Josh Collard, better known as the front man for Melbourne metalcore outfit Earth Caller, has a new project in the works. Josh recently released a new track, Throne, under the banner JCZA. Curious I reached out to find out what Josh was up to.
Hey Josh thanks for taking the time to chat to me. Digging Throne by the way.
Thank you very much Suze!
You’ve just released “Throne” under the banner JCZA. How did this come about? And where is it going?
It sort of began a long time ago rapping with friends for fun. A lot of mates said I should do it seriously.
In 2018 I was introduced to my producer Svnti and we began working on music together. He helped me shape my sound from the ground up and we made beats and recorded the tracks all together from scratch.
As far as where this is going – I think the best description would be a very dark, gritty and melodic sound and as I release more and more tracks you will hear that vision become more defined
Is this a one-off release or is there more to come?
Much Much more to come.
I’ve got a series of releases which I’ll be drip feeding out as time passes. I really hope people like the direction and progression with the sound.
You have a couple of guest artist featured on Throne. Is that something that will continue? Or will this mostly be a solo project?
Collaboration is big for me on this project.
I’ve been lucky enough to work some great artists from Australia and abroad and I’ll endeavour to always collaborate on this project. That’s the best thing about rap.
If you’ve heard Throne you’ll know how cool Andre Jemal’s feature he wrote is and how much it has enhanced the song.
Big shout out to my man for making the song a bopper!
CZA1?? Care to elaborate on that?
CZA1 is the first collection of music I’ll release.
I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who’s already checked it out and left some very kind words of support in the comments and DM’s. I feel very lucky to have received such a warm welcome.
If you hear the music and you wanna get behind it please follow all the socials, YouTube account and triple J unearth and like/share/comment/review.
Big love everyone and big love to you too Suze! ❤
Check out Throne and hit up JCZA via the links below:
I’ve come to the conclusion that Matt New doesn’t sleep!!! This man seems to have his finger in a lot of pies. I caught up with him to talk about his new business venture Pedalto the Metal and a cool side project he has happening called Band Together: Isolation Covers Project
You seem to be one of the busiest people in the industry! Every time I jump on fb all your socials have something going on….
I like to remain active and creative. Even before the pandemic, I would also keep myself occupied with something to do. Whether that be through songwriting, producing music, attending gigs and writing reviews. But the one thing that I have now more than anything is time since losing my full-time job. So rather than sit on my hands, I’ve been wanting to expand upon my musical endeavours. Figure I may never get this amount of free time to pursue so many projects. It’s amazing to see that my hard work is getting noticed across social media.
Pedal to the Metal is your new online business venture with a cool side project attached. How did that all come about? (The business and the side project)
Pedal To The Metal was born in 2018 beginning as a pedalboard building service for musician’s that needed a professional setup to their live pedalboard rigs. A skill and service I was in demand for when I used to work at The Guitar Factory in Gladesville in the inner suburbs of Sydney. As time progressed I have realised that my skill set transcends beyond this service, and it was time to expand.
I have elaborated the business into an all purpose online music service business which will be going live very soon. Focusing on my strengths as an artist including services like production, composition, musical instrument servicing, management and promotions.
Yes, the side project is very exciting that is connected to this business. Band Together, which is an isolation covers project on YouTube. This was an idea that came to me early on with the pandemic. The thought and mission behind Band Together was to unify musicians from all across the country, or the world with a common love for a cover song of a favourite artist. I feel a tad conflicted about pushing new music in this current climate due to the inability to play live or physically connect with an audience. So a familiar piece of music is the next best thing to connect over, like a warm hug.
Episode one of Band Together: Isolation Covers Project had some impressive musicians involved. How has the response to your call out been? What can we expect in future episodes?
