Exclusive Interview: Harvey Lake from Ruina on “Nemesis” and more!

After our heads got turned when we heard pre-release single “Sickness Forever” we decided to check out and subsequently review the debut EP from Ruina. That goes by the name “Nemesis” and follows the stand alone single “Bad Faith” from last year. As they’re just starting out and don’t have the longest of Bios, we figured ask for an audience with them to answer a few choice questions that spring to our collective minds at Metal Noise. After all, curiosity killed the cat, so we asked and Harvey Lake (vocalist, multi instrumentalist) took some time out of his busy schedule…

It’s pretty clear in all of the online content from the band that Ruina at least started out as a solo project. So did the full band come from a desire to take that material into the live arena? Is there a plan to write new material as a group? Ruina did start off and still technically is a “solo” thing, as I recorded all the instruments and vocals and wrote the lyrics myself. However I wanted to do this properly, so I got in touch with some close friends who I wanted involved in the live aspects of things, and it’s been the most fun I’ve had with music in a while.

The name Ruina, we’ve suggested comes from the Bleed From Within song of the same name as is obviously way more Metal than “The Harvey Lake Dance Club Band”. So where does the name come from and what does it mean to you? Well spotted! I’m a massive fan of Bleed From Within and that name really struck a chord with me. Simple yet effective, which sums up the music I try to make.

As a Multi-Instrumentalist going to a full band, why did you chose vocals as opposed to any other instrument to play live? I’ve been in many bands before this one, in which I’ve played drums, guitar and bass, but I’ve never taken on vocals before. I never had the confidence to do this on my own until now, and where I might not be the best vocalist, it’s the most fun I’ve had in a while. The lyrics are also very personal to me and I feel if anyone else where to perform them it wouldn’t have the same delivery.

“Nasty” has a hip-hop, Deez Nuts style vocal to it which is a nice contrast to the other tracks on “Nemesis“. What was behind the decision to change gear with the vocals? And who are your vocal influences? This was actually the first song I wrote for the record, so being new to vocals, I took a more spoken word approach to the track. But the stuff that’s going to be coming out later this year contrasts it all – trust me. I want to always be changing, never the same. 

We’ve been fans of Lifetight forever and we’re gutted when they were forced to call it a night in the wake the reformation of the now equally deceased Lock & Key. How did you manage to persuade the hero that is Thomas Smith to appear as a guest on the brilliant “Amongst The Heard“? Didn’t need much persuasion to be honest! TJ is a good friend of mine that I met through my other band MSRY. He featured on one of their tracks before I joined that band, so we became friends and he’s unfortunately not in a band right now so I thought it’d be a great idea to get him on a track. I just want to involve as many kind and talented people in this, and he’s just the first of many to come.

You left “Bad Faith” as a stand alone track rather than include it on the EP and reading through your social media there was a clear decision to make “Nemesis” a new chapter. So does “Bad Faith” make it into you live set? That track does not make it into our live set as that was very much a different chapter. I did all the lyrics, instruments and recording on that track, however those are not my vocals. That is my good friend Ross King from Countless Skies who kindly lent me his roars for that track. So even though that was a starting point of the project, I was involving my friends as much as I could. I can’t actually take it down but I’m not sure I want to! It’s a ripper of a black metal track and it shows my love for bands like Venom Prison, Deafheaven, Behemoth etc. so if any hardcore kids come across it, maybe they can broaden their horizons a little bit and discover a whole new genre! I will be dipping into most heavy genres in the future with Ruina, because I can.