Prior to the release of their brand new album, vocalist Solomon and guitarist Luca took some time out of their schedule to have a chat with our senior editor about the new album Formations of a World Below alongside a range of other topics.
You’ll be releasing your brand new album soon. How do you feel the response has been to the material you’ve released so far?
Luca: We released our first piece of material a few years ago and people who saw us live loved it but we didn’t really have a lot of promotion behind it. We just put it up on Spotify and we got a few listens but not too many. For this second one, fingers crossed that we’ll make more of an impact as we think it sounds really good.
Solomon: To echo what Luca says, when people see us live they think we’re crazy and really like it. We put a lyric video out for one of the tracks about a month ago which was received pretty well, but we’re still a pretty small band that could do with more listeners.
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What was it like working with Russ Russell?
L: Since we got introduced about 15 years ago, we’ve been working with him ever since in our various other bands. We have a right laugh recording with him and we can’t wait until the next time we work with him.
S: He’s the best producer I’ve ever worked with. He presses buttons and makes us sound amazing which is great.
L: Our drummer is super tight which works really well with Russ as he’s able to get the drums in one take.
S: Russ is also super-flexible when it comes to working with people. Some people I’ve worked with have a very rigid way of doing things, but he’s always thinking outside the box and for other ways to do things. It’s really great and we love working with him.
What was the main source of inspiration behind this album?
L: There were a few moments when we were putting the first few tunes together where we’d go back to basics and listen to stuff again after leaving it for a day. There were a few epiphany moments but I can’t any specifically.
S: I think it came as an extension of our EP. We wanted to do more metal and keep things basic and not too technical. We wanted to make it more old school death metal meets grindcore, which I guess is where the aggression comes from. We tweaked it a little bit, but it’s pretty much the same formula it’s always been since we started.
L: There’s a lot more variation and misery in this album. Probably because there’s more songs, but it’s definitely heavier. I hope everything goes well and we’re able to play the gig we have booked with bands like Party Cannon in November. Fingers crossed that it goes ahead.
What’s something you want to see less in the music industry?
L: I think a band like us want to see more of stuff for us. The music industry isn’t in a good place at the moment, everything is very bleak and it’s brought everyone down to the level of bands with no fans. We’ve been online for a few years now and not really got noticed, but if you get picked up on a playlist then things can go really well. Everyone’s hoping that next year in 2021 things will be back to normal, but no-one really knows. The general vibe is to take a holiday from it this year, and then go at it next year once stuff goes back to normal.
S: Yeah. I agree with Luca that I want to see stuff go back to normal with venues opening and then we can get the ball rolling.
L: It’s kinda difficult to tour with this band as we’re all in different bands. Our drummer is in Onslaught and Solomon is in Red Method so it can be challenging to get time together. I’m looking forward to when we’ll be able to make noise together. We’ve still got more to give, even though we’ve been active in the industry for over 20 years.
Do you think metal should challenge the listener?
L: Yeah, of course.
S: I think the listener should be challenged and it comes down to the background with music. With me, I like hearing what I want to hear but I want to be challenged. Your mind has to be ready for it though. If you’re not expecting it, then it’s not going to be well received.
L: Yeah, exactly. We like a lot of different music in this band. We’ve got very open minds and can accept a lot of genres, but some people can’t do that.
What’s something else that’s not fun about being a musician?
L: It’s a bit like doing something where you want to stop, but you can’t. It’s kinda like a labour of love really. You do it because you want to, rather than getting paid to do so. Particular in this scene, it’s tough to get a paycheck that can pay the bills. If any band was getting paid to say they were at their job, they’d never stop touring. That’s the dream.
What can people expect at a This Is Endless show?
L: Death metal with heavy grooves and extreme vocals that can tear you apart. You can witness the power of Solomon’s vocals which are so insane. It has to be seen to be believed.
S: This band is one that needs to be seen to be believed. We’re very aggressive and are ‘the real deal’.
L: It’s all about the look. If you’re playing a riff that you can really get into and don’t look as though you’re living it, it seems fake. You need to be totally into your music, which we are, and show that.
What inspired you to start playing music all those years ago?
L: That’s going back a long way. I can’t pinpoint it to one person or band that made me think that. If it was anyone, it would be Slayer. The combination of metal and hardcore just resonated with me so much and made me sit up and pay attention. Hearing “South Of Heaven” when you’re ten years old is pretty life changing.
What’s your favourite place to play in the UK?
L: It would have to be The Underworld. It’s like a right of age of UK bands and is such a legendary venue. We know a lot of people that work down there and we always have a good time when we play there.
S: I totally agree. All those legendary bands that play there, year after year, week after week, just keep cementing it as such a good venue. I actually slipped on stage and broke my jaw after impaling it on one of the monitors. They changed the monitors after that as well! I’ve left a piece of me on that stage as I love it so much.
L: If you get that place rammed, it’s such an amazing environment. I’ve seen that place light up a few times which has been amazing to witness. Fingers crossed that we can get back and play there.
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If you had to put together an ice cream sundae, what would you choose to have in it?
L: You’d have to start with mascarpone and nutella as the base. You’d infuse that with something special and then some lemon sorbet as the next layer. You’d then finish with a special infused sorbet at the top. It would be a very interesting sundae to say the least.
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