In this interview, Within The Ruins’ Steve Tinnon shares insights on Phenomena II, the band’s evolving sound, and what fans can expect from their upcoming tour.
1. Phenomena
II has been out for a few months now, and fans are really connecting
with it. How does it feel to finally have this sequel out
in the world, and what kind of response have you seen so far?
It feels
amazing to have it out! The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, and
it’s very satisfying to see. There was always going to be pressure to live up
to the original ‘Phenomena’, and the general consensus seems to be that we’ve
done exactly that. We’re super happy with what we’ve created with this album.
2. You
mentioned that Phenomena II was born out of inspiration from
revisiting the original Phenomena. Can you walk us through how this
project evolved and why you felt it was the right time to
create a sequel?
When it was
time to start writing a new album, I knew I didn’t want to write ‘Black Heart’
again. It was a really difficult time in my life, and I’m just not in that
headspace these days. I pitched the idea to do a sequel a couple times, and the
guys came around and got really excited really quickly haha. Realizing the 10
year anniversary of the first ‘Phenomena’ was coming up, and then knowing by
the time the album would be out that it would be almost 10 years to the month,
was too good of a coincidence to pass up. The stars aligned for this and it was
perfect.
3. The themes
of Phenomena II focus on storytelling from comic book characters' perspectives.
What drew you to this concept, and how did you choose which characters or
stories to highlight?
I wanted to
keep it similar to the original ‘Phenomena’ in that sense of writing from the
characters’ perspectives, but also as grounded in real life as they could be. I
was familiar with all the characters Tim chose the first time around, and I
didn’t want to pick the same ones, so I went with ones I found interesting that
had at least somewhat relatable stories to tell, and also ones that we’re
currently seeing, or will be coming in future storylines, in the Marvel/DC
universes.
4. Within The Ruins is
known for blending progressive elements with deathcore. How do you balance
technical complexity with maintaining that visceral, heavy impact in your
music?
That’s
definitely question more geared towards Joe, he’s the mastermind behind a lot
of what we do haha. I’m just the guy that writes the lyrics, but I can tell you
all of us take influences from all sorts of places. Anything from different
genres of metal, to pop artists, and everything in between. And not just
different music styles, but movies and video games too. We get inspired by all
kinds of stuff, and if you’re paying attention to the details, you’ll hear
it.
5. You've
been pushing boundaries for years now, releasing seven albums. How has your
sound evolved over time, and how does Phenomena II reflect
where the band is creatively today?
If you
listen to the band’s catalog in order, you’ll hear a progression in the
songwriting and experimenting over the years. I think a lot of it is just the
band maturing over time and creating a sort of controlled chaos. ‘Phenomena II’
reaches back to a few different eras of the band’s music, but mostly focusing
on what made the first ‘Phenomena’ so special. We tried to be in that mindset,
but a little more modernized. We were all different people 10 years ago, but we
still wanted to bring back what we, and our fans, loved about that album.
6. The guitar
work on Phenomena II is intricate and unique. Can you talk about your approach
to guitar composition for this album and any specific techniques or
inspirations that played a role?
(I had Joe
answer this one, as it’s very specific to him)
It’s never
really a pre meditated thing. The most important thing is finding that
inspiration or mindset to start a new project. It can take some time to really
find a direction and get that spark. Once that happens though, it’s all about
kind of challenging yourself. Trying to be creative in new ways so that as the
composer you are excited. After 5 or so albums it’s still gotta feel “fresh”
somehow. And you develop tools and little tricks along the way. So I think our
sound is just a combination of experience, growth and building on what’s in the
tool box. That grows exponentially with each album. But in end we just make
music that is interesting to us, and if that’s done with passion then it will
be unique.
7. You're
about to embark on a headlining tour across the US with
Gore, followed by more dates with Dreamwake. What can fans expect from these
upcoming shows, and how do you approach translating your complex sound
to a live setting?
Well, it’s
cool for us because we don’t headline that often, so it was a fun opportunity
to come up with a cool set list and enhance our live show a bit, stuff we don’t
normally have time for in a typical 30-minute set. There’s a good amount of
work that goes into our live sound, and that’s where Joe comes in. He’s done a
lot to make sure what you hear live, sounds like what you hear on the album. We
have a lot of moving parts in our songs, and we don’t want that to get lost
just because we’re playing it live. We do our best to give you all the little
details even in a live setting, and we think it translates well!
8. Your
band has built a reputation for
innovation within a genre that can sometimes be resistant to
change. What motivates you to keep pushing the envelope creatively,
and what challenges have you faced along the way?
We try to
keep our ear to the ground and be aware of what’s going on in the metal scene,
but our roots come through a lot too when writing. We have a sound that people
expect from us, but we’re always willing to experiment and throw in something
you may not expect. We have a lot of fun when we record, and get lost in the
process a lot. Sometimes the metal scene as a whole can be picky, and it just
is what it is. Write the same thing over and over, they’ll say you get boring.
Stray too far from your original sound, and they want the old version of the
band back. It’s constantly walking a line, but I think we’re nothing, if not
consistent, in what we do.
9. You’ll
be joining Shadows Fall for the 20th anniversary celebration of The War Within at the Palladium
in December. How does it feel to share the stage with such
influential acts, and what significance does this event hold for you?
We’ve
played with Shadows Fall a few times, and it’s never lost on us how great of an
opportunity it is. They mean a lot to the area, and it’s awesome to be a part
of what they’re doing! Plus ‘The War Within’ is an amazing album, so that
in itself will be rad haha.
10. Within The Ruins has
achieved millions of streams, which is rare for such heavy music. What do you
think it is about your sound that resonates with both dedicated metal fans
and a broader audience?
I think
it’s how we piece together multiple genres. Most of our songs have an
approachable structure, Joe is an incredible guitarist so the “nerds” have
plenty to feast on, he’s also a riff machine so almost any type of metal fan
can enjoy it, and there are also plenty of breakdowns/heavy parts to give those
people what they want. It’s a little bit of everything, like I said earlier,
it’s a controlled chaos haha. There’s something for everyone!
11. Lastly,
with Phenomena II out and more shows ahead, what’s next
for Within The Ruins? Are there any future projects or surprises
in store for your fans?
We still
have some ‘Phenomena II’ content we plan to release, and we’re figuring out
next year right now! There’s also some other stuff we have up our sleeve, but
for now, it’ll have to wait. Just keep your eyes peeled, there’s plenty
to come!
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