Interview with The AvD from The Defiled

Chaotic middle finger metal from the streets of London, UK. The Defiled have blasted off in recent years to be one of the newest hopefuls in the local scene. After tearing up the Pepsi Max stage at Download in 2012, they have just released a new song from their 2nd studio album, entitled "Sleeper".
We got the chance to catch up with resident keyboard wizard/backing vocalist The AvD (Alex Avdis)

Hey man, how are you?
I'm alright man thanks.

For those who don't know, how did this band form?
None of us are actually originally from London and I guess we all met here after the same thing in life. We didn't take it seriously at all in the beginning but as the years went by we realized that we had something really special that we decided to call "the defiled"

And how has the ride been so far?
Hard... We have never got anything for free and have had to fight for every inch ever got.  It's amazing to finally see people appreciate and in some cases love what we do

As far as influences are concern, who is your main inspiration to do what you do?
We all listen to very random things,  my all time favourites are nine inch nails where as Stitch's heroes are the  Foo Fighter witch on both accounts is not very metal at all!

Any influences you wouldn't expect?
Refer to my last answer ;)

What kind of topics do you like to tackle when it comes to lyrics?
I like it to be quite serious at times and playful at others.  I take the Lyrics very seriously and it's usually about something me or the band are going through at the time.  As the years go on they become more and more personal.

Heard your new single "Sleeper", ripper track if I must say myself.
Thank you.

What was the experience like recording the second album compared to the first?
The first record was recorded in my house and produced by me and Stitch.  For this one we got flown out to sunny Florida to record with the legendary Jason Suecof.  Night and day really.

I discovered your first album "Grave Times" through a little magazine by the name of Metal Hammer. How did that come about?
Well, we had the album ready to go and sent it out to a few people.  We then got a call from MH asking if we want to out it on their cover in it's entirety.  For us it was a no brainer.  We could either press 2,000 copies our self and sell them to... Well,  no one.  Or have it printed for free, put on the front of metal hammer and straight in to the hands of 50,000 readers.  It really couldn't get much better!

Do you guys feel like you're part of a new wave of metal coming out of Britain, kind of like the New Wave of British Heavy metal back in the 80s?
People keep asking us that or stating that we are.  I have no idea to be honest.  We just do our thing and work really hard at it.  There are quite a few hard working British bands out there right now I suppose so it might look that way.  The answer is I have no idea,  only history will tell.

What's the best thing about the British scene, what are us Aussies over here missing out on?
It's the only scene I know so I could not compare it to anything else to be honest... I don't think Aussies are missing out on anything.  There are so many people trying to make it here to ever get heard is nothing short of a miracle

It must have been huge to play the Pepsi Max at Download in 2012 along with likes of AxeWound and While She Sleeps, what was that whole experience like for you?
It was just one of those moments... The mud and rain where horrific, loads if bands where getting cancelled, the line up times where changing.  We just thought,  as long as we are not on at the same time as machine head it should all be fine.  We went to the office to find out when we are playing and off course we were on at the  exact time machine head where on.... We where like, fuck!!! No one is going to come see us.  But man.... When we walked on that stage it was fucking rammed! I couldn't believe it.  Then I got to scream "how the fuck you doing Donnington?!" I've been waiting to do that for years and there we where!

Who has been your favourite band to tour with, and why?
Dragonforce for sure.  They are just the coolest band in the world!  Before going on tour with them we thought they would be stuck up or something.  I don't know why?  Maybe coz they can actually play their instruments?  Anyway, they turned out to be the coolest, most accommodating guys we have ever been out on the road with.  Pure fun and games!


With your pledge campaign to fund the Grave Times live album, you did some house gigs for fans, what was the most interesting and/or weird experience at one of those shows?
We actually played a wedding party and got the bride and groom to dance to Call to Arms. that was pretty surreal.

You guys have been on tour for Jägermeister, would you recommend endorsements for other musicians?
It depends on if you are doing it for the right reasons. We are actually Jäger addicts so it felt natural.  Also, Jägermeister were actually the first people to believe in our band,  they used to print our T shirts for free so we could make some money on the road. We owe more than people might know to them.
So in short yea, I would definitely recommend endorsements

Speaking of which, what is your favorite drink?
Jäger!!!

One of the big questions here, is Elvis really dead? Opinions guys!
Dead.

