Collapse - interviewed!
Seeing as we were so blown away by Arms And The Covenant, we jumped at the chance to ask the chaps in Collapse some questions, so fired some over to them with most haste! Luckily, Rainer (Bass and Backing Vocals) was kind enough to give us some answers and send them back - see what he had to say below.
1). So thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us guys, first off, introduce yourselves.
We are a hard hitting London based 5 piece band on a mission to bring something new and exciting to the world of metal.
2). When did you all get together?
The band came together originally in late 2009. We evolved with a few line up changes over the years until we cemented the current line up last year.
3). How did you all meet?
Andy and Duncan knew each other from previous musical projects, Scott joined shortly after. I joined in October 2011 to replace the previous bassist. Christian came onboard late last year to take over the lead guitar duties.
4). How would you describe your music?
Our sound is an unrelenting bombardment of colossal grooves, brutal riffs and aggression that hits you in the face like an angry gorilla on steroids. There’s a hint of melody there too.
5). Who are your major influences?
We draw influences from various bands all over the world. I’d say the main ones are DevilDriver, Lamb of God, Pantera, The Haunted and Carcass.
6). We featured the record on Loud-Stuff a while back and loved what we heard, how has the general reception been for it so far?
We were absolutely overwhelmed by how well received and positive people have been about the new album. They seem to have picked up on the album’s raw energy and shared the same enthusiasm that we had making it.
7). What do you think it is about your music that’s catching people’s attention?
The whole idea of the band was to create bone crushingly heavy metal that worships the almighty riff and I think we managed to carve out our own unique sound. We’re making music that we like and it’s a great honour that people have responded to it so well. Ultimately I think it’s the honest approach to making good music by five dedicated metal heads.
8). What are the plans tour wise at the moment for people to get out and catch you live?
We're playing Hard Rock Hell, Ibiza on 18th May, Bloodstock Club Serpent in June, headlining the 'Headbangers Balls' show at the Camden Underworld in June, for The Teenage Cancer Trust and then headlining the Rock & Metal Circus Festival in September.
9). Are there any plans for new recordings in the pipeline yet?
Not yet. We are currently working on new material and some ideas we’ve been putting together.
10). Finally – say something profound that will make everyone think:
You try to make good metal but it ends up making you.
Big thanks to Rainer for the answers, make sure you check out the links below!
Collapse Website HERE
Collapse on Facebook HERE
Collapse on YouTube HERE
Questions - Dave Nicholls
1). So thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us guys, first off, introduce yourselves.
We are a hard hitting London based 5 piece band on a mission to bring something new and exciting to the world of metal.
2). When did you all get together?
The band came together originally in late 2009. We evolved with a few line up changes over the years until we cemented the current line up last year.
3). How did you all meet?
Andy and Duncan knew each other from previous musical projects, Scott joined shortly after. I joined in October 2011 to replace the previous bassist. Christian came onboard late last year to take over the lead guitar duties.
4). How would you describe your music?
Our sound is an unrelenting bombardment of colossal grooves, brutal riffs and aggression that hits you in the face like an angry gorilla on steroids. There’s a hint of melody there too.
5). Who are your major influences?
We draw influences from various bands all over the world. I’d say the main ones are DevilDriver, Lamb of God, Pantera, The Haunted and Carcass.
6). We featured the record on Loud-Stuff a while back and loved what we heard, how has the general reception been for it so far?
We were absolutely overwhelmed by how well received and positive people have been about the new album. They seem to have picked up on the album’s raw energy and shared the same enthusiasm that we had making it.
7). What do you think it is about your music that’s catching people’s attention?
The whole idea of the band was to create bone crushingly heavy metal that worships the almighty riff and I think we managed to carve out our own unique sound. We’re making music that we like and it’s a great honour that people have responded to it so well. Ultimately I think it’s the honest approach to making good music by five dedicated metal heads.
8). What are the plans tour wise at the moment for people to get out and catch you live?
We're playing Hard Rock Hell, Ibiza on 18th May, Bloodstock Club Serpent in June, headlining the 'Headbangers Balls' show at the Camden Underworld in June, for The Teenage Cancer Trust and then headlining the Rock & Metal Circus Festival in September.
9). Are there any plans for new recordings in the pipeline yet?
Not yet. We are currently working on new material and some ideas we’ve been putting together.
10). Finally – say something profound that will make everyone think:
You try to make good metal but it ends up making you.