Yes, indeed. Episode one was an amazing experience and I’m so proud of how the final product turned out seeing everyone involved really delivered something special. I’m a massive fan of Osaka Punch. Their music has had an extra special drive for me, as I battled some serious depression issues around the time Pedal To The Metal began. So it seemed natural to have Jack sing on the Incubus cover as I know he is massively influenced by them, and secondly I’ve begun to get to know him better as a friend. Chris who drums for Full Scale delivered his blistering drums all the way over from Perth. Jeremy who runs Scale Records in Brisbane originally was going to play drums on this video, but to show the depth of his talent and cooperation, let Chris play drums and he focused on bass.
I’m super excited and overwhelmed by the response to the project and the call out for musicians to participate. With no end in sight with this pandemic and no clear idea when musicians can hit the stage, I see this as an opportunity for musicians to remain relevant and have some fun. Also to overcome some of the mental health stress caused by isolation and the lack of work we are all used to in this industry. So far I have episodes scheduled and booked fully up to September with artists, some of which are international!!
You guys are performing covers – is it a group decision on what you cover? A song that resonates with all of you. And any hints as to what’s to come….
It all really starts with whoever is singing on the track, or whoever is the most influential member of the lineup. I merely suggest a band to cover based on knowing the collaborating musician’s influences. Naturally with what is suggested there is no resistance to the song we proceed with. I also like to suggest a track that isn’t the most notable song. I feel it’s an opportunity to dig into an artist’s back catalogue and reimagine a hidden gem.
Episode 2 we are covering “Eulogy” by Tool. This will feature Doug from Hemina/Anubis on vocals, Pete Borzeta from Cirrus Crown on guitar, Cam Swales and Jason Hogan from a new and upcoming Brissy prog band called Dimensionist, and of course little old me chugging away on the guitar. I can tell you that we have covers locked in for Karnivool, Deftones and possibly a Sia cover.
I loved the first episode. Do you think this might be something you continue with after restrictions have lifted? I know everyone will be itching to get back to live audiences, but I love this idea and it’s great to see musicians from different bands jamming together.
I’d like this to be able to continue as long as possible. The other cool element to this project is the opportunity to work with a musician you may never have thought you would have had the chance to collaborate with, albeit on a cover. I’m all about the music community. My sole purpose in this industry is to bring us closer together and support each other more.
Let’s face it within a lot of hard rock and metal genres, the majority of the fans are fellow musicians in other bands. The industry is now too small to have the larger than life rockstar attitude. The success of a scene is reliant on everyone supporting all their friend’s endeavours and reciprocating the love.
I also believe the lack of festivals and overseas acts touring will pave the way for a rebirth of the local scene like in the 90’s and early 00’s. Band Together is a means to keep us connected and educated on what everyone is doing and who they play with. Plus everyone involved is making new contacts and friends in the industry.
What’s next for your other projects Painting Fires and Code Atlantic?
Sadly Code Atlantic is taking some time to rebuild after some line-up changes. Something I don’t want to go into in much detail, however I am working on a four part concept album that depicts four different psychological states of mind that we identify in society. I haven’t decided whether these will be released as individual albums or two double albums. All will be revealed in the not too distant future.
As for Painting Fires, I’m furiously trying to get this album demoed and written so I can begin tracking. Like Band Together, this upcoming Painting Fires album will be a music community driven incentive. I have a long list of fellow musicians from the Australian prog, metal and doom scene loaning their talents and instruments to the project. I am to use this music to raise awareness and raise money for mental health in the music industry. A large portion of the sales of the album and merch will be donated to selected mental health charities. I’m aiming to hopefully have this album ready to release by late 2020 or early 2021. The main challenge is coordinating so many other musicians on so many different tracks. I’m very confident this will do very well and I hope the music I wrote for this project resonates with people that struggle with mental health, to find the power to overcome it like I have been doing.
Episode 2 of Band Together goes live tonight.
Check out Episode 1 below. Hit that subscribe button!!
From supporting some pretty impressive Australian bands over the last few years, to preparing to release their sophomore EP, Melbourne’s In Deception seem to be a band on a mission. Having recently released their latest single Forever//Always, I caught up with vocalist Andrew Burnham to find out some more about the single and just who In Deception are.
