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May 29th will see the release of the second full-length album 'End The Silence' from West Auckland’s finest metal advocates, Blindspott.
This record marks numerous departures for the band that has evolved considerably since they burst onto the local music scene in 2002 with their self-titled debut.
Blindspott’s grassroots fan-base was such that that their first album debuted at number one in the New Zealand charts. It was an album that spawned multiple hits including the singles 'Phlex', 'Nil by Mouth', 'Room to Breathe' and 'S.U.I.T'. It was a shot in the arm for the country’s metal scene, and provided the impetus and confidence that has subsequently lead to the genre now thriving. The impact the band had on the otherwise arid scene spotlighted them for bigger things. They went onto major league success throughout South-east Asia, playing to crowds as big as 70,000 in Indonesia.
But after the hype, comes the notoriously difficult second album. The follow up to such a high profile album can be daunting for all involved. The process for the group since this giddy rise to fame has been considered and they have employed some new ways of thinking and working in preparation for an album they regard as significant.
They cite the method of recording, to the sound itself, a new line-up and a more mature outlook as the defining features of their latest efforts. Despite feeling thrilled with their latest offering, the work has not been produced without the appropriate blood sweat and tears.
Shelton Woolright (drummer) is unequivocal when he states “It was pretty much the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t expect to get out of New Zealand, you know we didn’t even expect to get out of West Auckland!”
Originally the band was bracketed in the nu-metal movement. They always felt this was a consequence of music trends catching up with them, rather than the other way around. “We just got pipped by everybody,” reflects Woolright. We were playing 'Nil by Mouth' when we were 18 or 19. So that was 1998, and that was way before Linkin Park success. We only got noticed because that genre was starting to build overseas. So it was inevitable that we felt we didn’t get respect for what we were doing at that stage.”
Music has moved on since then, and due to their experiences, so have Blindspott. For the group to move forward and progress, some tough creative decisions had to be made. A shedding of skins and members seemed inevitable to take the band to the next place in their musical development.
They no longer feature a DJ in their ranks, instead heralding a two-guitar attack. And gone are the hip-hop beats that were synonymous with nu-metal. These changes, says Woolright, “Were not a deliberate move, rather a natural maturation, and the influence of our Swedish producers, Pelle Henrickson and Eskil Lovestrom.”
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. And with 'End The Silence' Blindspott have baked a good one indeed. Heavy in a way Blindspott only hinted at, this is unashamedly metal, with no need of a prefix.
“This album is just a metal album,” says Woolright. “It doesn’t really fit into a genre, like the whole ‘emo’ sound that’s around now. This will be an album you’ll be able to put on years later and it’ll still be refreshing and solid.”
Along with Woolright, vocalist Damian Alexander and guitarist Marcus Powell are the Blindspott veterans. They’re joined on 'End The Silence' by new bassist Dave McDermott (who replaces Gareth Fleming), and guitarist Brandon Reihana. McDermott had worked for the band as a tech while Reihana first toured with the group as substitute bassist when they went to Japan in 2004.
This rejuvenated Blindspott approached the studio with a new enthusiasm when it came to recording 'End The Silence'. This was challenged but not dented by the working methods of Henrickson and Lovestrom. The Nordic dup had have previously worked with Scandinavian acts Cult of Luna, The Refused and Americans Poison the Well. The production pair pushed the band, forcing them into uncomfortable situations, making them interrogate the way they approached writing and recording. It was both a testing and rewarding time.
Woolright recalls “This time we were working with full on international professionals. There were things like diets for Damian, and they had me going for runs and stuff. They just kind of picked the shit out of us, and ripped us and the songs apart. The studio was really quite full on. You’d be drained by the end of each day.”
Despite the rigors, all of the group felt ready to be taken apart and built back up to guarantee the best possible work. “It was just to get the best out of us,” says Reihana. “They knew how to do it, they were really good at relating to people.”
“It opened our minds a lot,” says McDermott of working with Henrickson and Lovestrom. “They played us a lot of music we’d never listened to, and showed us we could use these timeless ideas. That was their whole thing - to make this album timeless.”
The band are in complete agreement that they made a great decision. “They were amazing, we couldn’t have asked for anyone better,” concludes Woolright.
Certainly the hard work has paid off. 'End The Silence' is an intensely heavy experience, both in terms of pure metal carnage, but also emotionally. Alexander’s lyrics reflect extremely personal themes, from the birth of his child Charlotte, to the wreckage of failed relationships. Overriding everything though is a relentlessly optimistic sentiment. Overcoming adversity, rising above the hardship to prevail.
Alexander is philosophical and focused about his material. “There’re a lot of trends now in music, wearing makeup and stuff. I think there comes a point that music has to stop being about fashion and remain about music.”
No question that Blindspott are resolutely all about the music. And about the fans. As Woolright says, “It’s been three years since the first album, and our fans are still here with us, waiting impatiently for 'End The Silence'!”
“We aren’t rock stars,” says McDermott of Blindspott’s relationship with their fans. “We’re just a bunch of regular dudes. We hang out with our fans. Some people seem to get a bit of a big head in New Zealand if they go double platinum, but we’re just the same as we used to be.”
With 'End The Silence' there will undoubtedly be new fans to hang out with. But this is all just a matter of destiny, ponder the band. “It was natural progression,” states Alexander. “It was going to happen no matter what, the way we are now.”
Band Members:
Damian Alexander (vocals)
Marcus Powell (guitar)
Shelton Woolright (drums)
Dave McDermott (bass)
Brandon Reihana (guitar)
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