CAUSE FOR SCREAM INTRODUCTION + REALM OF TORMENT

I'm so stupid (and excited about dealing with bands and records I love) that I forgot to wait for DROIDxRAGE's chief-editor's blessing before making an interview with these young lads. DROIDxRAGE is a youth crew/posi webzine so I guess most of the bands I listen to during my cold shower every morning does not fit with the editorial line of the zine... And that's why I decided to start this blog: right now, I really need to write about EVERYTHING I want, like this band REALM OF TORMENT, or straight edge hangovers, vegan recipes, chick flicks...whatever.

So here is an interview with Southampton REALM OF TORMENT. If you're definitly into metalcore/death metal or H8000, check it out.

- To be sure I own a real metal credibility, is the name "REALM OF TORMENT" a tribute to BOLT THROWER's 2nd LP on Earache, mixing the name of the last couple of  songs of the records which are "Drowned In Torment" and "Realm Of Chaos"?

Jonny - Haha no, I came up with it from Crawlspace’s Enter The Realm Of Chaos, close though. Haunted is one of the meanest songs.

- I guess BOLT THOWER and tons of 90s death/thrash metal bands had, without any doubt, an obvious impact on metalcore bands. What are your different influences, from hardcore to metal, lyrically and musically?

Jonny - I’m into all sorts, but I grew up on metalcore & deathcore (Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage, Salt The Sound, Despised Icon, Carnifex) so that is obviously the main thing I write around & is the basis of my style of writing. I try to mix that kind of thing around all sorts of other different metalcore bands like Disembodied, Red Sky, Unearth - any & every band I like. You get a lot of people saying metalcore sounds the same but there are so many different bands doing different thing, you can really create quite a varied style minus the obvious things like breakdowns. I love melodic death metal too (The Black Dahlia Murder, At The Gates) so try to add in other influences like that here & there which I think are noticeable. We also now & then have some more straight up hardcore / beatdown kind stuff on the album as well which changes things up, like the LBU kind of groove part In Cold Dead Hands.Lyrically I personally get influence from bands using well thought out & intelligent lyrics like Shai Hulud or Trial, anything that’s critical & meaning like that.

Gingerdope Photography//Oli Johnson Photography

- I guess you guys are definitely involved in that 90s metalcore revival, what are the different nowadays bands playing this kind of music you so like?

Jonny - Yes I would say we are in that but we are trying to aim our style more around the early 00’s.I think the main ones for me are (not doing to name the obvious ones we all know) Vatican, In Tongues, Witness The Fall, Drawing Last Breath, Sanction, Decadence, Incitement, Gaia Bleeds.

David - Ithaca and Vegan Jihad.

- Now, can you introduce REALM OF TORMENT:

1): When and how did you guys met?

Jonny - We just met through local shows & bands. Jack mainly through his band then the others through going to shows at different points. I knew of Andy for while before we got things going as met a few times & talked about football & stuff.

2): How many are you in the band? What do you do?

Jonny - Works at the council for our region

David - Works in IT

Jack - Goes to University here & works at Ikea

Nathan - Works at Halfords

Andy - Works doing building construction (I think)

3): Who usually writes the songs and the lyrics?

Jonny - Musically me & Jack will write the basis one a song structure on guitar then we’ll go to practice & go through, edit / add / take out anything we feel as we go along. Lyric wise for the album we have 2 old songs by the old vocalists, 4 by me (2 new & 2 from the album promo last year when we was changing over vocalists) & 4 by Dave. In the future most will be Dave now everything is settled, but I’ll do bits & pieces still / making sure he doesn’t write crap. 

4): The band comes from Southampton, do you all come from here? How's the scene like here?

Jonny - The scene is great, shows have been really quiet for our music for a while due to venues closing down, if we can get a regular venue again the shows will pick up, but there is still lots of screamo / punk / pop-punk / emo going on so there is always something. We have a big all-dayer coming up in March though for Rage, that will be amazing. We all hang out though outside of shows & talk daily on the internet & see who can make each other cry. Myself & Nathan came here for uni some years ago but now live here, David is from just outside Southampton & the other 2 are from here.

5): Were you playing in other bands before joining REALM OF TORMENT? Do you guys play in other bands?

Jonny - I played in No Excuse, now play in Nihility & Overturn. 

David - I played in a metalcore band and a hardcore band that didn’t really do much.

6): Can you introduce Rage, Bound By Modern Age and Cold Hand, the different labels companies you are working with - If I'm right Rage will release your first LP titled "Testament's Of Hope & Despair"?

Jonny - Rage is my label & Jack + our friend Oli joined in the last 6 months or so helping out with it, I started it just over 5 years ago, originally it was just a zine then it quickly became a label, then I stopped doing it a few years later then restarted it about a year & a half ago. BBMA is done by our friend Tim from Germany, crazy guy who loves Irn Bru. CH is done by Devin in Texas, we met at This Is Hardcore 2014. Those 3 labels are releasing the vinyl, but also now my friend Patrick has started a CD label called Mark My Words so he will be doing that too. Everything should physically be out end of January / start of Febuary.