Tell me about In Deception
We all met in high school and bonded through our love of heavy music. We were about 16 (2009) when we first started jamming out in our garages, spare rooms, back yards and Jordan’s nasty poolside bungalow, to our favourite bands like Bullet For My Valentine, A7X, Asking Alexandria, A Day To Remember and bunch of bands I’m too embarrassed to admit liking.
The jam sessions became more frequent and we became far more intense with our performance, trying to put on the best shows we can for the rehearsal room walls. It became clear we wanted to write our own material, to play shows and eventually take over the world with the craziest riffs and the most angelic vocals you’ve ever heard. But we didn’t know how to write songs, we didn’t even know the best method to get an idea from our head, to our ears. The truth is… we still don’t!
Our songs come about in different ways. From writing to recording we’ve learnt to do whatever works for us in that moment, and to learn by working with people who are far greater at your craft than you. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to share the stage with some serious talent from all over Australia, like Deez Nuts and Dream On Dreamer to name a couple. We’ve also been lucky to have Nick Sjogren from Thornhill produce our three most recent singles, at a time where Deception didn’t know what direction to take regarding releases and writing. Working with Nick really made me appreciate and understand the importance of working with a producer as understanding and patient as him. We would constantly change songs or what song we were working on in the most sporadic and confusing ways, but Nick carried the team the entire journey and managed to smash out some badass singles in the end.
You have just released a new single “Forever//Always – what is the story behind the song
Forever//Always was written out of frustration with my surroundings, I felt an ever growing divide between people, where everyone demands pity or sympathy, but are never willing to show any in return. People scream genuine cries for help in times of duress, but the cries get lost in a selfish society of people who insist that their problems matter more and that they shouldn’t have any attention taken away from them. I believe we all share a dream where everything is fine and everyone is happy. Unfortunately, it’s entirely possible the reality in our heads will remain a dream. “Can you imagine a life where we can all live side-by-side, and we can live like this forever and always… this dream I could fall in to forever”.
What can we expect in the future from In Deception? Plans to tour the EP once it’s released and venues reopen?
You can expect more from Deception in the near future. Once Covid clears and venues open, it’s going to be gigs and writing as often as we possibly can, as well as playing bigger / better shows all over Australia with an EP we’ll hopefully be able to release by that time
In Deception are:
Andrew Burnham – Vocals
Jordan Ley – Drums
Matthew Paxton – Bass
Nathan Spikin – Guitar
Mitch Turner – Guitar and Vocals
Keep your ear out for future releases from these guys!
Dweller are the latest metalcore offering to come out of Melbourne. The 5 piece have just launched their debut EP White Rabbit. I caught up with Ryan Mickan for what was supposed to be a quick chat (read 2.5hrs!!) about the album. We digressed away from the topic on numerous occasions but if you ever want to talk music he’s your man!
You know I need to ask this… 9 years in the making! How did this project take so long to come out of hibernation?
Rory, Matt and I were in a punk rock band together with a couple of other guys that eventually collapsed. At around the same time Rory and I were wanting to write heavier stuff. I’d grown up listening to System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, Parkway Drive and those sort of bands and at the time we’d been listening to bands like Of Mice and Men and Underoath. I was like this is more what I want to be doing. So, when the band failed, we realised that all we cared about was writing the music. We decided early on that nothing was going to push us to release anything that we weren’t 100% happy with. We originally had the intent of writing a 10-track album, we ended up with a few more than 10!
Fast forward 5 years of me, Rory, another mate Tom concocting these songs, we’d work on the songs hardcore for a while and then have a break. We all suffer with mental health struggles, so we always gave each other some slack when we needed. That’s kind of where the Dweller name came from and the being in hibernation. I remember saying to Rory that I felt like we’ve been in the scene for years, but we never had been due to just watching from afar.
Over the years I kept in contact with Matt and had showed him this project. I asked him if he would ever come on as the bass player, he was like yep! That was 3-4 years ago. Matt is like the momentum force of the band, he’s the sensible one who pushes the business aspect of the band. We’d had a wish wash of people coming in and out of the band but essentially Matt knew Andy and Dan from playing in their old band, so he pulled them across to join us.