Ok, moving on..
Any hilarious tales to tell from past shows?
I pissed in our sound mans suitcase thinking it was a toilet when we get back to the hotel.... He was not happy.... Sorry Garry

What ways do you like to connect with the crowds at your shows, do you over ask them seperate down the middle for a wall of death kind of arrangement, circle pits.. etc?
We talk to the crowd quite a bit.  I usually single out a person, ask their name and ask them how they are doing.  They usually just freeze.  I'm like.. come on man your killing me here!

How would you describe your band in one word?
Cunts

So, being an Australian, I'll ask this question. Any chance of us seeing this band on our shores in the near future?
Yeah man,  we just signed a world wide deal with Nuclear Blast so I'd say it's going to happen for sure,  can't wait!!!

What's a thing you'd look forward to most about coming to Australia?
Just coming to Australia man, it loos awesome from afar!  I've always wanted to come and to be able to come and play a gig would be amazing!

Thanks for talking, have you got a message to the Australian fans of this band?
Yeah man,  I'd like to thank everyone supporting us down there.  You are on our radar and we know where you live cause we send you the merch.  So be fucking careful or we'll come for you!!!!

Hope to see you guys down here soon!

Interview with Kin from Twelve Foot Ninja

Twelve Foot Ninja, how can you explain this band!?! How can you put into words who they and what they are about, you might aswell just watch this link (http://bit.ly/10DbJ8q), it's kind of self explanatory.
The Melbourne metal group consists of Kin - lead vocals, Steve "Stevic" McKay - lead guitar, Damon McKinnon - bass guitar, Shane "Russ" Russell - drums/percussion and Rohan Hayes - rhythm guitar/backing vocals. Having formed in 2007, they have been working their way through the local scene to bring their unique style to bigger and bigger audiences.
We recently got a chance to catch up with Kin.

First of all thank-you for taking the time to talk.

No worries.

Ok, usually I start off my interviews by asking a band how they formed and got their name, but I'm sure a name like Twelve Foot Ninja speaks for itself in a lot of ways.

It does. The story that the themes are based on, is about a Ninja who can become 12 foot at will, so it's kind of self explanatory.

How would you describe your music, on your Facebook page it's listed as "heavy fusion"?

I think that's the closest 'genre-based' term we've come up with, in regards to our sound.

Who would you cite as your main influences/inspiration for the music you create?

The inspiration comes from a myriad of sources. The musical concept was conceived by Stevic, who was inspired by the juxtaposition of soundtrack and visual content inherent in Quentin Tarantino films. It also draws its influence from each member of the band, and our own musical influences.

Who is the main songwriter in the band, what sort of topics do you like to tackle in your songs?

I don't feel we have a main song-writer in the band. We all work differently, and employ various methods to complete our songs. I've been working on complete songs recently, whereas Stevic will usually work on sections, or Damon will bring in some parts, or Russ will come up with some grooves. If it sounds good, I'll lay a vocal on it, and that will usually inform what comes next.

The story of the Twelve Foot Ninja is the underlying theme, which is a story of freedom from tyranny. So the songs tackle issues of War, Peace, Violence, Love, Fear, Tyranny, Corruption, Darkness, Light, Atonement, and Redemption...to list a few.

What do you think of the local scene in Aus, who's your favourite to come out of our country?

I think it's magnificent, however I am biased. It's a long list, but at the moment, I've been getting into Northlane. We had the pleasure of meeting them and catching a set at the Breath Of Life Festival in Launceston just recently. I was thoroughly impressed, to say the least. Cant wait for their new album.

I caught your set at Push Over Festival on the 11th, safe to say I was impressed. What was the experience like for you guys, was there any other bands you got a chance to check out?

Push Over was awesome. It was great to finally play for a younger audience, who all seemed to be having a ball, making it a pleasurable experience for us. I caught bits from a few different bands. The stand-out for me was Thy Art Is Murder. They were amazingly brutal, tight, technical, and just how I like it.

Late last year you put out a video for your track "Coming for You". I think it's great when bands inject a bit of humor in. In my opinion there's too much of that over-seriousness in metal these days. What was it like filming that video?

It was a great experience! It was a long shoot, but we had a great crew helping us out and overall, was a heap of fun. Fortunately we were all 'hopped up' on energy drinks and caffeine, so it was seemingly over in a blink of an eye.