- You've already book a Euro tour next March/April + three UK shows, how do you feel about it?

Jonny - Well we are currently still booking it & waiting on confirmations for 60% of the shows from venues & such, so atm we are still trying to get everything solidified, in a bit of an awkward middle ground. If anyone reading wants to help out get in touch! We just got our first European show confirmed today though for Belgium which is exciting. We’re going to be working on the tour everyday hoping to get all the shows confirmed by the end of them month.

- Can you tell us a bit more about this little UK tour you did with SPLITKNUCKLE in October 2015:

1): Did you know the SPLITKNUCKLE guys before touring with them?

Jonny - I’ve known them about 3 years & the rest of us / as a band we have come really close friends for maybe half the time?

2): Any particular anecdotes about this tour?

David - None that I want my mum seeing on the internet.

3): I like how SPLITKNUCKLE do not take themselves seriously on their Facebook page, it perfectly matches with the topics of their songs which are rather serious. Do you feel the same thing concerning REALM OF TORMENT? I mean, reading every lyric from "Testament Of Hope & Despair" I kinda realize you guys were pretty serious with what you are dealing with but I guess writing about such angry feelings make you want to pass on this cathartic energy to the audience when you're on stage? I guess you want to share this vibe with every people in the venue?

Jonny - Yes but no. I mean while we are actually playing the songs I would say we play them pretty seriously & try to get what the songs feels to us across, but between songs / around a show you will probably find me & david making jokes about the others & enjoying the freedom for normal life, doing stupid things.

David - I would say lyrically we take things serious, and we try when playing live. The issue is when the majority of shows you play are with really good friends it’s hard not to piss about.

3): I guess both your set during this week of tour were really powerful? Which one especially?

Jonny - The best was Glasgow because we played well & everyone in the crowd was up for a good time & we felt welcomed. We have lots of friends there as well so it was just a general good time. All the others were also good & all the promoters looked after us so all in all everything went really well.

David - Yeah Glasgow was brilliant, probably one of the best shows we’ve played. Everyone had drank a shit load of buckfast and it went off.

- This song "...From My Cold Dead Hands" is amazing. This extract from a Charlon Heston's speech (during the intro of the track) we can also ear in Michael Moore's "Bowling For Columbine" documentary about the ease of access to guns in America perfectly matches with the rest of the song: what this song is about besides gun control?

Jonny - For me it’s respecting others right to live & the ignorance people (specifically America for this song with gun laws) has towards violence & warfare. I cannot stand people who use violence above all rational thought.

David - I’m glad that people know what the sample is. It’s about ignorance in general.

- What I actually liked about this specific song is that passage "Blaming the influence, while still defending the access [...]" it really reminded me some kind of BIOHAZARD gimmick in that song "Shades Of Grey" featuring in 1992 "Urban Discipline" on Roadrunner Records, whereas it also reminded me some "cheesy" beatdown way of singing I usually hate haha but...I don't know, there is something special with this specific track. Like you wrote it with your guts! What do you think of it?

Jonny - Yeah this came out great & we’ve had a lot of people say the same. David wrote all the lyrics for the song but the guest vocal parts I did as I kinda had an idea how I felt each should be, when we first wrote the music we thought Joey doing vocals on that would fit perfect, considering the kind of riff / part fits into the Splitknuckle style a little bit.

- There are other movies sample featuring in the record, like this one I definitely can't remember ("[...] I will fuck you up...!"), why did you chose these references?

Jonny - Hahaha that one in Misanthropy is from Tropic Thunder, the song is a song from our demo & the lyrics are by the old vocalists about just the world being shit & a lot of them don’t make much lyrical sense, so the quote kinda worked in that it’s funny & stupid but sets what the president of the song is about.

David- There are about 5 more samples that didn’t make the album because apparently it would’ve been ‘overkill’. When we re-release this album in 10 years time we’ll do an alternative version with those samples on.

- On the album bandcamp, someone posted that comment: "[...] COME THE FUCK OUT TO THE U.S." Like a couple of days ago XREPENTANCEX and RENOUNCED were playing in Florida during FYA Fest Aftershows. Do you think you'll travel overseas to play with REALM OF TORMENT someday?

Jonny - As much we would all want to, realistically I don’t think we will unless someone out of nowhere can pay us a bunch of money for flights. 

David - Not until I’m 21.

Jonny - We can all agree on that.

- Got no further questions if you wanna add something!

Jonny - Heavy music isn’t just about moshing & being violent, take an interest in the things going on around the world & go vegan. ‘Shoutout’ to everyone in The UYC & Southampton scene & to the OG chat.

David - Smoke weed, go vegan.

Jonny - Listen to: Azriel - A Will of Fire, Red Sky - Knife Behind The Smile, Undying - The Whispered Lies of Angels