At this point in time I was on vocals, Andy was on guitar with another guy Mike and Dan (drums) and Matt (bass). Dan and Andy were working on another project and Rory was getting married and didn’t know if he could commit so they all stepped away for a while. This was mine and Rory’s baby, so to speak, we essentially did the songs together and his skill set brings all the cool ambience to it. Over the years we have improved each other’s game, so the music had come far over that 10-year period.
So where to next??
Matt being the incredible guy he is said let’s just go record a 5-track EP. Matt and I went hell bent into it. I asked Rory if he would come in and record his leads for it. Matt and I started rebuilding the demo skeleton. I continuously worked on improving the structures of the songs. We did the same with the vocals and lead guitars. We booked in days with Beau McKee but because went so far with the production, improving and rewriting parts all the way through the process, it took slightly longer than first thought. We finished the recording process late last year. In hindsight we probably could have released some of this music earlier and just came out as a band.
But it wouldn’t be what it is if you had released it earlier….
You just took the word right out of my mouth. I remember talking to the guys before they left the first time and Devil You Know wasn’t part of the first 5 tracks. We had an older song we were trying to use that definitely wouldn’t have been as good. Because originally it was going to be an album other than shortening it, I have essentially kept the main tracks in the positions they were intentionally written for. It Lives, It Breathes was always going to be track 1 and from the moment I started writing Nadir it was always the final track.
What a journey to get to that point…
Yes, it was. We then approached Steve Cannatelli (Future Artist Development) and Maddii Nghtmre (The Venom Collective) to find out how to do this right and not squander what we had created. They have been amazing in their advice.
What does the future hold for Dweller?
Finally getting White Rabbit out to the world. In terms of new music, moving forward we just want to keep writing songs, we are just excited to continue to make the music that we want to hear. I get so much passion and love from writing music. I am in awe of what people can create – I genuinely believe everyone can do it. With the tracks we’ve already got in the bank and the amount I have rolling around in my mad brain waiting to come out, a few singles between this and another EP and then a full EP. Hopefully playing some gigs once we can get back out into the world.
You guys are making music because it’s your passion.
Yeah, like Rory always says we are doing it to put our own little droplet of music into the pool, that’s what we really care about. From there anything else is an absolute bonus.
After having this EP on repeat for some time now I think Dweller may be adding a little more than a droplet to that pool. White Rabbit is out on all platforms now.
If your after a podcast that’s way more better then you definitely need to go listen to Jason Mack and Mathew Burgess of WWDOTW. With an impressive line up of past guest including Steadfast (who’s song Passion is also the intro), Ash Hull (Destroy All Lines) Saviour and Earthcaller I guarantee that by the end of every episode your face will hurt from laughing.
Firstly congrats on your recent 1st birthday.
Haha thank you, it was A Day to Remember (facepalm emoji)
Did you think you would get to 52 episodes when you started out?
Had no idea we’d even make 5 episodes, let alone 52.
From making our friends download and listen to our episodes, to making our own merch, 12 months has gone so fast and we’ve grown so much in that time!
I still pinch myself that people listen to me talk rubbish weekly.
What a world we live in.
How did WWDOTW come about?
Burgo and I were drinking with a few mates on my balcony one afternoon, we were talking about gigs we’d been to and all the events we had coming up. Everyone was laughing at all the stories we had. I thought why not record them.
I listen to a lot of podcasts, mostly Australian comedy. I thought, it can’t be that hard to do a podcast. I did some research and bought some audio equipment and bang, we had ourselves a podcast.
I messaged a few friends for some naming ideas, whittled them down to one and made a website.
Best part is, I made the website on my phone while I was at the pub (which gives you an indication of the level we operate at)
We recorded a couple of test episodes and sent them to some close friends. They gave some feedback, then we were off and running.
Every episode I listen to I end up in tears from laughter. What are some of the more memorable interviews? Favourite interviews?
