuelled by their ferocious live presence which has gone on to see the band earn strong praise and share stages since with the likes of Skindred, Raging Speedhorn, Aliases, The Sun Explodes, The Colour Line, Reign Of Fury, and Anihilated and play Bloodstock Open Air last year alongside Slayer, Behemoth, Mastodon, and Gojira. With Bared Teeth and Truths provoked more concentrated attention and awareness of the band and their ravenous fusion of death, groove, and thrash metal; an incendiary mix now truly igniting within Hades.

The release opens up with Cocytus, an instrumental of imposing grandeur and looming shadows creating the climate you would expect surrounding the domain and god of the underworld. Guitars eventually encroach on the deceitful grace of the air creating a link to waiting venomous jaws as the track flows into the predacious animosity and corrosive depths of Styx. As the guitars of James Graham and Chris Kelsall gnaw and taunt the senses with riffs and grooves, vocalist Liam Stark descends and invades with his raw and potent mix of attacks, the frontman as the sound around him openly showing a growth in snarl and dexterity since that last EP. The guitars continue to weave a web of creative deceit, lures of infectious and seductive design woven to violate while the biting beats of Mike Collins and the tenebrific lines of bassist Jason McEwan have nothing in mind except merciless trespass.

It is a mighty and increasingly gripping track still slightly outshone though by next up Acheron. With grooves swinging from its first breath and contagious irritability coating every note and raw throated expulsion, the track unleashes the most virulent strain of toxic rock ‘n’ roll. The band’s sound has fully escaped any confines of extreme metal tagging, the third track epitomising its adventure and maturity and especially its rudely addictive quality forcing full submission to its rancor.

Lethe is simply bestial; a vicious harrying of the senses. Every element of its twisted body and intent is delicious harassment, grooves swarming through ears as rhythms advance with horde like barbarity. Within the tempest though, as across all tracks, there is a melodic prowess which accentuates rather than tempers the pernicious infestation but equally spotlights the instinctive craft breeding the envenomed imagination and onslaught on offer.

The EP closes with Phelegethon, arguably the biggest intrusive nagging of the senses of them all and quite possibly our favourite though that honour is consistently shared with its two predecessors. It is a stirring end though with the guitars a viperish incursion and rhythms a bold and numbing incitement as Stark crawls and lurches over the senses and psyche with vocal glands spilling malevolence in varying shades.

With Hades, Triverse Massacre has presented itself to the main table of extreme metal but as the EP thrills you still get the sense that the band is nowhere close to depleting its creative depths. That suggests very potent horizons for the quintet and for our beleaguered ears alongside them.

The Hades EP is released May 26^th @ https://triversemassacre.bandcamp.com/ or http://triversemassacre.bigcartel.com/

http://www.triversemassacre.com/    https://www.facebook.com/TriverseMassacre%20/    https://twitter.com/TriverseM

Pete RingMaster 25/05/2017

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

The Sun Explodes – The Calm, The Storm

2011 debut album Emergence was where UK progressive rock band The Sun Explodes first caught ears and attention, and not just lured their focus but had then gripped. It was a potential soaked and creatively masterful introduction with a few lesser issues which only added to the promise and anticipation of greater things to come. Its successor We Build Mountains two years later realised those hopes and expectations whilst setting down new adventures to greedily devour. The exceptional release one of the most exciting offerings of that year, so much so that you had to wonder if this was to be as good as it gets for the band and whether what came next could live up to such heights. Well, The Calm, The Storm certainly rivals its predecessor, eclipses it at times, whilst suggesting there is still more striking exploits to come from the band.

Carlisle based The Sun Explodes has explored a ‘mellower’ landscape with The Calm, The Storm, further blossoming the melodically colourful side of their sound. This also applies to the vocals though that is not to say that the bulging rhythms and aggressive almost predatory creative drama fuelling previous releases are not as pungent as ever, just that the focus is centred on another side of their invention. Technically and texturally, the release is as dynamic and unpredictable as ever, their fascinating and relentlessly busy sound and enterprise again best and only fully explored over numerous listens.