Big thanks to Rainer for the answers, make sure you check out the links below!
Collapse Website HERE
Collapse on Facebook HERE
Collapse on YouTube HERE
Questions - Dave Nicholls
Collapse - Julias perspective on the album...
Collapse are a metal band from London who formed in 2009. Their latest album, ‘Arms and the Covenant’ is a hard-hitting record full of heavy riffs and impressive harsh vocals. The title track opens with a great guitar riff and it’s apparent from the start that Collapse are bringing something fresh to the metal scene. Duncan Wilkinson’s vocals are very strong in ‘The Cursed’ and merge well with the fast-paced guitaring. ‘The Death Of Man’ is a brutal and striking song, full of tight drum beats and harsh growls. Opening with technical guitaring, ‘Acolyte’ features well-written lyrics and a very impressive guitar solo near the end of the track. ‘Bloodlet’ is one of the songs that stood out the most on the album due to it being of a slightly slower pace yet still as brutal as the fast-paced songs. ‘Follow’ is a haunted-sounding song with more of a melodic metal vibe and horror-filled lyrics. ‘Of Iron’ is one of the strongest songs on ‘Arms and the Covenant’ as Duncan’s vocals are brutal and the guitar shredding sounds amazing. ‘Attrition’ is another fast-paced and fierce song, proving that Collapse are definitely strong contenders in the British metal scene. Ending their impressive album with a cover of ‘Heartwork’ by Carcass, Collapse’s latest album is both enjoyable to listen to and full of great metal songs.
‘Arms and the Covenant’ is due for release on April 1st via Transcend Music.
Check out Collapse HERE
Words: Julia Conopo
See what Dave had to say below...
‘Arms and the Covenant’ is due for release on April 1st via Transcend Music.
Check out Collapse HERE
Words: Julia Conopo
See what Dave had to say below...
Collapse
Rob at Stampede Press recently dropped us a line letting us know about Collapse, a band described as ‘heavy metal lions’, due to release their debut album Arms And The Covenant on the 1st of April. Having already been championed by the likes of Metal Hammer and Terrorizer Magazines, Collapse are setting their sights on bringing their hybrid mix of European melodic and US thrash groove metal, with their own take on it, to the world – and we figured we’d check things out for ourselves, just to make sure we were in agreement!
Kicking off with Arms And The Covenant (video below) things immediately get turned up to 11 and get moving, opening with rolling double bass, hammering guitar work and a bass heavy, groove laden rhythm which is sure to get circle pits moving. Roaring vocals soon come in to take the lead, building on the already powerful track and taking it to a new level, matching the sense of power that we were promised in the press release, and setting the album up as something that’s going to be seriously, seriously heavy. That said, it’s also notable just how much melody there is in the mix here, whilst heavy, it’s still accessible and the sort of thing you can really get in to.
Moving onto The Cursed the sense of all out power continues, once again hammering into being with some insane guitar work and a rhythm section straight out of hell. Building into the track getting going fully, from the opening moments we’re led gradually into a powerful, upbeat melee of hammering elements, distortion, and a sense of sheer insanity. Imagine Devildriver mixed with Chimaira and you’re getting somewhere close to the sound on offer here, it’s insanely powerful, groovy, and somehow damned easy to listen to. Moving onto The Death Of Man, the bass heavy undertones continue to steal the show, launching you head first into a track designed to get pits moving, people jumping, and venues crumbling. The all out approach on offer here is the sort of thing which won’t just scare your Nan, it’ll grab her by the eyeballs and drag her into the pit with you. Fast paced from start to finish, this is a track which stands out as a potential single, the sort of thing which people are going to get hooked into and want more more more….in short, a damned fine track.
It’s no surprise then that as we move into Resurrecting God we’re once again led down a heavy assed path, the opening moments not giving a lot away, other than that it’s going to be a heavy track and a welcome addition to the album. Acting as an intro track for Acolyte, the pause in proceedings continues to build the anticipation, giving you a moment to breath before once again, all hell lets loose. As Acolyte kicks in the double bass picks up once again, the guitars get going and some Dez Fafara style vocals take the lead. In your face, raw, distorted, mad, insane, heavy…words keep coming to mind but none of them seem to do this track justice, definitely one of my favourites from the record.
