TIDES OF VIRTUE
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 1st February 2011.
We reviewed Tides Of Virtue's debut album "Malevolence" in the middle of 2010. They are now working on the follow-up, and plan to release the album in or around June.
Guitarist Paul Lawford answers questions
What’s the history behind Tides Of Virtue? How did the band form, what’s the background of the various members, where are you now based?
Paul: The band started around May 2008, Myself and fellow guitarist James had been friends for a good number of years and decided it was time to actually start a band. We got together for a few evenings and started writing some riffs and talking about the band etc. We came up with the name and 2 tracks before we had even found any more members and then we flooded MySpace and Facebook in search of some members.
Firstly came Elliot the drummer who also was in a band with a bass player Jake Mead so that went hand in hand. We had a very productive first practice and nearly finished our first track "time and tide wait for no man" then we had around 4 auditions for a vocalist when we found Louis Thurgood and liked his vocal style and personality so it all came from there.
Who were the early influences? Do you all have similar listening tastes?
Paul: Personally I have had the same influences for years. My big influences being bands such as Poison The Well, Iron maiden, Unearth, The Acacia Strain, Viatrophy and The Red Chord and these bands continually give me inspiration in my writing. More Poison the well for the passion and energy and Iron Maiden for their amazing melodies and harmonies. All our listening tastes are generally quite similar however we all like a few different genres.
When writing out first E.P we were all really into bands like Eternal Lord, Through The Eyes of the Dead, and My Children My Bride, and I think the "Death Core" sound came across even though it wasn't completely our target genre. Its just how that record came out. I wouldn't change it for the world as it is our roots and was the starting path to where we are today.
Did you know what sort of sound Tides Of Virtue was destined to have at the start, or has it developed a lot since you began?
Paul: We had a plan for our sound right from the start but this has definitely changed over time. I wouldn't say that we are far from our original style at all, but I would say we have a more matured and structured feel to our music. Being a huge Maiden fan I always try to massively emphasise the importance of melody and harmony with the music I write and how important a catchy riff or lead line is, but we always wanted to keep the heavy-ness and "hardcore" style riffs that bands like Unearth do massively well with. They combine great melodies with crushing rhythms and breakdowns and its great to see 2 genres intertwining and we strive to not follow a certain medium but write songs we love to play and songs we hope others love to listen to.
How would you actually describe your sound to somebody who hadn’t heard you before?
Paul: I would probably use the words energetic, harmonious and sometimes quite destructive. We try to incorporate many different styles and techniques but I would always call us a metal or metal-core band as most of our influences come from this genre. Many people have labeled us Death Core, Metalcore, Mosh Metal, etc but I'm not to worried about being tagged anything as long as we enjoy what we write and play.
Where did the name come from, and does it have any significance to you?
Paul: When we where thinking of names myself and James had a few ideas but we wanted a name that was powerful in meaning and not too typical of a name so as not to be labeled. We had the word "virtue" which has a really powerful meaning and when combined with tides it had a metaphor of the Tides being virtuous. We don't really see that the "Tides" part has anything to do with the fact its to do with the sea and we haven't dwelled on it. We just thought it was a name that had great meaning and could be easily remembered.
How has the local music scene helped or hindered yours and the band’s development?
Paul: There have been a few bands from Essex that have emerged greatly onto the scene. For example Postmortem Promises, Cinders Fall, etc and we always love playing our home town. However over the past few years the buzz around the metal scene has died around Essex and with the Hardcore scene becoming so popular its hard to play the right shows in Essex now. Fortunately we travel a lot around the UK for gigs to places like Birmingham, Southampton, Wales etc where we nearly always have a great turn out and a great show. Also we have had the great opportunity of going to Belgium twice now in the past 2 years and the metal scene out there is huge so have always had an amazing time out there where the crowd goes totally crazy for our music.
I understand your 2nd LP is on the way out in June. How is the writing and recording coming along?
Paul: Its going well. we are currently at a stage where we are trying to get a solid line-up so that we can continue our quest for 15 or so songs ready to record in June and choose the best 10. Its been a bit of a hindrance having a few unexpected line-up changes over the past 9 or so months due to other commitments but myself and James meet up weekly to write riffs which we bring to the practice room. The passion is still there and were determined to write some powerful music to be released later this year. We have 2 new tracks as a sample of things to come on the album from our facebook and these tracks will be featured on the album.
How do you feel it compares to your debut album “Malevolence” in terms of style, power and quality?
Paul: I would say that our album had a very strong, powerful feel to it, sometimes quite dark in places. I think our new record will be a lot more melodic and mature sounding yet still retaining the energy and the heaviness of our sound, and maybe not so negative with the lyric content as heard previously. We didn't intend for the lyrics to be so dark on Malevolence but that was they way Louis wrote them. We don't want to write a record that's the same as the last one but we do want to still incorporate the styles that make us Tides of Virtue without swaying far from our sound.
How do you typically go about writing a song? Are you a jamming band or more methodical?
Paul: We have a bit of both to be honest. As I say myself and james meet weekly and have "band time" if you will. for example last week we had a merch audit so we could sort all of our merch. During this time we write together and record some bits and bobs on my mac. Any ideas we have whilst apart we record the riffs and email them to our band then piece them together when we meet and bring them into the practice studio where we piece together the rhythms and the vocals.