   It all starts with The Calm, and a gentle melodic caress of guitar. The reflective shimmer of their coaxing is quickly reinforced by the similarly relaxed tones of vocalist Dave Maclachlan, ears and thoughts immersed in an evocative lure and atmosphere. This continues to seduce, drawing the imagination deeper into its embrace before erupting into a more intensive wind of rhythmic predation and harmonic elegance. There is a new raw edge to the track, a rugged tempestuous air taking over though the poetic melodic craft of earlier continues to entwine and incite from within. It is a transfixing start to the EP which leads straight into the just as powerful and dramatic majesty of The Unnatural. The second song instantly reveals a more virulent contagion and energy to its body, riffs and hooks from the guitars of Alex Adamson and Alex Harris immediately enticing and thrilling ears. A slip into calmer, magnetic waters comes with the entrance of Maclachlan’s voice and song narrative, though the bass of Mike Walker and the punchy beats of drummer Jamie Harris line and skirt it all with darker shadows, a kind of menace which become more pronounced as the song flows into heavier, ravenous scenery. It is a continually changing passage of course, peace and volatile energies switching and aligning across the enthralling encounter as the guitars, also with continual unpredictability, prowl and ignite the air.

As openly as the band’s songwriting and sound has evolved and become even more involved, so the individual skills and maturity of each band member seems to have grown too. The second track is a web of striking exploits in all areas and straight away emulated in The Grand Design. It also opens up its incitement with a swagger and dynamic energy before settling into a more evenly offered temptation, though it is fair to say that within seconds the track reveals a fierce tapestry of flavours and endeavour which is as jazzy as it is predatory and as melodically enthralling as it is rhythmically intimidating. Like on hot coals, rhythms are a boisterous and agitated shuffle across the song whilst harmonies bring a warm seducing caress, whilst between them guitars and keys cast a vivid and tenacious sonic picture narrated by the excellent tones of Maclachlan. To be honest it is hard to portray everything going on within songs, the fullness of the dynamics and torrent of styles and enterprise lighting ears, so be prepared to hear and discover much more when listening to the release yourselves.

I Walk Alone takes the listener on a less agitated flight initially but creative turbulence is lying in wait and soon sparking appetite and greater enjoyment as the song twists and turns through its own individual maelstrom, though it is more a kaleidoscope of imagination and inventive resourcefulness then anything chaotic. This and the closing Storm Of Light are arguably the least capricious tracks on the release, but each is still a varying tapestry of mercurial enterprise. The final song is a captivating union of piano and vocals, a duet of beauty matched by the soaring harmonies around them. There is grace and emotional energy to the proposition which only strengthens as the track subsequently expels a blaze of guitar boiled intensity and intensive rhythms.

A stirring end to another masterful creative emprise from The Sun Explodes, we can only repeat the last words in our review of previous album We Build Mountains two years ago. The Sun Explodes stand as one of the most important bands in UK rock, just that after The Calm, The Storm they are even more essential for all progressive rock fans to investigate.

The Calm, The Storm EP is available from May 18^th @ http://thesunexplodes.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thesunexplodes

RingMaster 18/05/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @ http://www.reputationradio.net

 