Some highlights have been Saviour, Drastic Park, Some Heard Trouble, Inhibitor.
The 2019 wrap up we did with the Backbone Podcast boys was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. The whole episode (2:04:40) we we’re all in stitches and it was off the back of my work Christmas party.
Another great interview was with Ash Hull (Greyscale Records/Destroy AllLines/Invasion Fest) We talked for an hour before we recorded and for ages afterwards too. A great all-round bloke with unbelievable music knowledge.
Our best episodes are probably our Unify review and our Koonoomoo B&S review with Kane from Silverstring Outlaws. Kane’s a good friend and I sort of travel with his band who play B&S shows all over Vic, NSW and SA.
If you haven’t listened before then I suggest starting at the start and listening to how much the show has changed over time. There are a lot of in jokes and stories that flow over separate episodes.
But my most proud moment was when we hosted our first fundraising event. We raised over $3000 for Beyond Blue with the help of some great people. Held in the front bar of Stay Gold, we had acoustic acts, tattoos, haircuts and a massive raffle. We had over 100 people come down for the event which has now been made an annual fixture.
You’ve had a bit of a side project going on called What We Did In Isolation – How was that different to The Corona Chronicles?
I wouldn’t call it a side project, but more of something extra to do during the week. When Covid-19 hit, and everyone went into lockdown, I thought people are gonna be so bored being at home, so we started recording extra episodes just for extra entertainment. Originally I was going to get comedian guests on as a different direction from heavy music, but it was extremely hard to organise and also a lot of listeners don’t really get into comedy (unless it’s big names like Carl Barron)
So, the isolation episodes just ended up being like our original episodes, Burgo and myself just talking rubbish and telling stupid stories. That was until we ran out of motivation. The corona blues hit, and we gave up on the extra episodes.
But the Corona Chronicles thing is just a way to timestamp when Covid-19 hit here and how long it affects us. In a few years when this period is forgotten about, it’ll be my little way of looking back and saying “Wow, Corona really affected the country for 40 weeks” or whatever happens.
When gigs come back, I’ll go back to the normal episode naming format, but for now it’s just a little mental note for myself.
I hear you’ve turned into game show hosts now! What’s that all about?
Well, a few weeks ago we had Hollow World on the pod to talk about their new single. When I was talking with Hodgo (Michael Hodgson) about setting up the pod through Zoom, he came up with an idea to have multiple bands on at once for an episode. So, I thought, why not make it a bit spicier and have a game show. So, with my love of trivia and being the centre of attention, I set out to make a music quiz show, in the format of Have You Been Paying Attention. I hit up whichever friends I had in bands that I knew would be into it and had a huge response. A bit of light-heartedness is needed when all these great bands can’t play shows or interact with fans. Also, it’s great for fans to see the fun side of some of their favourite artists.
We will be releasing 4 episodes over the coming weeks, every Wednesday on YouTube and on all podcast formats.
We’ve snagged some great bands for these quiz episodes including Saviour, The Gloom in the Corner, Pridelands, Bad Love, Drastic Park, Gravemind, Void of Vision, Without Belief and Drown This City, Hollow World, Inhibitor, Earth Caller, Steadfast, Batz, Beach Panic, A New Way Home, Future Static, Loose End.
So, the winner of each episode will go into a final which will be recorded professionally at Stay Gold.
The winner of the final will win the headline spot at our Beyond Blue fundraiser gig to be held at Stay Gold on November 28.
These episodes are super fun and has been a great way to get heaps of people together during a time when we are meant to stay apart.
Shout out to Zoom for literally keeping the podcast going during this Corona time, without it we’d have no content to release at all.
What’s the best thing about the podcast for you guys?
This podcast has been such a great way to meet people, see shows, stay busy. We’ve both made great new friends because of it. We’ve also built up a great relationship with Stay Gold and the whole Destroy All Lines crew. They’ve become part of the family and we can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for us.
During this Corona period it’s bands and venues that have been hit the hardest, so we want to do anything we can to help.
