Not many bands can claim to have changed their line-up and style as many time and as frequently as The Verdict Is Vengeance have since their formation in 2007. Ofcourse these changes have been for valid reasons, but nether the less, they've evolved from what started as a basic alternative rock/post-hardcore band which looked set to become made for 'emo' fan girls, and follow in the steps of bands such as My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco.
However, after breaking away from this sub-culture, the band have gained a reputation as one of the best metal bands in the UK with the release of the successful album Oblivion (which displayed a standard metalcore sound, clearly influences by Bring Me The Horizon and Asking Alexandria), which was then supported by the release of the Idols EP, which showed influences upon the band during the recording process. Now it seems the band have plans to expand on their style yet again with a third studio album. We've been in the studio to catch with Sam Maine (Vocals) and Robert Williams (Vocals, Lead Guitar) (who are currently writting and recording for their third album, Dead At The Throne), and have discovered reasons behind the split with Connor James and Lee Sanders, along with various previously unknown information about the band and what the future holds for them.
Interviewer: Hey guys, thanks for giving us the time to talk with you.
Sam: No problem, we've wanted an interview for a while.
Rob: Just to let people know some background s**t... ya know?
Interviewer: Indeed we do know. Firstly, what actually happened with the band? I mean, at one point you were going to release and album, then go on a hiatus, then suddenly you've burst back into the swing of things.. everyone is wondering why?Sam: With the album, we had around 16 songs written, all of which were good. However, it felt like many of them didn't seem like we'd be releasing them. There was a different vibe about them, almost like the were written for another band. That's why the album was cut down to an EP, to remove all the songs that sounded too soft and to a certain extent "alternative rock" based. So then we started recording the EP, Connor and Lee were pissed off with us for cutting the songs which they'd written due to them being completely different to what we wanted as a band.
Robert: We then had problems in the studio due to this, Connor and Lee refused to work on their parts, meaning that work pretty much stopped due to arguments about musical stylings and we never really finished it. We missed f**k loads of deadlines and then had to go on tour. We announced the hiatus before we left for the USA because we thought that taking a break from being around the band, and forming side-projects would assist in allowing Connor and Lee to perfom alternative rock stuff, and then re-join the band when they felt they could work with us again. However, it got to the stage where there was a moment on tour where I snapped and one thing lead to another and we decided that it'd be for the best if they left, they later announced the alternative rock project Such Strange Arts, which they'd been working on for months.
Sam: Then we had to think about the future of the band, and took a break away from each other. We came to the conlusion that without those two, we'd be able to change our style, and found new members Elliot [Wykes] and Simon [Peek], along with Phil [Nind] re-joining.
Interviewer: It seems as if their is bad blood between you guys, Lee and Connor, is this the case or am I mistaking the situation?Sam: I wouldn't say that we dislike them, it just got to the stage in which we couldn't work with each other because of creative differences. We're still good friends with the two of them, and I am personally looking forward to hearing more from Such Strange Arts... even if it is made up of three former The Verdict Is Vengeance members [Kieran Marks, Connor James and Lee Sanders]. We all get along fine, and that's what maters.
Interviewer: You've mentioned that there was creative differences, what style of muisc will be expected from future The Verdict Is Vengeance releases?
Sam: Hardcore. Good old fashioned hardcore, with mixes of songs that will be like those from Oblivion. So hardcore/metalcore really, influenced by a mix of artists including While She Sleeps, and Your Demise for songs without keyboards, and then The Devil Wears Prada and We Came As Romans for songs that follow the style that we set out with our second album 'Oblivion', whilst adding touches of bands like Vanna and letlive. at different stages.
Robert: We're also going to have a lot less clean vocals in the newer songs, we're going all out with our new material to reach what we personally see as 'hardcore', ofcourse we aren't getting rid of clean vocals completely, but fans will notice a lack of it. We see it as the best option.
Interviewer: Sounds good to me. How did it feel to be offered such a good contract with Chaos Records?Sam: It was unexpected. I mean the last time the band was signed to a major label was back in 2009 before I was even in the band and the music being writting was different... more appealing to record lables, you could say a phrase that I hate... "more mainstream". But the fact taht we we're offered a 2 album contract with unlimated singles has meant that our recording process, and use of singles will change completely. We're going to be releasing a single a few months before the album as a preview, then a few more after it's released in support. Then maybe a few random singles inbetween the first and second albums, but we can't tell for sure at the moment.
Interviewer: Has this deal had an impact on the recording and writing process itself? Or have you stuck with the same pattern as you did with Oblivion?
Sam: Erm.. [pauses] I'd say that if we hadn't had the backing of Chaos Records then we'd have spent less time in the studio actually writing the tracks, and just done them at Rob's house, and with the recording process, we've got the funding to be able to use better studios, equipment and also spent more time mastering and mixing the tracks, so basically... yeah.
Interviewer: So, let's talk briefly about the album itself, why have you called it Dead At The Throne?Sam: Well the title Dead At The Throne is also one of the tracks on the album, but the whole theme of the album is based around lack of social order and chaos, along with personal problems and issues that aren't annoyingly cliche like "my girlfriend left me, and I'm so sad, I'll never get over her blah blah blah.." it's more deep than that. Dead At The Throne just seemed like a good away of hinting the lack of power which the moncarchy have nowadays, so that they may as well be dead. It also gave an image of war in my mind, but that's just me I guess.
Interviewer: Would you say that this album will seem a lot more mature than the bands previous releases? Lyrically that is..
Sam: Definatly, I'd say that the records I've featured on have had fairly cliche lyrics to a certain extent, some of them anyway. But since we started working on Anchors/Dead At The Throne I've come to realise that there is more to life than the opposite gender, and to embrase that in my lyrics. I'm almost embarrsed by some of the lyrics I've writen in the past. I guess we're growing up... [sighs, then follows with laughter]
Interviewer: It's been great chatting with you guys, I've got one last question, when will we first get to hear material from Dead At The Throne?Sam: If all goes to plan then the first single will be released Sunday October 9th!
Robert: Although, if you got tickets for the UK mini-tour we just did you'd have heard two of the tracks.. We'll be previewing more soon though!