Triverse Massacre – With Bared Teeth And Truths

There is nothing kind or merciful about With Bared Teeth And Truths, the new EP from UK extreme metallers Triverse Massacre, its title more than hinting at the ferocious and torrid tempest grasping every second of the encounter. It is a formidable and reasonably striking encounter which at times does arguably offer more potential than realised triumphs but still incites a healthy appetite for the Carlisle quintet. From a decent enough yet underwhelming start, the EP emerges as a creatively flavoursome and pleasingly hostile protagonist reinforcing the suggestion set by its predecessor that Triverse Massacre is a band with a potent horizon ahead of them. Formed in 2010, the band soon earned a strong reputation for their uncompromising sound and fierce stage performances, the sharing of stages with bands such as Aliases, The Sun Explodes, and Meta-Stasis cementing their emerging presence in the UK metal underground. The band has earned comparisons to the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse, and Slayer along the way whilst debut EP, In The Jaws Of Deceit set a potent base for the band to move on from. With Bared Teeth And Truths is possibly not as big a step forward from that well-received release as expected but certainly evidence of a band on the right course. The release opens with Wolves At Your Gates, a track which suggests more than it gives. From a raw and brewing tempestuous climate of distressed and pained sounds, rhythms emerge with intensive muscle and riffs with predatory design, all ridden by the excellent insidiously venomous growls of Liam Clark. As the song settles into its purpose and stride there is an expected spark missing, hooks and acidic grooves from guitarists James Graham and Chris Kelsall imposing yet safe in their intensity whilst the rhythms of drummer Mike Collins, aligned to the sinister prowling intent of bassist Dan Fisher, are demanding but also devoid of real viciousness. Whether it is the production or the song itself, the encounter whilst still appealing potently just does not come alive as hoped. The individual craft of the band is impressive and the structure of the track as it tries to intimidate and scar the senses enticing but even with its inventive rabidity there is something amiss and lacking. The following Exhale Betrayal is instantly a more formidable and threatening proposition, swift grinding riffs rich bait to which rampaging rhythms add their mighty swings. The vocals again squall and squeal with an addictive presence, Clark’s delivery something you suspect will work for some and not others, but for those with a liking for his serpentine abrasing it is a highly pleasing asset of the band and songs. A virulent urgency drives the track as the guitars cast their unpredictable weave over ears and though there also is an incomplete air to the song, it is down to a lifeless production more than anything.      Bullets Kill Beasts opens on a melodic reflection, guitars casting an emotive hue framed by a military bred march of rhythms and a potent throaty bass suasion. Straight away the track brings a new breath and strength to the release, bringing more antagonism and potency to the vocal hostility and winding thrash fuelled grooves as well as the flurries of riffs. The track is soon charging contagiously into the imagination, its twists of ideation and sonically catchy enticements ensuring that With Bared Teeth And Truths is a completely different and now rigorously impressive proposition. The production still mutes some of the strengths of the track but compared to its predecessors it is able to throw off its restrictions to leave a lingering and fully satisfied impression. The closing Torn From The Throne takes things to another level again, the best track on the EP unleashing a greater physical and aural enmity on the senses and passions. The track simply tears at ears with a brutal predation and bestial rancor, bad blood infectiously flooding its sonic and melodic veining as oppressive weight and severity drives vocals and rhythms. In many ways the EP is one of two halves, the first appealing and full of promise but the second is where the real potential and potency of the band is on show. Triverse Massacre is gaining a fine reputation as they grow and With Bared Teeth And Truths definitely adds to that but it also seems like a missed opportunity to push the band onto a loftier step within the national metal scene. As said though they are heading in the right direction and more encounters like this, with a deserving production next time, will do nicely. The With Bared Teeth And Truths EP is available now via http://triversemassacre.bandcamp.com/album/with-bared-teeth-and-truths https://www.facebook.com/TriverseMassacre 7.5/10 RingMaster 04/08/2014 Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from http://audioburger247.webs.com/    

The Sun Explodes – We Build Mountains

At the time of the release of the excellent debut album Emergence, we suggested its only flaw was that there was too much going on within the release which constantly wrong footed the listener so they at times were not allowed to settle into a track and find and truly appreciate the glories within. It did not stop the record from being one of the brightest and most promising releases at that time. Well UK rockers The Sun Explodes have returned with its successor We Build Mountains and the same creative invention and imagination, but this time it works perfectly. Yes each song twists and turns like a sonic lap dancer but it is a seamless and fluid course of adventure which not only unveils each imaginative treat with clarity but brings the tracks into one singular sultry landscape of unpredictable scenery.