We’re also planning our annual pub crawl, which will hopefully pump a bit of much needed money into the local bar scene. Details for that will be on our social media when we know it’s safe to do so.
Check us out @wwdotw on all social media platforms.
On a recent trip to Melbourne Wake the Blind vocalist Dylan Stone and I caught up for coffee and cake! We also had a little chat about his band…..
There isn’t much out there about you guys! Tell me all we need to know…
We’ve been around for a little bit but were still kind of new. We’re basically a 5 piece numetal core band, we’ve just had 2 new members come in. In terms of our line up it’s me on vocals, AdamHumphreys on bass, Adam Spackman our drummer, Anthony Georgiou and Brandon Tadday on guitar. Myself and both Adam’s have been around for a couple of years now mostly in the metalcore scene. We kind of pushed towards that whole numetal core style once we worked with Steve Cannatelli (Future Artistic Development). He gave us the vision and the push to go toward that type of sound. It seems to be going okay seeing as its new for us. We started trying out different styles, listening to bands like Loathe, Linkin Park, Northlane – very numetal stuff. Slipknot for me vocally. We really love Northlane’s Alien, that really inspired us to go that heavier route as well. It’s somehow managed to band together really well.
Our drummer Adam collaborated with Steve and got the idea for it. Steve told us about this whole numetal core kind of style and us trying to adapt our own sound to it. Literally two weeks later Adam came out with a full EP of songs, which blew us all away. Adam is such a great songwriter and he took this whole vision on board. Vocally Adam and I then collaborated and then I went away and worked with Zac Knight, producer at Earthtide Studios, doing the vocal tracking and it sounded phenomenal. It’s probably the most work vocally I have ever had to do in my life which is a testament to Zac’s work. I’m really satisfied with what we have come up with.
Your first single X2 really resonated with me.
Yeah we wanted to touch on massive problems in terms of, whatever your age, we all go through similar things. Whether its abusive relationships, mental instability, people really not understanding you. Really going along those lines. Especially X2, we wanted to go off that abusive relationship kind of thing because at least one or two of us have gone through something similar. We tried to bring our personal experiences into the songs and talk about things that people don’t necessarily like to talk about.
With this record we really didn’t necessarily think about who would be offended or who would be annoyed because it’s the same thing over and over again. We are writing about things that people experience and things that need to be addressed. Even if they have been addressed before it’s not enough until it stops being a problem. I feel it was a good collaborative effort between everyone in the band.
Ultimately I am really excited. Maddii from The Venom Collective has helped us out in terms of getting our campaign and marketing side of things up and running.
Hopefully the next single we bring out, which I can’t disclose just yet, branches out a different perspective of what we do as well. This single is very similar to X2, the other songs on the ep are very different so there is definitely versatility in there. Personally I’m very excited for the next one just because I want to hear what people think.
How has the recent turn of events due to the Corona Virus affected you guys?
It’s put a hold on everyone really. I think that obviously everyone has been affected but the music industry has come to a standstill. I guess because we rely on crowds and it is a people orientated industry. The job requires interaction and we don’t get that interaction because of this scenario. It’s understandable but at the same time there is no fall back plan in the event of this. Hopefully there will be a business model in regards to what we do, as well as the government recognising that there is a lot of income that gets generated by artists. If we didn’t have the platforms we have, like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to still be able to get stuff out there would be no way any of us could recover from this. At least we have the online ability to still connect with our audience. I’m hoping that we can at least get past this pandemic and get everything back to normal, if we get to get that normal again, because beside the monetary side of it people invest their dreams into this industry, people associate music to something else rather than necessarily an occupation. It’s that dream factor.
Yes that’s what worries me. How people are going to cope with having that pulled out from under them through no fault of their own. As a community we have to make sure that everyone is okay, keep checking in with each other.
Hopefully once things settle we can try and do a couple of shows. We’ve never been on tour before so we would love to do that. Collaborating with other bands and artists is something else we would love to do, whether its through songs or shows. But we have to try and find a way to do that within this weird time frame that we have. Also trying to figure out how we are going to progress forward once this pandemic passes, especially knowing that this could possibly happen again.
