Australian metalcore band ENGRAVED unleashes raw intensity with their latest single, The Fallen. We discuss the song’s powerful message, their evolution, live energy, and what’s next for the band.
1.
"The Fallen" is an intense and powerful track. Can you take us
through the inspiration behind the song and what message you wanted to convey?
When we
first decided to give the track direction, we wanted the song to have a message
that matched the aggressiveness of the heavy riffs and drum beats. The idea
behind the song is a stance against the toxicity within the underground music
scene, where we are surrounded in a culture of forces that would rather watch
others fail instead of lifting each other.
2. You
mentioned that this song is about confronting chaos. How does that theme tie
into your personal experiences or the band's journey?
Over the
course of ENGRAVED and how the project has advanced and achieved milestones, we
have found that no matter how hard we work and keep focused on ourselves and
our goals, it seems to upset the wrong crowd. As a result of this we have faced
many forms of criticism and unwarranted abuse. Sadly, it's the reality of
the world we live in, however, The Fallen is the anthem, or revival, to convey
that we simply don't give a f*** and we are willing to take on whatever
challenges we need to in order to keep doing what we love.
3. The
track is packed with intricate guitar work and relentless drumming. What was
the writing and recording process like for "The Fallen"?
For this
track and some others, I (Dan) would normally come up with a few riff ideas and
generate a draft for a song. This then lays the platform for the rest of the
boys to share their ideas. Once Thiago begins writing the drums, we start to
feel the intensity of where the song can lead. With this, we are able to grow
on a musical idea which directs us to an aggressive song. With Panda and his
lyrical genius in combination with Cory, they are able to devise a powerful
connection to the track, and usually it is an experience that ignites the
creativity. As we all have great creative chemistry, the writing process is
quite rapid as we all understand what our influences are, and the direction we
are trying to go.
4.
"The Fallen" builds on the momentum of your previous single,
"NCB." How do you think your sound has evolved since that release?
NCB was a
softer song for us. Going back to the rest of our catalog where we have heavy
and fast riffs, melodies, etc. NCB was a song we wanted to try something
different with. Moving to the release of The Fallen, we wouldn't probably say
our sound has exactly evolved, more so, we'd like to look at it from an
approach of what else we are capable of. Yes, we can write
punky chords and chuggy breakdowns but we can also get that crowd moving
as much as possible and The Fallen is THAT mosh song.
5.
You’ve announced an East Coast tour in support of the new single. What can fans
expect from these shows, and how does your live performance compare to your
studio recordings?
Yes so the
tour is officially completed now and we are honestly very proud and stoked to
call it a success. Our goal with this was to show our fans that we take our
project seriously and that we want to keep delivering the best ENGRAVED
experience every time. It's one thing to listen to a track on a record but
actually hearing it live? We're all about that energy and movement. We want you
to have as much fun as we are on stage, so you'll always see us having the time
of our lives.
6.
You’ve shared the stage with notable Australian acts like Krave and ANA. How
have those experiences shaped you as a band?
Both are
very talented acts and performers. They know how to put on a show as performers
should. We've had the luxury of performing with both these bands on multiple
occasions and what you can always take away from each performance is "Wow,
they know how to put on a show". We like performing with these types of
artists as they inspire us to become more creative from a performance point of
view. How to keep a crowd engaged truly is an art itself and this is a massive
influence to our performing style.
7. Your
music carries strong influences from bands like Trivium, Parkway Drive, and
Killswitch Engage. What elements of their sound do you incorporate into your
own, and how do you make it uniquely ENGRAVED?
For me
(Dan), it's the riffs, melodies and combination of drums. I admire how each of
these bands combine these two instruments to make riffs and melodies that tell
a story in itself. The technicality and never ending desire to want to develop
my ability to match how each of these bands can navigate their sound. To me, I
love their music because it's simply 'fun to play'. When I heard these bands
for the first time, I couldn't wait to learn how to play the riffs because just
by listening, it sounded hard but fun. And this is where I go when writing for
ENGRAVED. After creating an idea and a demo, my next thought is "would
someone want to learn this", because this is how I felt when I was
inspired by my influences.
8. Your
debut EP, Unleashed, received great recognition, including a
feature on HEAVY Magazine. How did that response impact the band’s trajectory?
As it was
our first release, we didn't expect to receive so much positive feedback. We
were able to reach new networks and audiences outside of our tiny demographic
at the time and was a spark of hope for us to continue following this passion.
Looking back on the release from where we are now, it's obvious that there are
many things we should've done differently from production to creativity. As a
result we are able to be more critical with ourselves and can acknowledge where
improvement is needed for future releases.
9.
You’re working on a new album set for release in 2025. Can you give us any
hints about what fans can expect in terms of sound, themes, or surprises?
Of course.
This album is a pure collaboration between all members of ENGRAVED. Unlike past
releases, the album will consist of tracks that all of us have had input
creatively. It is a reflection of who we are as true artists and will feature a
lot less externally inspired music. As mentioned before, we are big on
capability and flexibility, so one of our main focuses for the album is to
somewhat 'feature' the different styles and types of song structures.
10.
Metalcore has seen a resurgence in recent years, blending classic and modern
elements. Where do you see ENGRAVED fitting into the current metalcore
landscape?
Most bands
like to think are different and unique in their own way, but reality is we all
stem from somewhere. When it comes to us, we are more focused on the classic
elements of metalcore, ultimately because that is where our inspiration to play
this music draws from. In a modern scene, we find that this is one way for us
to stand out as we find most bands in our scene are following a more modern
sound and approach, not that there's anything wrong with that but it goes back
to my comment about having fun. We are performing many more headline shows than
we could've hoped for and we truly believe it is because we are staying true to
our sound and our vision of maintaining engagement on stage through our classic
metalcore elements.
11. As
an Australian band, what’s your take on the country’s heavy music scene, and
how has it influenced your career so far?
Heavy music
in Australia is growing more and more by the year. It's slowly creeping its way
into mainstream media, but I do believe there is still a very long way to go.
The underground scene however, is tough, especially after Covid. We do find
that it is far more difficult to get more and more people out to underground
shows as there is a smaller market for it. Heavy festivals are on the high,
with big acts coming and selling tickets, even arena concerts. But for smaller
artists such as ourselves, the biggest consideration for the Australian
consumer is the cost of living. Whenever we perform, our approach is now to
have smaller ticket prices so more people can come out to shows and have an
experience.
12. For
new listeners discovering ENGRAVED for the first time, which song do you think
best represents the band, and why?
Easily, The
Fallen. This song is us. It is a reflection of who we are and what we are
about. We have never been more proud of a track and how much life and energy it
provides to the listener as well as how we wrote and performed it.
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