The Carlisle based quintet has also realised all that suggested promise too, the songwriting and music a massive leap forward and it was not exactly unimpressive to start with. This is a band with a sure maturity and though already availing our ears of a striking level of musicianship previously they have equally elevated that to remarkable craft and efficiency. Labelling their sounds is a waste of time as each song offers a new wealth and wash of distinct and enterprising flavours but let us just say the band seduce and snarl at the senses with scintillating effect and employ as many tastes of rock and at times metal you could dream of. Quite simply the union of vocalist/keyboardist Dave MacLachlan, guitarists/backing vocalists Alex Harris and Alex Adamson, bassist Mike Walker, and drummer Jamie Harris have sculpted and produced one of the biggest highlights of the year.

Opener Fear of Falling tempts our ears with a gentle tease of guitar and enthralling vocals from MacLachlan backed wonderfully by the two guitarists Harris and Adamson, this will not be the last time they all impress this way either. As the melodic tendrils of the song wrap tenderly around thoughts the rhythms of drummer Harris make crisp patterns within their breeze ensuring an energy is brewed and poise to explode in the subsequent metallic and bruising squall of sound and harsh/harmonic vocals. Throughout its narrative the song feels like it is setting something up whether the theme, atmosphere, intent of the album, possibly all but its emotive and heated impact is unquestionable in respect to potency and intrigue.

The strong start is soon left in the slipstream of the title track. It is a towering stomp of keen acidic riffs, snapping rhythms, and a melodic mystique that permeates sound and vocals. It is also irrepressibly contagious especially when it allows its sinews to barrack the senses within sonic sabre cuts of guitar. There is a familiarity to it which whispers throughout but a recognition which stems from previous songs like Honour Bound which is only welcome. As rife in their previous album, the song allows you to think you have the handle on its intent, its course, but no chance as suddenly The Sun Explodes juggles everything into a tirade of metalcore like spite. It is a riveting conclusion to an outstanding song and gives a tough ask of next up A Thousand Fires to emulate. The spread of beats leads in an electro like ambience lined with again rich colour fuelled guitar. Expanding to an emotively crafted sunset of reflective embraces entwined with picture painting melodic endeavour, the track is an enticing flame which burns stronger and more vibrantly the further into its almost turbulent depths you search whilst drawing a bigger impossible to refuse  persuasion each time you run its flume of passion.

The pair of Machines Pt.1 and Pt.2 provides another emotionally charged canvas, the first a short expressive lead of predominantly vocals and keys into the second rousing part. As guitars and again the vocals of MacLachlan cast their influential presence over thoughts and feelings the band build a spire of dramatic yet understated sentiment which flourishes within the rising heat and incendiary air of the track. The pair has to be taken together and is probably the least accessible moment on the album at first but incredibly rewarding when given time and attention.

SevenThreeOne launches itself at the ear with a tempest of discord seeping disruptive rhythmic rain egged on by an equally disorientating sonic burst. Reeling under its brilliant assault the ear is then taken through a maelstrom of eccentric diversions, metallic animosity, and experimental ingenious enterprise. It is a constant shift of gait and invention which only enthrals and incites limbs and passions to play alongside. It works because there is a constant core to the song which even though it also twists and turns to mesmerise and leave the listener unable to settle, it ensures they are pulled into the heart of it all. The best track on the album and there are a few contenders, it most of all shows how much the band has evolved on their earlier triumph.

After the brief near instrumental Lamia with a spoken sample walking its ambient shard of melodic suggestion the closing Serpentine explores thoughts and emotions further. Again it is best to see the tracks as one though whether that was the intent the band will have to be asked, and maybe it would have been better to just have Lamia as the intro to the final song as adrift it does seem a little out of place. The intensive wrap of the last song provokes senses and feelings into play yet again. Vocals and melodies dance with them in a slow waltz of contemplative elegance and inciting heat to create a delicious aural musing, a sunset of sonic earnestness and melodic hues which intoxicatingly brings the album to rest.