The new EP! Will that be put on the back burner now?
No we’re still steamrolling ahead , chucking everything we can into the online side of things. We’re really trying to get the online community to see what we have, pushing ourselves out there and trying to prove who we are and why we are here. So everything will go ahead as normal. We have a big list of things coming out this half of the year and bigger things in the second half. Our plan is to just keep moving forward, keep rolling and at least getting our stuff out there and heard.
Broken Casket comes out on June 12th. Pre-save it here:
Dylan Stone – Vocals Adam Spackman – Drums Anthony Georgiou – Guitar Brandon Tadday – Guitar Adam Humphreys – Bass
For fans of: Linkin Park, Loathe, Northlane, Slipknot
Dylan Stone and I had a conversation a few months back where he told me that WakeThe Blind had experimented a bit on Broken Casket. Telling me that always gets me excited so I was super keen to hear the end result. When I first listened to Broken Casket I was blown away, now I just can’t get enough. Wake The Blind took “experimenting” to a whole new level. Deciding to go with a more nu-metalcore sound, what they have delivered is testament to how hard this band has worked because they have absolutely nailed it. With nu-metal as the basis you can hear influences of other genres melded seamlessly. From the chaotic opening track Patient, which features David De La Hoz (Belle Haven), Dylan Stone’s frenzied screams bring the chaos to the fore. (Make sure you check out the video for this song because it is extremely well done) Nix has the tell-tale nu-metal vibe happening with a heavy kick to it and is one of my picks off the EP. Stone show’s his versatility as a vocalist in this song, backed by some delicious riffs. X2, the first single released, picks up the frenetic pace again. I’m thinking at this point there is nothing broken about this Ep!! Casket is the next offering. A slower tempo, this is my favourite track on the EP. Casket has a black metal ambience about it which I am really digging, and I hope it’s something they continue to explore musically. Sinking our Teeth into final track our ears are once again treated to shrieking guitars, blasting drumbeats and Stone’s vocals alternating between rapid fired verses and screams.
Wake The Blind have delivered an absolute monster of a debut EP. Five songs, any of which could have been released as singles, that fuse together perfectly to create one of the standout releases so far this year.
A line in X2 sums it up well – “In the end you reap what you sow” and Wake The Blind are undoubtedly going to reap the rewards of this release. (9/10)
The calibre of Australian music is showing no signs of slowing down with Melbourne duo Warnings about to release their debut EP EventHorizon. Both Tim Chilman and Casey Dean are no strangers to the local scene having been in bands such as Engine Three Seven, Secret Tsunami and Branch Arterial.
Warnings have developed their own unique sound and I am really digging it. The first 4 tracks on Event Horizon just make you wish gigs were a thing still because I needed a dance floor! Casey’s vocals combined with Tim’s groovy riffs and hooks reel the listener in and if you’re not moving then I’ll assume you’re dead. From the beginning track, Fatal Medicine with its fast-paced lyrics Warnings shows us that they are here to make a mark on the scene. Previously released singles, Waterboy and Fan of Flames, both are catchy and full of groove. Overwriter slows the pace slightly and Casey’s vocals shine through on this track. The final track, Denied, has a softer, melodious sound and is my favourite off the EP and a beautiful way to end what was an enthralling musical journey.
Overall this is a fabulous debut EP from two extremely talented musicians and I am keen for gigs to be up and running to see these guys live.
Warnings are going to be another band to keep your eye on. Event Horizon is available on all platforms on 10th July.
After playing a handful of shows in 2018 Melbourne’s Earth Alone have just released their first single ‘Take Me’ off their forthcoming album Suffer.
I caught up with guitarist Kye Blomeley for a chat.
Hey Kye thanks for taking the time to chat. What do we need to know about Earth Alone?
