Exclusive Interview: Bleed Again talk writing and recording “Resurgence”!
If you’ve not heard “Resurgence” by Brighton Metalcore heroes Bleed Again since it’s end of October release then stop reading this and go and check it out because we highly recommend it for anyone who loves the genre. As a band the quintet have toured relentlessly and shared stages with everyone from Soil to Darkest Hour and from King 810 to Death Remains, as well as playing festivals including Amplified and Mammothfest, never shy to set fretboards alight with blistering riffs, whatever the weather. So here’s the second of our interviews with them, all about how their new record was pieced together…
What did you take from previous records “Momentum” and EP “Transition” into the recording sessions for “Resurgence” that helped get the best results? “It’s hard to say exactly, however the most important factor for this album was ensuring each and every song could stand on its own two feet as a single. We of course wanted to write heavy, riff driven music but I think the overall feeling was to just take our sound and pump it full of steroids! With bigger choruses, faster drums, heavier breakdowns and more meaningful lyrics”
How does the writing process of a new Bleed Again track start? Melody, riff or rhythm first? “The majority (if not all) of the songs started with either myself (Sam) or Simon writing a riff, half a song or a full demo and then tinkering from here. Myself or James may have an idea of lyrics we want to use however the instrumental and guitar parts definitely came first and influenced the lyrics or mood”
When it comes to the vocal contrast, how do you go about choosing which vocal parts suit the clean vocals best and which the unclean and how do you find the right balance to formulate your sound? “That’s a great question to be honest, I guess it happens organically! The vocals and lyrics were written by James and I together and depending on the feeling the song is giving us, would influence whether we both keep it heavy or if a section, usually a chorus, feels like it needs a big clean section. A lot of trial and error went into it that’s for sure!”
“Resurgence” was mixed and mastered by Justin Paul Hill, known for his work with the likes of The Five Hundred, Hacktivist and Heart Of A Coward. What made you choose him to work with on the record and how did you find working with him? “It was yeah, he did an incredible job! It actually was a combination of a few factors. We initially wanted to be able to go INTO a Studio together but the pandemic prevented this so we had to look at other options. We’d heard the bands you’d mentioned, loved the sound and Justin also did Viscera’s album which I spoke to Adam Bell (Guitar) about. It was a no brainer to be honest, once we’d heard what he did for us with the ‘Survive’ single we couldn’t wait to hear what he could do with the rest of the album”
For us gear nerds out there, can you tell us what you’re using gear wise (pedals, strings, drums etc) to get your sound? “Oh god, I’ll try and remember… Simon & Chris are using Strandberg, Solar & ESP guitars, I use an Ibanez Bass and Jordan’s playing a Mapex kit with Zildjian cymbals. Amp-wise, live we’re all using Neural DSP Quad Cortex’s with a number of amp presets, specifically EVH Red III I believe and I use an Ampeg impulse with a Darkglass driving it, amongst other ‘utility’ pedals in the chain. We’re definitely saving our backs slightly by not lugging around 100w Mesa, Peavey & ENGL heads anymore…”
What difference would it make to you as a band if you could land an endorsement from a gear manufacturer? “A HUGE difference! This would allow us to save a massive amount of money which as any band/musician knows isn’t easy to do, what with fuel, accommodation, merch, insurance, food, drink and the list goes on!”
“Resurgence” by Bleed Again is out now and there are a trio of shows in December during which they can be caught;
3rd – The Pig, Hastings
4th – B2 Venue, Norwich
18th – The Black Prince, Northampton.