The Sun Explodes stand as one of the most important bands in UK rock and We Build Mountains the reason why we can make that declaration. If you thought this band was immense before than be prepared to be awe struck and if this is your first acquaintance with them, you have a real treat in store.

http://www.facebook.com/thesunexplodes

9/10

RingMaster 30/07/2013

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

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The Bone Orchard Show 34

The Reputation Radio Show has a well established recognition and notoriety for finding, championing and promoting the best of the independent artists and sounds around the globe. Unrelenting and tenacious the promotions company/radio show is acknowledged as the prime source for finding the best talent of all genres with the introduction of the same followed closely. The intense and heavier world of sound is discovered and unleashed through The Bone Orchard, a show where anything with muscle and a riotous tendency is eagerly presented. From all forms of metal and industrial/harsh electro through punk and psychobilly on to noise and psyche with all in between, The Bone Orchard bears their individual shadowed fruits eagerly.

This past week saw the latest episode bringing six of the most impressive and exciting bands around as well as bringing a debate on some aspects of music. Hosted by the blue hued Pete Ringmaster and Reputation Radio Show CEO and mastermind Johnny Summers, the show cleared the sinuses and lit up the ears of all those with urges to match and compliment the great sounds played.

Opening with the traditional opening intro provided by Mr Strange of The Shanklin Freak Show, a band the hosts would talk about at length within the show giving the audience the latest developments from their carnival, the show immediately treated the eager crowd to a track from the debut album Defaced from UK rock band The Self Titled to be released June 18th. Mr Nobody is a stunning track, a metal and rock fusion with stirring vocals from frontman Mark Campbell over a brew of inventive and powerful sounds. With an insatiable thirst for gigging and an equal demand wanting them for shows, The Self Titled are one of the best bands in the country right now, their sharing of stages with the likes of Forever Never and Sarah Jezebel Deva as well as acclaimed festival appearances, leaving nothing but devoted fans in their wake.

Next there was a burst of real punk rock from another band from the UK in the mischievous bruising shape of Dirt Box Disco. With self declared influences ranging from Kerbdog, The Damned  and the Ramones to The Bonzo Dog Doodah Band and Showaddywaddy, the quintet from Burton on Trent make music which is honest, feisty, and insatiably infectious. The contagious track played, I Am Rock n Roll, was an exclusive from Legend another album to be released June 18^th. The song played and the album the song comes from is one which revives the true 1977 spirit of punk meshing it with rock sounds as anthemic and voracious as you could wish for.

Before a lively debate about bands including cover songs in their live sets which saw the hosts at opposing lecterns but ultimately ended in the blue man being right, so he claims, things became intensified with the devastating aggressive sound of Amongst Carrion. From South Wales the five piece metallers woke up the airwaves with their track The Fear In Her Eyes taken from their latest EP We That Should Not Be. With a melodic groove recalling In Flames and the brutal riffage of an August Burns Red, the track easily declares the band as an emerging force in UK extreme metal. They have definitely moved on fully from their early days as a cover band, the point which inspired the following discussion.

Continuing the UK theme Leeds band Ourfamous Dead provided the next outstanding track with their forth coming single Claws At The Door. A rampant brew of hardcore, punk, and electro the song is the latest step in the vision of band founder and song writer AJ Reeves. Fresh off a UK tour with another Bone Orchard favourite The Sun Explodes, the quintet are a band on an accelerated rise pulling in acclaim and fans with each show and release persistently. Having supported the likes of The Blackout, Funeral For a Friend and Gallows, the band is fast approaching the point where others are eager to share stages with them.

As the final featured band of the night, US melodic metal band Vajra stunned and thrilled the listeners with their epic masterpiece Inside The Flame. Taken from their forthcoming album Pleroma, to be released in July, the song is a hypnotic and powerful example of the darkly melodic progressive rock fused with Eastern Indian influences which they inventively create. Led by the glorious voice of founder/producer/keyboardist/songwriter Annamaria Pinna, the band is one with a craft and imagination which is sure to find a feverish demand over the months ahead.

Closing out with Irish metallers iBURN, a band which is frequently requested since the debut of their song Where It Begins taken from their new EP of the same name, and another band which leaves you wanting more, The Bone Orchard dished up another formidable dose of new and impressive music. If anyone tells you there is nothing good or new coming out, place them in front of the podcast of the show, and they will soon be put right by this group of bands alone.

