Exclusive Interview: Spoiler talk “Beyond The Pale”!

10 days after Essex hybrid beasts Spoiler returned with “Beyond The Pale“, their sixth single since joining forces in 2020, we spoke to vocalist Will Cattanach about everything from programming to making music videos and what the future may hold. Given the past has held five singles that seamlessly blend elements of Metalcore, Deathcore and Nu-Metal… Oh and then there is that Slipknot cover…

It’s been 18 months since first single “Repress” dropped on our skulls like a Grand Piano from an 11th story window and now here we with you guys signed to Blood Blast Distribution, a run of shows under your belts and now a sixth single in “Beyond The Pale” fresh out of the gate! As an innocent bystander it feels like it’s been crazy; how does it feel to be in Spoiler right now? “It feels amazing. Being in SPOILER is one of the greatest experiences of my life; I get to tour and release music with my best friends. I couldn’t ask for more really. And the positive reaction we’ve received is just the cherry on top”

The lyrics of “Beyond The Pale” are on the darker side; a tale told in the first person as the protagonist with lyrics from guitarist Chris Blake. How did Chris find the experience of giving you some lyrics to bring to life? It seems like as a band you’re more than happy for anyone to contribute any part as long as it sounds good and feels right? “Chris has actually written about 90% of our lyrics since the line up change. The singer writes the music & the guitarist writes the lyrics! This is just what works for us. Whilst I can make the vocal ‘sounds’, my priority has always been the music. When it comes to lyrics I’m not the most experienced, whereas Chris actually has a real knack for it. I’ll write an instrumental , send it to him, and within a couple days he’ll have sent me back an amazing, sometimes heart wrenching story to accompany the beat. I love the way we do things”

We’re loving the return of the breakbeats with the new single; something that Pitchshifter, Slipknot and Vein have all used in the past to great effect. How do you go about augmenting a track with programming to give it so much more depth sonically? “When it comes to augmenting songs with layers and additional tracks it’s important to have a clear vision of what you want. What does the part need? Does it need anything at all? Sometimes something as simple as a recording of a steam pipe or a piece of machinery, heavily reverbed out and blended is enough to create a vibe without over powering the riff”

The blood red aesthetic of the video for the track is absolutely perfect for it; it feels like you’re loving the whole acting part with his facial expressions. Are you ignoring Robert Rodriguez’s calls when they start coming in or do you fancy getting him a cameo role on the big screen and getting a Spoiler cut on a soundtrack? “That’s actually probably the one aspect of this band I really dislike! The others have very clear visions of what the band should ‘look like’ and that usually involves me doing stuff that makes me very uncomfortable, like flailing around in front of the camera like an idiot! But if a cameo gets a song on a movie soundtrack you know I’m gonna do it!

*Jack side note – Will might feel like he looks like an idiot, but the finished product proves otherwise – he’s killed it every time!”

You’ve mentioned having another two singles planned for 2022; what can we expect from them? Are they ones which have already been recorded that you’re waiting for the right time to release or are they still in development? “The next 2 singles are recorded, mixed and ready to go! As far as what to expect, you’ll just have to wait and see… All I will say is people shouldn’t pigeon hole us! Whilst we are predominantly a heavy, crazy sounding band, it’s not all we are, as demonstrated to some degree by both ‘Brighter’ and ‘The Nihilist’”

The new single builds on the foundations of the previous one, “Modern Messiah” really nicely and it feels like you’re refining your sound with each new cut that emerges. When does the trail of breadcrumbs you’re leaving in singles come to and end and work on an EP or album begin? “All I’ll say is that when the time is right and it makes sense for us to release an EP or Album we will. We have more than enough unheard material”