Empire State Bastard, the long-awaited heavy venture from Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and Oceansize’s Mike Vennart, have simply unleashed their debut album ‘Rivers Of Heresy’. We delve deep into the writing and recording course of behind among the heaviest songs of their careers on this newest version of The Album Story.

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This can be very uncommon for a mere band identify to have a fame and expectation fashioned round it earlier than the primary riff has even been written. But for Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and Oceansize’s Mike Vennart, the dialogue and anticipation across the eventual debut of their brutal metallic venture, Empire State Bastard, has floated across the fandom for years. So, why did now really feel like the appropriate second to lastly deliver ESB to life?

“As a result of we had waited for therefore lengthy to work collectively, we didn’t wish to rush it and do it only for the sake of it” explains Simon, who cites the additional time afforded to them by the pandemic as an apparent place to begin within the writing course of. Following a prolonged unplugged acoustic tour with Biffy, it additionally appeared like the proper time for the pair to seek out one thing heavier to show their consideration to.

Now, as ‘Rivers Of Heresy’ is unleashed on the unsuspecting public, Simon and Mike speak channeling the historical past of metallic into its 10 tracks, turning riotous rage into riffs and having a hell of loads of enjoyable alongside the best way.

THE SOUND

Given the huge distinction in sound to their different respective tasks, did they discover there have been any adjustments of their songwriting fashion as they entered the brand new world of Empire State Bastard?

“I don’t ordinarily begin writing on the guitar”, says Mike. “However when it got here to penning this, I used to be simply actually pissed off and needed to make music that was as pissed off as I felt. It grew to become a pure factor. Cease attempting to write down elaborate chord sequences that no one has heard earlier than or cool melodies or good guitar chords – simply fucking play probably the most brutal fifths, flattened fifths, excellent fourths. Simply issues that can slam into individuals’s faces. Don’t fucking overthink it; simply make it as brutal and actual as doable. It grew to become clear – that is what Empire State Bastard ought to have gave the impression of. Possibly we must always begin speaking about that once more…”

“The principle change for me was I used to be getting a spark and taking inspiration from Mike”, Simon provides. “With a Biffy tune, it comes from inside me so I very a lot know what I need the tune to be earlier than I’ve even completed writing it. The great thing about this was to be introduced with a bunch of concepts.”

A transparent goal for Neil was to attempt to keep away from sounds that would sound an excessive amount of like his work with Biffy. With Mike alongside him main the cost, it pushed him into new, collaborative territory as a author.

“It was liberating for me. My preliminary mission assertion was ‘no melody by any means’. That’s what we had supposed however then clearly among the songs advised me that they wanted a little bit of levity at factors. However I don’t really feel as if it ever cross-pollinated into how I’d write a Biffy tune and that was deliberate.”

“It’s bizarre for me and Mike to have been enjoying songs dwell that folks don’t know” he continues, trying again on their competition run this summer time, together with appearances at Obtain and 2000 Timber. “For among the reveals, there was just one tune out. It was barely liberating however I feel there’s an understanding of why we’re doing this. There’s a actual honesty to this venture. It sort of feels like a necessity.”

First single and album opener ‘Harvest’ set the scene for what was to come back and with its unrelenting assault and a few notably punishing vocals, it might effectively have caught at the least a couple of listeners without warning.

“I feel perhaps some individuals have been hoping for Oceansize with Simon singing or vice versa”, Mike admits. “However the truth that it ended up like this in all probability isn’t truly a shock to most individuals. Its form of what everyone hoped it might be, I wish to assume so anyway. It’s an eclectic file that does loads of completely different stuff however it’s all heavy as fuck.”

Certainly, ‘Rivers Of Heresy’ is as a lot a celebration of metallic’s range as a style as it’s an audio historical past lesson, with touches of Iron Maiden, Will Haven, Device and (inevitably) Slayer all introduced into play, even when only for the briefest of moments.

“Each metallic band we now have ever beloved has fed into this,” says Simon. “It’s about bringing all these influences collectively after which letting our freak flag fly.”

THE LYRICS

When discussing Biffy Clyro’s masterful latest albums ‘A Celebration Of Endings’ and ‘The Fantasy Of The Fortunately Ever After’, Simon advised Rock Sound about his sudden need to scream once more for the primary time in a number of years. Now, with ESB, he has ventured even additional down that vocal path as soon as once more.

“Life’s more durable than it fucking needs to be in 2023. That’s what it comes all the way down to”, Simon says, citing the affect of Brexit, the pandemic and the warfare as causes to scream and channel your anger on the world into music.

