Exclusive Interview: Kilonova talk “Moment of Clarity”, track by track!

“‘Moment of Clarity’ is our mission statement. We’ve captured that lightening in a bottle of a Kilonova show. This is the sound that has always been in our heads. This is Kilonova” ~ bassist Joe Bambrick

Five years ago Northern Thrash Metallers Kilonova announced themselves to an unsuspecting World with debut single “Better Of Extinct” and within six months it took them to Bloodstock Open Air Festival. That was the sucker punch of 2018 that no one saw coming and was followed in 2019 by the widely praised debut EP “Omnicide”. While they continued to chalk up the live shows and time in the rehearsal space, the record accumulated 22k of Spotify streams alone before March 2020 saw stand alone single “Immortal” dropped, matching the impact of the riff slingers previous work. Now, in 2023 they return once more, armed for the apocalypse with a follow up EP titled “Moment Of Clarity“, set for release on 5th May alongside a wealth of live shows and summer festival appearances. We caught up with the quartet and they shared with us a  unique track by track breakdown of the EP…

Fragments

Jonny Sloan (Guitar and Backing Vocals): “Fragments is a roller coaster of emotion. For the first time I was able to bring a concept to the band based upon personal experience. Fragments was driven by the helplessness of watching someone steadily decline and not being able to do anything about it. Being able to take that and use it to produce something positive was cathartic. I hope people might take a step back and think about the time they have and how they might be able to use it to help others”

Joe Bambrick (Bass and Backing Vocals) – “Fragments was the first song written for this EP. I think it really set the bar for the writing. We’ve discarded so many songs that couldn’t measure up to how proud we are of Fragments. It really dives into some emotional and very personal places and it hits all the harder for doing that. It had to be the opener because it really defines the shape of Moment of Clarity”

Burned at the Stake

Ellen Hill (Vocals): “Burned at the Stake is pure feminist rage, we use the imagery of the witch burnings to confront current issues that women still face. Lyrically, ‘Forgive her for wanting a choice’, stands out to me. I think this song really speaks for itself”

Jonny: “Burned at the Stake is also a love letter to crossover thrash. Starting off with straight up aggressive riffs then incorporating hardcore and punk to pick up the energy, it flows so naturally for me. It all culminates in what I believe is Kilonova’s heaviest moment. This is my favourite Kilonova song to play live, no question.”

Leeches and Parasites

Steve Rouse (Drums): “This song started pretty naturally one day in practice. There are many ways to write a song, but when all your heads butt together and birth something as brutal as Leeches and Parasites it’s going to leave heads banging. Leeches always goes down well live. Riffs galore with the odd blast beat thrown in for good measure.”

Joe: “I think this is the one I’m proudest of. If I had to point to one song that captures all the different sides to Kilonova it’s this one. It’s dark, it’s brooding and personal, and it’s devastatingly heavy.”

Ellen: “I remember taking the lyric ideas to Joe after writing them and we both knew it was going to be a brutal but very melodic song. It comes from a dark place to say the least, from lived experiences of people taking advantage of vulnerability.”

Jonhny: “Leeches and Parasites is a journey. Guitar wise I always love riffs that develop. Being able to bring in the bridge riff and build into the breakdown naturally is what I love most about this song. That air of uncertainty straight through to the confident scream before the breakdown, Leeches is unrelenting all the way.”

Fruit of the Poisoned Tree

Ellen: “Fruit of the Poisoned Tree is one of my favourites on the EP. The haunting melody at the end reminds me of a horror movie, like Annabelle. I just love the way the melody on the chorus twists around all the instrumentation underneath.”

Steve: “I love this song. It starts off with a build-up but then quickly descends into that massive chorus. The bass drum is super difficult. Not technically difficult but having the stamina to play like that, continuously, for such a prolonged time really challenges the legs!”

Joe: “All these songs are the result of the four of us elevating one another’s music, but I feel the most ownership of this one. I pushed myself much further than usual, musically and lyrically before I brought the ideas to the band. They’ve elevated it well beyond where it started though.”

Bleed by Example

Joe: “This one conjures up images circle pits and carnage in my head whenever we play it in the room. We only really let up the intensity for long enough to wind up another kick to head. Steve really brought something special for this song. When it goes off live, it’ll be chaotic.”

Steve: “I tried to play close to the guitar, especially in the intro where I use the two bells over the main beat to accent the guitar. The beat in the chorus is one of my favourite parts of the EP. I feel like it has a real sense of identity, I didn’t play safe here, that’s for sure. This song is most definitely a riot.”

 “Moment Of Clarity” by Kilonova is out 5th May. Find out more on Facebook.