You guys recently put out your debut album "Silent Machine" there are some killer tracks off of that, anything you'd like to say about the recording process.

It was a long 2 years from conception to completion. We focused primarily on songs this time, as opposed to tracks of riffs stapled together. I think I speak for the band when I say that we are content with the result.

Now, you did something interesting with the release of the album, putting out 1 song along with 1 comic book over 12 weeks, can you tell 

me a bit more about that?

The idea came about after throwing around some ideas as to how we would go about releasing the album. We wanted to do something different, a little left-of-centre.

The original fable of the Twelve Foot Ninja was co-written by Stevic and his partner, Fiona Permezel. The artwork for the comics was created solely by Keith Draws from the UK, who did an amazing job. The lyrics for the album are based on the fable, and the comics are based on the lyrics.

Do you think that a band can ever truly sell out if they're still enjoying what they do? 

Depends on what you mean by 'selling out'. I personally don't think so. My motto is 'To thine own self be true', so I think that first and foremost you have to write material that you enjoy. If you don't, then what's the point? There are some who think that 'selling out' has to do with corporate sponsorship, or when a band starts making a heap of money. The thing is, money doesn't grow on trees, and it costs a small fortune to run a band. I believe it has less to do with where the money is coming from, and more to do with changing your music to suit a demographic, only because it's popular or profitable.

With a lot of revolving door bands around in the local scene I personally find it quite impressive you've kept the same line-up for your career.

Thank you! It's probably the hardest thing about being in a band. It took us a while to find a chemistry and balance between all of our personalities, but I think we found it.

Having originally formed in 2007, what has the build up been like to finally get to where you guys are now?

The short answer is, it's been a roller-coaster ride. Never a dull moment.

What do you think about under-age gigs around Australia, having played Push Over, is it something you would like to see more of?

Well, I believe the children are our future, teach them well, and let them lead the way. Haha!

Under-age gigs are integral to the musical fabric in this country. They are a means for up-and-coming bands to cut their teeth, and hone their skills. It also breeds the punters of the future who will go out to venues and keep them, and the local music scene alive. There should be a lot more investment injected into it!

Any funny stories to share from the road or even just a band prac?

When we rehearse, Stevic likes to invent new ways of playing his guitar, and it usually involves some sort of bodily contortion. Cracks me up every time!

If the band were superheroes, who would you be and why?
This will sound cliché, but we'd be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as they probably best reflect our personalities.

Steve would be Leonardo, Russ would be Michelangelo, Damon would be Donatello, I would be Raphael, and Rohan would be Casey Jones.

What has been your favourite experience performing over the years, any shows that stick in your mind for a particular reason?

Whenever I'm asked this question, I can't go past our first Hi Fi Bar (Melbourne) show, supporting Tesseract and Periphery. It was the first time that I felt like we'd 'arrived' as a band, and for me, it was the best show we've done.

What do you guys like to do on your time off in-between playing shows or touring?
Make the most of it!

If a movie was made about your band in 10 years, who would you like to play the main roles?
There are no young actors that I feel would truly do a great job, so I’d resurrect actors from the past, in holographic or CGI form. Particularly the 'Rat Pack. I'd cast Dean Martin as Stevic, Sammy Davis Jr. as Damon, Peter Lawford as Russ, Joey Bishop as Rohan, and Frank Sinatra would play me.

I always make sure to ask this question, what advice can you give to musicians first starting out?
Write and play the music that you yourself would like to hear, and surround yourself with a band who share a similar vision, and sense of humour. And more importantly, be prepared to accept the fact that it probably won't turn out the quite the same way you may have envisioned, but it will be the ride of your life. Just remember to enjoy it while it lasts.

How can fans and fans-to-be find your music?
www.twelvefootninja.com, Facebook, YouTube...etc

And finally, any last words?

Anatidaephobia. The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to the Uproar, much appreciated.

Thank you!

Interview with Scalar Fields

Davis Tolley, 20: Lead vocals, synth, rhythm guitar
Alex Palmer, 20: Lead guitar, backing vocals
Nick Torrens, 20: Percussion, backing vocals
Will Garvin, 20: Bass

Where did you get the name for your band from, for those who don't know?
We are led to believe it’s some kind of mathematical equation but have never researched the topic. We were about to play our first gig and were asked what our band name was and someone in the band suggested it; it has stuck ever since.
We are all at university in Melbourne.