With the show primed to unveil more outstanding artists and sounds across the weeks ahead you can catch this, previous and future shows over at The Bone Orchard page at The Reputation Radio Show site as well as watching a selection of videos from a host of the bands featured on the show.

Get in touch with the show via  boneorchard@reputationintroduces.com

RingMaster 16/06/2012

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Grenouer: Computer Crime

When a band appear out of nowhere with a sound and release that makes one stop and pour full attention on its fresh and stirring body it simply lifts and re-energises the enthusiasm to continually search and listen to each and every new band that comes into view. Russians Grenouer is such a band though they are not really as such only fresh to these ears. The band itself has been a force in their country for many years but have yet to obviously make a truly striking mark outside of their homeland borders. With their excellent new mini album Computer Crime released via UK label Copro Records, they could turn the current interest from the rest of Europe into a much more powerful energy towards them.

Formed in 1992 the history of the band seems to be one of continual change or evolution going by their bio, not only in people but sound, and not a slight change either. Initially the St. Petersburg band was an underground/death metal band and with a sound which found a definition and maturity by the time of their debut album Border of Misty Times in 1996. Three more albums followed in the shape of Gravehead, The Order O’Folly and Presence with War between 1999 and 2003 to establish the band with fans and the underground media.

2006 saw the release of Try and a new sound for the band as they moved from within their death metal sound into a more experimental sound combined with industrial and polyrhythmic invention. The album took them to the attention of the likes of Hard Rock, Rock Sound and Metal Hammer and into a full album release with Casket Music. Next came Lifelong Days in 2008 through Locomotive Records and a busy time of festival and touring to share stages with bands such as Anathema, Cradle Of Filth, Soilwork, Pro Pain, Neurosis, Entombed, Tiamat, Testament, Textures, and Tesseract. Another rethinking of direction and sound emerged from this point with the discussions and differing opinions causing the band to go through a line-up change as it split in half. Vocalist Andrey Ind and guitarist Alexander Motor brought in second guitarist Igor Arbue and drummer Michael Coroner to replace the departed members of Grenouer, and worked on new songs to add to three recorded before the split. The new hard rock and post grunge lined sound took inspiration from the likes of Alice In Chains, Filter, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. With a quintet of tracks renewed, produced and mixed at ‘Astia’ Studio in Finland with Anssi Kippo, who played bass and keys on the songs, and Jonas Kooto, the band created Computer Crime.

The release opens with Last Stop, a track which immediately announces its arrival with muscular riffs, intimidating rhythms and a predatory prowl around the ear. Sharp melodies cut through the intensity with a sure and satisfying craft whilst the growling intensity of the song is never far away, eager and ready to pounce from behind the inventive play and strong smooth vocals of Ind. The song offers up a mix of Gruntruck, Prong, and The Sun Explodes with more than a Meshuggah flavour to the rhythms and riffs.

The following Rejected is an equally impressive and welcome invasion of the ear, placing its creative melodic enterprise and blood pumping darkened energy upon the senses with craft. The bass of Kippo is a brooding stalking beast which adds a glorious sturdy and threatening vein to the openly appealing song.

One highlight of a very impressive album is See No Sun. Opening on an emotive atmospheric melodic weave with an ethnic lining the song entrances and entices immediately. It reminds of Motherjane as it sways and lights up the emotions, the controlled and passion fuelled path a compulsive and touching experience. Then the track unleashes a surprising inner blackness in an intense and venomous expulsion mid way in before returning to the captivating grace before.

The powerful and equal best track on Computer Crimes is Fix Your Life and with Golden Years completes the release. The first is a blend of towering riffs and spiky melodic intrusions whilst the latter a warm and vibrant track which without the harder edge of the other songs is still as rewarding and an infectious song that soon has one involved.

