Toby Wright « The RingMaster Review

OYD2_RingMaster Review

A sound hard to pin down always excites the imagination more than most and equally ears it is hoped. Greek hard rockers One Year Delay have such a proposition bursting from their imagination and craft and as proven by debut album Deep Breath it does give ears and thoughts a thoroughly enjoyable time. Offering seven songs entwining flavours such as nu and alternative metal, grunge and punk rock amongst many spices, the release is a roller coaster of invention and perpetual success. Wanting to learn more about One Year Delay and their ear catching proposition, we had the pleasure of talking with the band, exploring their origins, the spark to their diverse sound, and the recording of Deep Breath along the way.

Hi and welcome to The RingMaster Review, thanks for sharing your time with us.

For newcomers to the band can you give some background to the forming and early days of One Year Delay?

(Nick) One Year Delay started as a band of a few friends with the same goal. To write some music that we love and play as many gigs as we can, to express themselves and fulfil our need for creativity! To cooperate with your friends to a purpose like this, I assure you, it is not easy. And that’s because we all have different influences of all kinds of rock and metal genres. But the result is a good mix of all those genres. And the most important thing for the listener is to understand is the social and economic circumstances that we live in, and finally inspire us to our lyrics and music.

Was there a particular spark or intent taken into the band as direction or simply attitude in those first days?

(Nick) The spark was, in a way, the difficulties that we experienced as a nation the last few years, but also the personal problems that all people have faced through their lives. But I have to mention, that the expressions of your feeling such as anger, despair, terror etc. to another person, even if it is a friend, is equally difficult as dealing with it! And that’s another spark that boned us. The expression of ourselves; not feeling vulnerable!

Apart from member changes, how has the band changed in its ideas and thoughts in regard to making music if at all over the past three or so years?

(George)The main factor of changing the course of our compositions was the realisation that we have nothing to lose if we at least try to play anything we are fond of, following no linearity. We are all attracted to bands that are not afraid to experiment. Gradually it grew in us and we decided to establish this fusion of genres. The upcoming compositions will prove this even more, you can count on that!

OYD_RingMaster Review We can confirm that great diversity to your sound, the embrace of numerous styles; so this has more evolved over time or was also a vibrant element at the band’s start?

(George) Like most bands in the beginning of their venture, we started in a rather tight musical frame. If you love music in general you don’t wanna focus on a particular influence I guess. The way I personally see it, it’s like entering a buffet restaurant and picking one dish! We are probably the guys that will fill their plates with a little bit of everything! Nevertheless we try to match our variable tastes as good as we can, being aware at the same time how difficult and risky it might be.

So it is fair to say that this strong mix of flavours has organically grown with band’s members individual and varied musical tastes or is there an element of intention fuelling it too?

(Stavros) Both at the same time…All members have got different tastes, with heavy sound as the joining point. Under this point of view we wouldn’t be satisfied with, for example, a 100% thrash or 100%hard rock sound. We use the style of sound in order to achieve contradiction and we don’t restrict ourselves in terms of genres. Everything has to do with matching and we could use more extreme combinations in case we thought it blends well. This is what we like and if you consider each song as a painting we like using lots of colours in the palette…

How would you describe your music to simplify it for newcomers?

(Stavros) Our music is based on the element of surprise. Our intentions are obvious through the blend of atmospheric/melodic parts to more metal sounds. You can spot this in the genres that vary in Deep Breath. Still the most distinguished part of our intentions to surprise is the bridge part of the songs that is not borrowing any structural element of the previous parts. Surely I cannot exclude the part we picked for the introduction to the whole album (Gunpoint intro)

Are there any specific and major inspirations which you would say have particularly impacted on the One Year Delay sound or invention?

(George) The gamut is infinite…Here is an attempt to include some names, though it still won’t be very representative: Korn, Deftones, Metallica, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Tool, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Primus, Faith No More and the list goes on and on… Now as far as the influence is concerned there can be tiny parts of songs or a musician’s particular style that inspired us. The list definitely expands to a broader musical scale.

