Interview Archeons

Archeons' "Ballet Afterlife" delves into a haunting tale of eternal love and sacrifice. Their blend of rock/metal defies genre norms, promising unique musical experiences.

1. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest release, "Ballet Afterlife," and the story it tells?

Ballet Afterlife was our attempt to strip things back and let our vocalist shine. We also wanted to challenge ourselves to write a heavy, driving song but in a major key as we usually write in minor. Lyrically, this song is about a man who lost his love but can't let go of her. He sells his soul to the devil with the agreement being he can see her once a year. The catch is they are stripped down to bone and feel the anguish of having their flesh torn off but they get to be together for 1 night. As dawn strikes they are made whole again and separated, only to wait another year till their next encounter. This continues for eternity.
2. How did the band come together, and what motivated you to pursue music as a career?

Guitarists Trey Swain and Krys Escobar were brought together through winning a nationwide Guitar Center contest held by Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold in 2014. Trey and Krys met in California, then took a masterclass with their idol Synyster gates. After returning back to their homes in Kansas and New York, they continued talking and decided to dedicate their life to continuing music and growing in the creative field. Nashville was about the half way mark between their hometowns so they decided to pack up and move to music city!
3. Could you share some insights into your songwriting process for "Ballet Afterlife" and how the track evolved from its initial concept to the final production?

Ballet Afterlife was the first track we wrote with our producer, Casey Sabol. He helped us tone things down, not put lead guitars throughout the whole song and strip back the drums. When this song was presented to Casey it didn't have any leads, it was just the rhythm section and our intent was to add guitars after vocals were written but he convinced us to keep it simple, driving and to tell a story. Our vocalist has a crazy voice and we really let him take the lead and showcase all of his unique singing abilities throughout this song.
4. What was the experience like creating the AI music video for "Ballet Afterlife," and what do you hope viewers take away from it?

We're a band of procrastination and we were about a week out from release with no content to publish along with the song. I, Trey, have been heavily learning AI tools and experimenting with the creative ability it brings. I had already created an AI version of Huff, our vocalist, for our Delusional lyric video so I decided to take that up a notch. MidJourney just came out with character reference ability and I thought it'd be fun to try to tell a story through the abilities AI gives us. I used Runway and Pika Labs for the motion and spent about 30 hours in 2 days creating this video. It was truly a fun experience and I'm very proud of how it turned out. Fun fact, I submitted the video to the rest of the band for confirmation and Krys hated the font I had chosen for the few lyrics that were on there and made me render out a version without text and then he did his magic and got a font that "wasn't trash". He used After Effects for the text and intro and I thought it turned out way cooler than my text I had so I can't be too mad.

5. Your EPK mentions a hybrid style of rock/metal. How do you blend these genres, and what sets Archeons apart musically?

Krys and I were in Deathcore bands in highschool. When we decided to move and start our own band, we didn't want to continue that but we have such a love for heavy breakdowns and percussive elements. We wanted to blend our love for City of Evil era Avenged Sevenfold dueling guitars with heavy music and that's the sound we've been working to accomplish. The whole band loves different genres and the nice thing is we don't really care about making something fit within a certain genre, we just want it to be good, though, I'd say it's always filtered through a metal/rock lense.
6. Can you share any memorable moments or challenges you faced while working on "Ballet Afterlife" or other projects?

My favorite part about this song is we took Huff's tryout audio he sent us in 2018, relistened to it, and the melody was so good. I told them we have to use this and it magically worked over Ballet's chorus. Obviously we had to tweak some things but in essence, the chorus to Ballet was from an audio clip Huff sent us when he tried out for Archeons.
7. How important is storytelling in your music, and what themes or messages do you aim to convey through your songs?

I'm probably not the best person to answer this. When I listen to music, I listen to the vocal melody and the instruments. I can say though that when we get a concept for a song, it's so much more enjoyable to write lyrics. This is something we've learned from Ballet Afterlife as once the initial concept was hashed out, it made the lyrics just flow. Our EP from 2018 was a concept EP about AI and where we thought the future was heading at that time. So I would say for me personally, I love storytelling through the songs and making lyrics that can fit the listener's life even if the song doesn't necessarily pertain to the song. Writing about human experience or a specific real life topic is out of my wheelhouse though. Huff does better with that stuff.
8. What role do each of the band members play in shaping the Archeons sound, and how do your diverse influences contribute to your musical identity?