Nick generally writes about things that affect him on a day to day basis so the lyrics are very relevant to his life. So we write ideas over time and just gradually merge the ideas together until were happy we've written a great song.
Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing ideas?
Paul: I have always said the lyrics should be passionate and meaningful. Nick writes about experiences past and present and things very relevant to him personally so its very personal for him. When writing we just write music that we ourselves would enjoy listening too. We try to create memorable riffs and catchy leads that we also hope the audience will remember and enjoy. Our musical influences have a big bearing over our sound as without them we wouldn't have any benchmark to go by and its becoming very tough to do something original so we have to strive to try and be the best in what we do.
Is there a story/theme running through the songs on the new one, or is it more a collection of standalone moments?
Paul: I would say a collection of moments that build up and create a story over the duration of the song. I think sometimes our music can seem like a journey where we reach the destination at the end of the track.
Do you do anything special or unusual in the studio to get your sound?
Paul: In the past we haven't done anything too dramatic to create the sound we strive for. Just the general putting a rag behind the strings to stop fret buzz etc. We try to use the best equipment available to us as the better the gear the better the sound, but generally the studio is quite a stressful process so we try to keep it simple and nail the tracks we are working on.
Are there any particular tracks we should keep an eye out for, or is it all going to be brilliant?
Paul: Its too earlier yet to pick a "key track" from the new record but we hope we can write many that become recognisable. It seemed that "The Ferryman" from our album Malevolence was our most popular track and still is. This was probably helped by the fact we recorded a music video for it but it's a track we still love to play and generally gets the best crowd response.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Paul: I think we all love it all to be honest. Though the studio can become a very stressful environment for us all it does give you a 2nd reflection on what's being recorded so that things can be adapted for the better. And it does bring out some creative elements. However I don't think there's anything more satisfying than playing a gig to a crowd of people who love the music you're playing. The buzz and adrenaline rush from seeing people loving and appreciating what you have written is amazing, but the songs have gone through the studio and been fine tuned for them to hear and learn first so I would say it is all relative and important.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Paul: I would say our live show is packed with energy and passion and we always love playing to a crowd of 5 or 500. We try to remain as tight and clinical with our playing whilst not forgetting to put on a show to the fans. At the end of the day they are the guys paying on the door to see us and in the end some of that goes towards us. They are also the people who buy the merchandise and follow your band so the live show is as much about them as it is us.
You’re played something like 300 shows in little more than 2 years. How do you find time to record new music? How do you even find time to live your lives?
Paul: Yeah It is sometimes very tough to try and weigh up our lives and our music. But were a dedicated bunch and want to play to as many people as possible in as many places as possible. We all try hard to make it so that music doesn't affect our personal lives and vice versa. We usually dedicate 2 nights a week for a meet up and a practice so that idea are still fresh in our brains. We all communicate on a daily basis as well so nothing goes out of the loop. Where I work full time and have a girlfriend I often find it very stressful and very rarely get time to myself, Sometimes over a month without a full day off to myself. I think my mum refers to it as "burning the candle at both ends" lol. But it means I cherish the time more where I can go fishing or go out with friends, But I also remember that I'm in a band that I love and enjoy what I do and I get to play to people all around the country and visit places I've never been before so it all makes up for it as I get to spend time with an awesome bunch of guys and make the music I love.
What have been the highlights and lowlights of your musical lives so far?
Paul: Our main highlight was definitely getting the chance to play in Belgium. The crowd over there seem to love our music and it was crazy to see them grabbing the mic and singing our lyrics. It's amazing that something that means so much to me means so much to them as well. Hopefully we will be playing more shows in mainland Europe later on in the year. I can't really think of any lowlights as we always seem to bite the bullet if there's a problem and get by doing what we can. I would have to say an overall lowlight is seeing how the metal scene has died down so dramatically in the past 3 years and is nothing to what it used to be. I remember seeing our local venue have 150+ people guaranteed on a "Metal" night. You will be lucky to get 25 now which is a shame. I don't know whether people have totally gone off the music or that the general music fan has become lazy? But I believe its all swings and roundabouts and the mentality of the music listener will always change.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Paul: I think we have everything covered which is cool, usually interviews are not so extensive which is cool as its quite unusual and more interesting :)
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Paul: I'm actually on a bit of free time at work so I'll be finishing up here then off to the pub for a couple of beers. Then up in the morning to work again. Then work again and a gig in the evening, Oh the life of a wannabe rock star.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Paul: Firstly I would just like to thank you for letting us do this interview with you. Has been a pleasure. All the fans that attend our shows, buy our merchandise and show us constant support. A big thank you to Rob at Transcend Records who gave us the opportunity to get our album in the shops and give us more recognition around the UK and is always there as great support.
We are currently shaping the line up of the band and are determined to come back stronger than ever. We will have a music video being released in March and new promo photos, announcements and competitions coming up soon. We're also hoping to get on some festivals this year and will announce anything where we have things 100%
Also we hope you enjoy the new tracks on our Facebook where you download the sampler and see all of our up coming gigs! See you at a show soon!
Thanks again to Paul for his time. We'll hopefully review the new album as and when we get it.
http://www.myspace.com/tidesofvirtue
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tides-Of-Virtue/107359025135
