This mystifying progressive metal band from Milton Keynes, UK, comprising Alec Kahney and James Monteith on guitars, Amos Williams on bass, Jay Postones on drums and vocalist Ashe O’Hara, is set to perform at the highly anticipated Bacardi NH7 Weekender.
“We’ve played in India twice and both times have been nothing short of an amazing experience. Everything from the fans to the food...,” says James, claiming that ‘inspiration’ for the band comes right from “coffee, beer and sushi, to cats and dogs.” On a more serious note, he adds that “musical influences range from Pink Floyd to Meshuggah to Massive Attack to Steely Dan.”
Known to be pioneers of the ‘djent’ movement, which they define as “a palm-muted double octave power-chord,” they say the movement seems to be dying out. “The scene is saturated by bands that sound alike. However, I think the most innovating bands that were born out of djent have transcended the tag and will continue to evolve,” says James.
Having been active since 2003, their first album, One, came out only in 2012! “One was a collection of songs spanning the band’s entire existence up until that point, so there was a lot of material. Altered State feels like more of an actual, cohesive album to us,” he says, comparing their albums, the former of which, won the ‘New Blood’ category in the Progressive Music Awards.
Hoping to release another album in 2014, the band also encourages young metal heads here to work on building an international fan base and utilise online music portals.