We all have our common influences but I would say Krys is the writer in the band who knows what's going on, has good theory and can make things fit well. He can write incredibly melodic pieces or straight gut punching breakdowns. I, Trey, am always trying to add more dueling guitars to songs, sometimes to a fault, and contribute the orchestral elements/layers into our music. Ryan, our drummer, is very punk rock influenced and adds such a groove element, this man's hands are god tier and I love his style. Huff is just a madman vocally, between screams, pitch screams, or good ole fashioned beautiful singing, he can do it all. I'm truly blessed to be in a band with my favorite musicians and I think we all feel that way.

9. As a band based in Nashville, TN, how has the music scene influenced your growth and artistic development?

Moving to Nashville was an eye opener. You walk down broadway or into any club and there are musicians up there who are just absolutely incredible. The bands we play with in town are incredible. I remember our first show with a band called Yugen and their guitarist was one of the sickest guitarists I'd ever seen. Nashville has motivated us to be better but it also makes you realize how many people are trying to be musicians and how literally anyone you pass by is probably good enough to make it to the big leagues. It is humbling and has really made us try to figure out other paths to success rather than just writing good music because unfortunately, that's not the answer anymore.
10. What are your thoughts on the impact of social media and digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc., on the modern music industry?

Perfect follow up question to my last answer. I think we live in a world where music is so abundant. How many times do you hear something amazing and you're like "Oh, that's sick." then just keep on scrolling? I choose not to be upset about this, rather appreciate how it's made us figure out other creative avenues for the band rather than just music. It can be depressing releasing music and no one cares but you learn to work around that and do things that bring you joy as a creative. This is also why I appreciate AI as it gives the ability to do things one never could have in the past. So yeah, social media sucks but it's also amazing and I think it's how someone adapts to the changing times rather than wishing the music industry returned to how it used to be. I mean we can record songs in our bedroom now, you couldn't do that 20 years ago.
11. Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or performances that fans can look forward to?

We're really just working on new music that we've had sitting around. Currently in the studio slowly knocking those things out. We're releasing covers in between originals and that's been really fun. Look forward to our Take on Me cover because it honestly slaps. Aside from music, I'm working on a 2D RPG about the band and currently in the pre-pro stages of that. When it'll be released, I have no clue but I think it'll be a fun way to introduce people to our band, music and humor.
12. How do you balance artistic expression with audience expectations, especially when exploring themes like love, loss, and the supernatural in your music?

I guess the good thing about being a small band is you don't really have expectations and hopefully if we ever do get a big break, people will listen to our catalog and realize it's not following one simple path and not set certain expectations because we're always trying different styles. Thematically, if we're writing on a certain topic, it's our experience and our views. I don't think we'd ever be influenced by an outside perspective when writing.

13. What advice would you give to aspiring musicians looking to establish themselves in the industry?

Be positive and find band members you truly love being around. We've had this lineup for almost 4 years now and we're not making a living doing this, we get depressed, disheartened and upset because when you're 18 you think you're going to be touring and living the dream in a matter of years. Sometimes that's just not the case but if you're surrounded by a band who are truly your best friends, you'll keep going because you love what you do. If you give up, you lose out on the experiences you get when pursuing music, tours, making tunes that you actually love and being a family. It won't be sunshine and rainbows but just keep going, learn from your mistakes and continue doing what's in your soul.
14. Finally, is there anything else you'd like to share with your fans or potential listeners about Archeons or your musical journey?

Well we suck at posting on social media but do respond to any DMs or messages at least! We have a lot of things in the works and I can't give a time frame but it'll come out one way or another! Our new music is stuff I'm truly proud of and can't wait to share and then this game that's in the works will have great music and a great story! In an age of wanting everything quickly, I'm sorry I can't promise quick releases but it'll all definitely be worth the wait! You can follow us on all our socials at : linktr.ee/archeons