Hey! So Aidan and I were in a band together in 2015 with a couple of other mates and when that band ended we decided to keep collaborating together. We started writing the tracks in early 2017 and then we released a 2-track demo just before we played our first show in 2018. We just kept working on new material and we now have 10 tracks ready to go for the album. We actually cut 3-4 tracks from what we originally had for the album as well.
The first show we played was with Gravemind, Diamond Construct, 23/19. We’ve actually played a couple of shows with 23/19. The boys also came down and played a couple of shows with Anticline and us in our home town of Ballarat. We had planned on going to Adelaide for a show but then our vocalist left at the start of last year.
You guys were going to release now regardless of Rona?
We had to get a new vocalist and rerecord the music first. Then it just got to the point where we were sitting on it and we were like we might as well release the first single. It came to the point where it was perfect timing really.
So do we have a release date for ‘Suffer’?
Not yet, we have 4 singles to release first and we haven’t quite locked in a release date for the album.
Did you have plans to play any gigs this year?
Not really. Since our vocalist left we’ve had maybe one or two actual band practices. We have a new vocalist now; Sam Matheson and we’ve been more focused on writing music and getting it recorded more than practising for the live stuff. Covid has made things harder.
Once gigs return what would be your dream tour to be on it?
Oh that’s hard but I would have to say Chelsea Grin, Fit for an Autopsy and Humanity’s Last Breath
Australian dream tour to be on?
If it were a dream tour it would be Alpha Wolf, Thy Art is Murder and Aversions Crown.
Oh I’m keen to hear Alpha Wolfs next single!
Yeah me too. It was actually Mitch (Alpha Wolf) who pushed me to release this stuff. I was talking to him at Invasion Fest about the music and he was like you just need to release it and get it out there. The reception we’ve had today for the single has been good, actually better than what I expected it to be.
I love that about the metalcore community everyone is so supportive of each other and you all push each other.
Yeah for sure. That sort of thing will shine through on the album because I’ve got a heap of mates that did guesties on a couple of songs.
Is it mostly you and Aidan who write the songs or have the other guys had input as well? And what can we expect musically from the album?
Not as much. I’m the main songwriter and I take on board any suggestions that they put forward. I don’t do the lyrics; I leave them up to Sam except for 2 songs on this album that I wrote the lyrics for.
There’s a bit of a mix up in our songs. Take Me probably sums up the album the best, but all the songs are pretty different This single has a really big numetal influence too it, similar to Alpha Wolf’s style. The last song that I wrote for the album is influenced by Humanity’s Last Breath which is way different.
It’s hard to put a specific genre on our music. There’s hardcore, deathcore, djent and numetal. There are a couple of songs on the album influenced by Traitors. I was just writing what I felt like at the time hence the mix.
If the first single is anything to go by it will pay to keep a close eye on these guys.
Post hardcore/pop punk band We Set Signals have just announced a new album, Ordo, which will be hitting our ears on September 25th. If you haven’t heard this Brisbane band before then I suggest you go and get yourselves acquainted with them real quick! Signing with record label We Are Triumphant in 2017, 2018 saw the guys release their debut EP Abandon Ship.
Their latest single Meet Me At The Starlight Drive In features Osatia’s front man Alex Pasibe and I have a strong feeling these guys are about to explode. This song is so well polished and delivered and is up there with the best of the genre (Big call I know!)
Vocalist Nick Wilkinson says of the new track – “My whole life I’ve chosen alternative music over Top 40. There’s a relatable honesty in that music – I wrote this song about how exhausting it can get just trying to chase your dreams, and how burnt out you can feel when you’re finally there.“
Personally Meet Me At The Starlight Drive Inis the best release I have heard from We Set Signals. The fourth single off of ‘Ordo’, WSS have definitely taken things up a level. There’s some tasty riffs, unrelenting drumming and I’m loving everything about Nick’s vocals. From the chorus, that is just catchy as hell, to the bridge section prior to Alex’s guest vocal’s dropping in, this song has it all ….. Hold on for that breakdown, finish the song, hit the repeat button and do it all again!
Recurrent Verse 