Working through Bloodlet, Follow, Of Iron and Attrition, each track comes as another heavy snippet of what these guys are capable of, each one building on the one before and continuing the sense of all out distorted aggression. It’s a shame though that the album’s only 10 tracks long, and all too soon we reach the end. Closing with Heartwork the guys seem to save some of the best for last, finishing on a track which manages to combine their groove orientated metal approach with a sense of classic metal and accessible rock. Intricate guitar lines work with the bass heavy rhythms courtesy of the rhythm section, building into a track which is full of power, melody, and in your face attitude. It’s a cliché to say the best was saved until last, but here there’s no other choice, the closing moments are quite simply stunning, confirming Collapse their place in the world of metal.
I’m a huge DevilDriver fan, so when I saw that Mike had been involved in this album, I was looking forward to seeing what was on offer. What Collapse have managed to do is drawn on influences from all around them and produce an album that’s their own, illustrating their style and ability from start to finish. Heavy, in your face, full of attitude and packing one hell of a punch, this is an album that you won’t just hear, you’ll feel it from start to finish…
…and it feels good.
To find out more about Collapse, check out their Facebook page HERE
Check out their video for Arms And The Covenant (mixed by Mike Spreitzer of DevilDriver) below!
Words: Dave Nicholls
Kicking off with Arms And The Covenant (video below) things immediately get turned up to 11 and get moving, opening with rolling double bass, hammering guitar work and a bass heavy, groove laden rhythm which is sure to get circle pits moving. Roaring vocals soon come in to take the lead, building on the already powerful track and taking it to a new level, matching the sense of power that we were promised in the press release, and setting the album up as something that’s going to be seriously, seriously heavy. That said, it’s also notable just how much melody there is in the mix here, whilst heavy, it’s still accessible and the sort of thing you can really get in to.
Moving onto The Cursed the sense of all out power continues, once again hammering into being with some insane guitar work and a rhythm section straight out of hell. Building into the track getting going fully, from the opening moments we’re led gradually into a powerful, upbeat melee of hammering elements, distortion, and a sense of sheer insanity. Imagine Devildriver mixed with Chimaira and you’re getting somewhere close to the sound on offer here, it’s insanely powerful, groovy, and somehow damned easy to listen to. Moving onto The Death Of Man, the bass heavy undertones continue to steal the show, launching you head first into a track designed to get pits moving, people jumping, and venues crumbling. The all out approach on offer here is the sort of thing which won’t just scare your Nan, it’ll grab her by the eyeballs and drag her into the pit with you. Fast paced from start to finish, this is a track which stands out as a potential single, the sort of thing which people are going to get hooked into and want more more more….in short, a damned fine track.
It’s no surprise then that as we move into Resurrecting God we’re once again led down a heavy assed path, the opening moments not giving a lot away, other than that it’s going to be a heavy track and a welcome addition to the album. Acting as an intro track for Acolyte, the pause in proceedings continues to build the anticipation, giving you a moment to breath before once again, all hell lets loose. As Acolyte kicks in the double bass picks up once again, the guitars get going and some Dez Fafara style vocals take the lead. In your face, raw, distorted, mad, insane, heavy…words keep coming to mind but none of them seem to do this track justice, definitely one of my favourites from the record.
Working through Bloodlet, Follow, Of Iron and Attrition, each track comes as another heavy snippet of what these guys are capable of, each one building on the one before and continuing the sense of all out distorted aggression. It’s a shame though that the album’s only 10 tracks long, and all too soon we reach the end. Closing with Heartwork the guys seem to save some of the best for last, finishing on a track which manages to combine their groove orientated metal approach with a sense of classic metal and accessible rock. Intricate guitar lines work with the bass heavy rhythms courtesy of the rhythm section, building into a track which is full of power, melody, and in your face attitude. It’s a cliché to say the best was saved until last, but here there’s no other choice, the closing moments are quite simply stunning, confirming Collapse their place in the world of metal.
I’m a huge DevilDriver fan, so when I saw that Mike had been involved in this album, I was looking forward to seeing what was on offer. What Collapse have managed to do is drawn on influences from all around them and produce an album that’s their own, illustrating their style and ability from start to finish. Heavy, in your face, full of attitude and packing one hell of a punch, this is an album that you won’t just hear, you’ll feel it from start to finish…
…and it feels good.
To find out more about Collapse, check out their Facebook page HERE
Check out their video for Arms And The Covenant (mixed by Mike Spreitzer of DevilDriver) below!
Words: Dave Nicholls