What genre of music do you consider yourselves and who inspires you?
We would classify our sound as alternate rock with a lot of influence coming from bands like; The Getaway Plan, Kisschasy, The Killers and Two Door Cinema Club.


How long have you known each other and how did you meet?
Palmer, Davis and Will all went to high school together where Palmer and Davis would regularly play acoustic shows together. By the time they were ready to form a band Will was called up to play bass and I met Davis at a club one night and our friendship and musical journey began.


When did the band form and what inspired you guys to make music together?
We formed as a predominantly cover band in mid-2011 with our first gig being later that year. We had enough originals to play an entirely original set by the beginning of 2012.

We all had relatively similar taste in music and when we started hearing what each of us had written we were excited to keep making music together.


Where have you played, what are your favorite and least favorite venues? 
We have played at quite few venues including The HIFI, The Espy, Pony, The Ferntree Gully Hotel and many many more. Personally a venue in our home town of Bendigo, Star Bar, always makes for a fun night. I have great memories of supporting indie super giants The Rubens there late last year to a completely packed house. Without mentioning any names we have had a few venues who haven’t really researched our music before booking us and we have all had to cram onto a two man stage that is made for acoustic sets or venues who have owed us money that we never see handed over.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
We have a number of shows coming up including an acoustic Valentines Day set at NEXT!, as well as some other full band performances throughout March and April which will be announced soon via our Facebook page


Which songs do you find yourselves playing the most and do you ever play any covers? 
We often play the song we first wrote called “Seymour’s Close” as well as “Blue and Brown”. They always find their way into our set list. After a lot of writing this summer we are at the stage where we will have to pick and choose a lot more of our songs for set lists.
Since finishing up as a cover band we have occasionally thrown a cover into some of our sets to spice things up but because we often only have half hour slots at shows, we try to play as much original music as possible.
We have the basic structure of our set list which usually stays the same to make change overs and tuning changes a bit more fast flowing but we do tend to swap songs around here and there to keep things a bit different.

Who writes your songs and what are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? 
Most of the writing is done by Davis (Tolley) and (Alex) Palmer however lately I have been contributing to the song pool. Most of the themes are related to things going on in our lives such as moving away from home for University and relationships. I guess as these themes change through our lives the things we feel are important or interesting will change and therefore there will be some lyrical differences in our music.


Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Usually it starts with Davis, Palmer or myself writing pretty much a whole song and bringing it to the group. From there there is tweaking to the song at practice and I will often re-write the drums to parts of the song. From there we usually just play it over and over until we feel it is sounding how we all want it.


What are your rehearsals generally like?
We tend to have very long rehearsals. Often we have to book a rehearsal room in Melbourne which are rented out in 6 hour blocks so we will practice for that time 2 or 3 times before a show depending on whether we are playing new material or not.


What has been your biggest challenge as a band? 
It has been very difficult to decide which people in the industry to trust and who is just trying to take your money. We have been fleeced of money due to naivety and excitement of what sounded like an amazing opportunity before. It’s really hard to keep your motivation up when things like that happen, as well as when you hit patches where you're struggling to find shows and it feels like you aren’t progressing as a band.

What's your ultimate direction for your band?
Personally I would be stoked to do a national tour of well attended shows and break even at the end of that. To have an experience like that would be one of a kind. If we go above and beyond that it would be an absolute dream come true.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Jam with as many people as you can! It’s the perfect way to meet people and make contacts who might also have similar music taste to you. You have absolutely nothing to lose by having a jam with someone you have just got to know.

How can fans-to-be find your music?
There are a number of sites that have our music:
http://www.facebook.com/Scalarfields A like would be greatly appreciated!
http://www.triplejunearthed.com/ScalarFields
http://www.youtube.com/scalarfields
https://twitter.com/scalarfields


Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge?
All of our family and friends who constantly support us at shows, online and in our everyday lives. Anyone who has ever been to one of our shows, all the bands that we have had the pleasure of playing with as well as the venues who have hosted us. A huge thanks to our great friend Cal who is constantly helping us out with everything from social media to booking shows, his help is truly priceless.


Any last words?
We would love to see you at a show sometime in the future! If you make it along to our shows come and have a chat! We love meeting new people especially people who have made an effort to support us! Keep up to date with our shows and happenings on Facebook and Twitter! And thanks to you Richard for your time!