You are of course from Greece, where to us on the outside it seems it is the extreme styles of metal which predominantly occupy the thoughts of new bands and fans there. What is the reality and how has home grown rock fans taken to your adventurous sound?

(George) That is true. Greek metal fans mostly appreciate the archetypical elements of speed, heavy sound, groove, etc., although this not a rule. Younger generations are willing to embrace newer, more radical forms of music. It is kind of early to estimate the level of approval currently since our debut album has just been released. We are feeling optimistic but we know that Greek crowd is a difficult one to please…

You went over to the US to record just released debut Album Deep Breath. How did the opportunity to travel to Nashville come about and why that decision? deep_breath_oyd_RingMaster Review

(Jack) Everything started when the band decided to record the debut album. Then Pete said “hey guys, wanna contact a very well-known producer?” We said yes, of course; after that we started sending emails and stuff until one day we received an email from Toby which said, “guys, I would love to produce your band,” so we went to Nashville! That comes out because Toby lives Nashville, but on the other hand Nashville is like the Mecca of music. It’s definitely the hottest destination for every kind of musician. That city has music exhibitions even at the airport; I personally think that this place can make you a better musician only by visiting it.

As you just mentioned you recorded the album with the legendary Toby Wright. How was that experience and how much did he help shape or maybe re-adjust your ideas for songs in the studio?

(Jack) Ok, Toby is a great person and a really, really good producer. The experience of working with a producer like him is absolutely amazing. He can make you a better musician only by telling you a simple idea; he knows his job in and out of the studio. He helped us play our own songs better and get the best possible results from us. He has the ability to approach you as a friend and a musical expert at the same time. It is not a common thing for a music star to combine these two facts, is it?

Was there anything which came out of the recording of Deep Breath which surprised you or you discovered which will be a strong help in your next recordings?

(Orestis) We managed to handle a difficult situation. For example, we are a band that made pre-production and production of an album at the same time! Pre-production procedure was very difficult for us. We were in Greece and Toby in the States so we had to work all our ideas through email so Toby could hear it and send back his remarks. It wasn’t live at the studio like “play this or change that,” but I think in the end we have done a very good job as a band and Toby as a producer and we learned our lesson; next time pre-production time will be in the studio hopefully!

As far I remember that time while we were in the studio recording Deep Breath, we were focused on the album trying for the best possible result, so the answer to the second part of the question is no. However, we had a perfect idea before production time which we thought we might have the time to develop and place it as the outro of the album, but eventually it didn’t work. Despite that, this flawless idea will develop into a whole song for our next album. I sense that the new one is a progression or an evolution of our “5m9k song.”

OYD3_RingMaster Review Now the album is out there will you be taking Deep Breath to ears via live shows?

(Orestis) Yes, our main objective now is to provide our sound and material live across the country, also hope to support large metal /rock acts from all around the world when they come to Greece and hope that we will have the opportunity to navigate across Europe and then maybe the world, you never know!

And next for One Year Delay?

(Sotiris) I think that the next thing for O.Y.D. is, of course, live concerts around Greece, Europe and the U.S. (we must pay our bills first). At the same time we have new ideas for our next album which we are working on already, but mostly our aim is to become better musicians in every level and I believe it’s gonna be an interesting year.

Thanks again guys for talking with us, any last words you would like to share?

(Sotiris) Thank you for the interview and your fans for reading it …Make music and love…NOT war!

https://www.facebook.com/oydofficial http://oydband.com/ https://twitter.com/OneYearDelay

http://www.reverbnation.com/OYD oneyeardelaytheband@gmail.com

Read our review of Deep Breath @ https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/one-year-delay-deep-breath/

Pete RingMaster

The RingMaster Review 20/10/2015

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com/

OYD_RingMaster Review

Turning a jumble of varied metal/rock styles into an unpredictable sound which eagerly romps in the ears and captures the imagination, Greek Hard Rockers One Year Delay make their full introduction with debut album Deep Breath. Offering seven songs which entwine flavours from nu and alternative metal with grunge and punk rock in rock ‘n’ roll also unafraid to embrace more classic/hard rock hues, the release is a roller coaster of invention and undulating but perpetual success.