“On the flip of the millennium it felt like the whole lot was going up. And now right here we’re twenty years later and it looks like the one approach is down. I’ve poured my anger into the file – I’m fortunate that I’ve a wholesome outlet. Some individuals aren’t fortunate sufficient to have that.”

Themes of despair are notably clear on album nearer ‘The Looming’, as Simon sings of ‘the devastation’s looming like Jesus’ as he needs the listeners a ‘good evening’.

“It’s a tune in regards to the finish of the world,” he explains. “It was a very arduous tune to comply with on the file. We didn’t set out figuring out that it was going to be the final tune however as quickly as we completed it we knew it might be the top of the file. This was the place we wanted to depart a press release.”

“I like that this tune begins as like a rolling monolith after which it builds up and musically, the syrup of all of it, it simply made me take into consideration the tip” he continues. “There was one thing in regards to the precise music that made me take into consideration the tip of the world and led me down that lyrical path.”

THE COLLABORATORS

Even after they have been simply placing collectively demos, all drum elements have been labeled with the phrase Lombardo, the legendary Slayer, Mr. Bungle and The Misfits drummer having closely impressed the sound they aimed to realize. However with no prior relationship with Dave Lombardo, how did they handle to persuade him to affix the group?

“Fairly spookily, I’d been to San Francisco to see Mr. Bungle a couple of month earlier than” Mike explains. “Just about every week after I bought again, it was lockdown. That’s when it got here to go that we had time to do the file and we simply determined to get cheeky and assume huge and ask the best metallic drummer of all time.”

“And we have been conscious of that on the time once we have been writing the e-mail” Simon provides. “We have been about to ask the best metallic drummer of all time to play on, what felt on the time, our very silly file.”

Lombardo replied inside 24 hours saying he would completely find time for them instantly. The e-mail acted as one thing of a ‘kick up the arse’ for the blokes, fuelled by the belief that another person was taking ESB as critically as them.

As Mike places it, “It’s the largest praise we might ever have been paid to have him on the file.”

The lineup was then accomplished by Naomi Macleod of Bitch Falcon on bass, one other valued contributor who got here into the band nearly accidentally.

“We have been searching for a particular somebody and she or he simply magically appeared as a buddy of a buddy and we actually hit it off,” Mike says. “I knew she had the chops and she or he couldn’t solely maintain her personal as a badass funk pop bass participant however I knew she was a doomy, goth loony at coronary heart as effectively.”

Full band practices rapidly became bonding classes as Mike’s thought of escaping to the Yorkshire valleys for every week got here to fruition. With unhealthy Wi-Fi and telephone sign, there was nothing to do however play music all day lengthy, adopted by some pub and curry journeys in fact.

“Happily, there aren’t any dickheads on this band” Mike laughs.

THE TITLE AND THE ARTWORK

Mike targeted in on the phrase ‘Rivers Of Heresy’ early within the course of and, as Simon explains, it completely summed up the lyrical themes on the file.

“It felt apt. When civilization was beginning, they’d at all times base cities round rivers. It was a supply of life, the place they might fish and do their buying and selling. I simply assume on this second, our lifeblood of who we’re and who we have been raised to be is completely dirty. That supply of life and one thing that needs to be harmless and that everyone ought to have a proper to be round is definitely poisoned.”

For the paintings, they turned to outdated buddy Daniel P. Carter who has additionally produced an accompanying zine that will probably be launched with the album.

“From the second we mentioned the venture, we knew we needed Dan” Simon says. “We love Dan’s paintings. He has interpreted strains of lyrics and tune titles. Every little thing has a purpose to be there.”

Nonetheless, he does reveal that they needed to abandon one unique paintings thought involving Ronald McDonald and an enormous Nike shoe. It was, as Simon describes it, “a lawsuit ready to occur” however one they hope to sneak out sooner or later anyway.

THE FUTURE

Empire State Bastard will wrap up 2023 with a headlining UK tour, lastly enjoying to crowds who’re totally acquainted with the twists and turns of ‘Rivers Of Heresy’. And, transferring ahead, it might seem that the blokes don’t have any plans to decelerate.

“It’s too enjoyable to depart it on the shelf” says Mike. “We’ll have one other album. We’re gonna be engaged on that, will hopefully have it written by the tip of the 12 months. It’s simply an excessive amount of enjoyable to go out and in and get the kettle on. We’re a superb band, we get alongside nice and it feels good.”

“It looks like we’ve simply began” Simon provides. “As a result of the whole lot began backwards – we had the band identify and the tough idea of what we needed to do, then the music, then the album after which the band fashioned. Every little thing is backwards and I feel that’s what has stored it so thrilling. We will certainly strike whereas the iron is sizzling. When it feels good and it feels proper, you don’t wanna ask any questions, you simply comply with your coronary heart.”