    Grenouer maybe new to a great many but with Computer Crimes that is sure to change, and the recommendation is to just go find it before it finds you.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Grenouer/89279191818

RingMaster 01/04/2012

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Interview with AJ Reeves of Ourfamous Dead

By Gavin McQuarrie

The past year has seen many bands emerge to grab firm attention and distinct acclaim for their sound. One such band that has easily garnered praise is UK electro rockers Ourfamous Dead. Their debut single and the following I Am Human EP brought them impressively into hungry ears and the eager focus of a great many, something their  forthcoming new single Claws at the Door should easily increase. We had the chance to let fly at band founder, songwriter, and vocalist AJ Reeves with questions to find out more about the band and their music.

Hi Guys, many thanks for chatting to us.

First of all can you introduce the band?

Hi there, the live band consists of Simon Green on Bass and Vocals, Robin Speight on Drums and vocals, Rich Jennings on guitar and vocals, Callum Knight on guitar and myself (AJ Reeves) on vocals.

How long has Ourfamous Dead been going and how did it all start?

Ourfamous Dead is coming up to 3 years. It started with myself writing and recording songs in my bedroom then taking it to a live situation with a live band. We then took to the local scene. Since then I relocated to Leeds to take everything to a larger audience.

Is the band your first musical endeavours?

I suppose it isn’t really, I’ve played classical piano since I was around 6 years old and I’ve played in a few small local bands prior to Ourfamous Dead.

The band name makes one think of people who have gained more fame and acclaim after their demise, but what is the story behind the name?

It passed the two week test. The worst thing about a band is creating a band name. Basically I figured if you write it down and come back to it at a later date, if it doesn’t suck as much as the others then it’s the one.

Your music is quite distinct combining elements of punk, hardcore and electronica. What are the major influences that have helped you arrive at your finished sound?

Firstly I wouldn’t say this is our finished sound. There’s going to be a lot on the album that’s different from anything we’ve done before in terms of sound and arrangement. What’s led to the sound of the work that’s out there at the moment primarily is a mix of the stuff I was listening to at the time. I was trying to establish the band and gain a fanbase so I guess I was trying to fit in with a specific music genre or scene. I don’t regret that but it is not the way I want the band to continue.

You sit between and link the likes of Enter Shikari, Silent Descent and The Browning whilst offering a punk infused energy to set you apart. How do you see yourselves though?

It is strange, by the time I’ve recorded a song I’m usually sick of it so looking back in retrospect is pretty difficult. At the moment I would just say we’re different. Especially if you come to a live gig. We’re currently only playing 3 of the songs we’ve released. The rest are new and completely different but still very much us.

You are about to release your new single Claws At The Door, a formidably excellent song. Tell us about the song and its background.

Basically this song is around 2 years old. I wrote it first as a piece of music with no lyrics, so primarily it had no meaning at all and it was only a “thing”. The band then learnt the music and we began playing it live and I would just make up lyrics for it at each gig. As the lyrics developed it became more apparent it was about the duality of man. And that is essentially what it is. I only finished the lyrics for the song when I was stood in the vocal booth laying down the vocals. That’s your OFD fact of the day.

How has your music evolved since your debut promo a year ago through to this new release?

A heck of a lot. I am human was written almost three years ago (claws at the door isn’t too far behind that either) and I’ve already had a lot of material for the album and beyond. I basically wanted to test the water with I am Human to gauge the response it received. I was pretty happy even though I view the EP as being somewhat immature. I felt the need to write songs that were aimed at a specific genre. I looked at popular bands at the time and aimed to write songs that they could have written. It is not exactly what I wanted to do but I figured it would build an audience. Now I am writing stuff that people aren’t ready for and I’m slowly breaking that sound into our music. The debut album will be a transitional album. What comes after that will define us. or so I feel.

How are your songs constructed from seed to the finished result?

I often come up with the music first. Lyrics are definitely last.

Your outstanding EP I Am Human took you to the awareness and acclaim of many new fans and the media such as magazines like Rocksound. Obviously all bands hope this will be the case with each release but did it exceed your hopes the response you got?

