As we are still early in to the new year, every one is on the look at for hot new bands to discover, and A Higher Demise, a young Metalcore/Post Hardcore five piece from South East should definitely be on your list of bands to get in too. I asked the band about their success so far, being early in to their career and what they have planned for the future!
Your latest EP, ‘The Doctor Will See You Now’ has been well received by press and fans alike, how does this make you feel?
Fantastic, of course! It’s great to see people showing an interest and responding positively to it. Mostly I think people have begun to believe in us off the back of the EP and that’s probably the best part. We’ve been so busy since its release we sometimes forget that it’s only been out six months, and prior to that we had no press, radio plays or activity to speak of.
How did you come up with the title for your current EP, what is the story behind it?
While we were writing the EP we had no properly formulated ideas for the title, album artwork or theme. We’d barely even discussed it properly. We were writing a song that reminded me of how some girls make you need some goddam therapy! So the track was named ‘My Therapist Knows You By Name’ and from there ‘The Doctor Will See You Now’ was spawned. It quickly led us to a dead nurse and asylum type theme, which we thought worked well for the whole of the artwork.
You have an intense stand out sound; what would you say are your main influences musically and creatively that helped you develop this?
Well firstly, thank you for saying! It’s actually a harder question to answer that you would think. We’ve all been punk and metal music fans since 2002, so bands like Hoobastank, Finch and Funeral for a Friend are big influences for some of us, the others were into the heavier side of things back then like Shadows Fall and In Flames. Then carrying along the punk and metal timeline we grew into bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Atreyu, Suicide Silence and Killswitch Engage. So I suppose a love of punk and metal over the years has led us to write the kind of sound we aim for.
What was the recording and writing process like for the EP?
The writing process was great and highly enjoyable. We had written a fair few songs in the early days of the band and that allowed us to gain a better understanding of what did and didn’t work for us. We write our songs separately and then bring them to the table, by the time the idea of writing this EP came around we had the main chunk already demoed up so it was more about tweaking to something we could be proud of. It certainly helped the recording process as our producer Jason Wilson (You Me at Six/ We Are the Ocean) stripped everything down in the studio. Nothing big needed to be changed, a lot of little things were tweaked and some songs did seem to noticeably change. Putting our songwriting under a microscope like he did has definitely helped shape how the next wave of songs are being written.
Your latest video and release, ‘All The Reasons’ is gaining in popularity, especially with its anthemic sound, can you tell us a bit about the song and the making of the video for it?
‘All These Reasons’ was actually the first song that was sent out to all the radio shows. It was part of the promo for the release of the EP. It had such a great response that we felt we had to accompany this with a video and make it a legitimate single. It was this track that landed us a spot at last years Attitude Festival supporting Dani Filth’s Devilment thanks to Rock Bandom Radio so we felt it would be a great idea to film the gig and use the footage as the video. So without knowing what the venue or event would really be like we brought along ‘Versatile Film Productions’ and thankfully they managed to capture awesome footage from what was an awesome event.
Check out the video in question below which is also currently my 'featured music video'!
You are signed with Ambicon Records, what made you decide to join them and how are they treating you?
We got in contact with Ambicon Records as well as a few other small independent labels with the idea of releasing the EP under a record label. It was Pete Baldwin (Owner of Ambicon Records) that showed the most enthusiasm towards us. He seemed to instantly know our songs inside out and have a plan in his head for how to move forward. We couldn’t ignore this, and it proved to be a great decision. Through Ambicon we have managed to gain attention from a lot of press and radio, nearly all of which is a product of Pete’s tenacious hard work. So we can definitely say we are being treated really well. We aim to repay the time invested by Ambicon to the fullest.
How excited are you to head out on tour this month (March)?
We are definitely looking forward to it! We’ve been playing up and down the country all year and will be hitting it hard from March. We are probably looking forward to our home show, as it will be the first of 2015 and possibly the only one until the last half of the year.
What can attending fans expect from your live shows?
Hopefully everything that makes metal shows great, mixed with some highlights of punk rock shows too! Certainly the chance to sing along and go hard in the pit.
Have you got any particular stand out moments as a band, whether it be a live show experience or otherwise?
There was a moment a couple of years back that always sticks out in our minds. One of our songs had a section that was purely accapella. As we started playing it we could hear the crowd singing it to us louder than we could hear ourselves. It was only a tiny venue, with maybe thirty to forty people maximum, but it was definitely immense! That and of course the moment we saw Dani Filth watching our set at Attitude Festival back in November!
I understand you are currently writing EP number two, how is it progressing so far?
Well we knew we had to get some new songs ready for when we plan to back into the studio at the end of the year. So we’ve been writing songs as they’ve come to us and all of sudden we noticed the other day we already have five quite cohesive tracks all finished. So I guess the answer is very well!
How would you say it is shaping up in comparison to your current EP, or is it too early to say?
In comparison to the first one, it has more of a consistent sound. The song writing feels more mature and I think it shows how we are progressing as a band. The choruses are catchier and the drops are heavier.
Is there anything else you would like to add or mention?
We just want people to listen to our music, so we would just like to add that it still makes everything seem worthwhile to us when we know people are checking us out. So please go visit our Facebook and have a listen! www.facebook.com/ahigherdemiseband
What else do A Higher Demise have planned for the rest of 2015?
It’s our biggest year to date! We have loads of more gigs all over the UK, a video release in the next coming months, a new single for the summertime and then it’s back in the studio at the end of year for EP number two!
Thank you for your time! Good luck with the future! I look forward to seeing more of you throughout 2015!
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