One Year Delay began in early 2012, coming out of the Greek city Kalamata with a sound which through numerous line-ups, the current in place earlier this year, has evolved into the tapestry of adventure which potently marks Deep Breath. The album was recorded in 2014 with Toby Wright, the band travelling to the Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville to make it, with the release finally mastered by Andrew Mendelson. Unveiled through Pavement Entertainment, Deep Breath is an ear catching proposition fuelled with a potential suggesting a bright and for us all a rewarding horizon ahead of the sextet.

deep_breath_oyd_RingMaster Review The album opens up with Gunpoint and badgering bursts of sound and energy which soon merge into a predatory stroll with intimidating riffs and threatening rhythms prowled by the instantly appealing vocals from Orestis Alimonos. As grooves spring their bait and intensity darkens, the song growls and lurches from one antagonistic twist and roar to another, but within this brews a melodic lure of clean vocals and keys seeded enterprise. The song has the unpredictability and imagination of a System Of A Down, if not the sound which is closer to the alternative metal prowess of Israeli band Onoma. Increasingly addictive the track gets the album off to a rousing start.

Headhunters steps up next and again riffs and beats make a potent invitation to which Alimonos once more adds vocal drama and energy backed by the equally strong tones of Steve Tsotras. Striding with an antagonistic swagger, the snarl and lure of the song is accentuated by short scything grooves and fiery sonic enticement through guitarists Nick Koumoundouros and Nick Trimandlilis, the former enticing with individual flames of hard rock enterprise across the metal bred proposal. A continuation of the riveting start to the release, the track makes way for the melodic rock meets groove metal triumph of Truth, Dare, Despair. The song dances on ears with a swirling web of riffs and rhythms, bait as much punk as it is metal and rock ‘n’ roll, to forge its own familiar but personal character; though imagining Drowning Pool meets Finger Eleven gives you an idea to another quickly persuasive encounter by One Year Delay

A sludgy air and gait comes with the following Water Under the Bridge, its slow movement and enticing croon stoner-esque but equally grunge coloured with a whiff of doom rapacity. Though not as immediate on ears and thoughts as its predecessors, or ultimately as dynamic, time allows the song to tempt and unveil intoxicating attributes which in turn gives a keen appetite for the album another reason to indulge often, the same applying to the Nirvana toned Miss You which takes over next. Its gentle voice and guitar entrance is a good welcome but it is when the song picks up its energy with the beats of Sotiris Papadeas a shuddering impact and the bass of George Manesiotis a highly agreeable heavy shadow that it comes into its own. Still the track lacks the same rich and inventive spark of earlier songs but satisfaction is nothing less than strong as it swings through ears.

The band is back spitting aggression with Try to Stay Alive but also entering a raw rap /groove metal crossover with warm rock melodies and Korn like boldness in ideas and unpredictability. It is a great adventure in idea which at times simply enthrals and thrills and in other moments loses its grip with unfulfilled promises, but again a want to hear it again is never far from thoughts after each venture into its potential.

For personal tastes the first half of Deep Breath easily outshines the second but as proven by the closing blues rock call of 5m, 9k, there is always plenty to seriously engage thoughts and have enjoyment fully on board. The last song is a potent weave of heavy riffs and provocative rhythms within scenery of spicy grooves and vocal tempting bringing the album to a rich and persuasive close.

You sense it is early creative days in the growth of One Year Delay but Deep Breath, as a first album, suggests things are definitely heading towards very exciting places. They are already there in many ways with their first full outing but when maturity and natural evolution comes to the fore too, keeping a close eye on One Year Delay might be a clever move.

Deep Breath is out now via Pavement Music through major online stores.

http://oydband.com/ https://www.facebook.com/oydofficial

Pete RingMaster 08/10/2015

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com/