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting too much from it. Id chosen those four songs with diversity in mind. A kind of showcase of the different routes the band could take. As I said earlier I was testing the water with it. I have so much material written and nothing properly released so I just drew a line under it and thought we needed to start somewhere. At the same time I didn’t want to select some of the newer material. Who wants to ride the fastest rollercoaster at the theme park first? the rest will seem substandard after that. That’s exactly what I did with I am Human.

Live you have shared stages with the likes of The Blackout, Funeral For A Friend and Gallows, which shows the varied styles you can easily sit alongside. Is there a certain crowd other than your own fans of course that take to your music over others?

I’m not entirely sure. We definitely don’t go down well in Castleford. We accidentally played a gig there some time ago and the people In attendance didn’t know what was going on. We played four songs, nearly got into a fight and left.

As you mentioned earlier there is an album in the works. Is there a date for its release yet?

As of yet, no. I don’t want to put a date on it because I don’t want to release anything sub standard again. Even though a lot of the songs are there, they are still being crafted. That as well as funding. I don’t want anything to leave that isn’t industry standard. To get that standard isn’t cheap and funding a band as a student is difficult. Even between the five of us  is still tough and we’ve done a lot recently. We just bought a van for the tour and the video single package was done too. At the moment we are waiting to see where we are after the tour to see when we can commit to a date.

What treats and new things will we find within album walls?

Less hardcore influence, darker synths and percussion, same accessibility.

You are about to start a UK tour with The Sun Explodes, another favourite here. It should be one explosive and thrilling series of shows. The anticipation for you must be high?

Indeed, we actually played our first gig the other night, it was great. The final night is pretty close to my home town (and is TSE’s home town) so it should be busy. I am looking forward to seeing some old faces and of course the TSE lads are awesome guys.

You have a reputation for lively and high intensity gigs; this is the arena you really enjoy as a band?

It is indeed. Its great writing music to go together in the studio but afterward we have to re map everything so it works live. It is an exciting prospect bringing all the songs to a live audience and we really love doing it!

In a time where more and more show promoters only put on bands who guarantee fan attendees, how have you found it to this point trying to play to more and more people?

It is an uphill struggle, constantly. 90 percent of promoters don’t care if you’re the best underground unsigned band in the world. They would rather have a covers band play if it meant  50 ticket sales than support real music. Everything is a popularity contest these days. “Tag your band on here and get all your chummy mates to “like” us and your post. The band who gets 10000000 likes (and get people looking at our Facebook page) can play.”

It is backwards. We hate spamming shit everywhere because we know people get sick of it. We therefore have to do things the hard way. The old fashioned way. Get out there, play your music, get a real following. Your music speaks for itself that way.

Most promoters don’t even promote anymore. The amount of people who say “yeah you can play, how many ticket sales?”. We’ve done a few of these before and the promoter hasn’t done anything. One of them literally just left the bands to it. No posters, no advertisement, nothing apart from a Facebook status half an hour before the gig. The two bands that played did all the promoting, brought their fans through and made the promoter his money.

How do you feel about the internet and its wider base for music, something that brings great positives and equally large negatives?

Yes basically the internet has given the modern musician a medium for getting their name and music out there. In that respect it is great, its free. The other side of the coin is, it is now nearly impossible to make money out of your product, your music. People can get your music for free one way or another and CDs are pretty much obsolete. If you can’t stay ahead of the game and think of other ways to keep people interested, you are always going to fall behind. Basically the good and the bad cancel each other out in my opinion. We embrace the good but don’t rely on it. We still do things the way bands always have before the internet. This was good old fashioned hard work. Get out there constantly gigging, getting our heads down out in the cold flyering etc….

After the tour and working on the album, do you have more in store for the rest of the year?

More gigs, more records, possibly another music video.

And hopes?

Some funding would be nice, as would someone to back us. Someone in the industry who believes in what we’re doing.

Again thank you for taking time to talk with us and good luck with the tour and single.

Would you like to end with any last words for your growing army of fans?

Thanks for the continued support!

Read the I Am Human EP review @ https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/ourfamous-dead-i-am-human/

And the Claws At The Door review @ https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/ourfamous-dead-claws-at-the-door/

The Ringmaster Review 17/04/2012

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