Exclusive Interview: Raze talk “Pyrography”!

Interweaving elements of Post-Grunge, Progressive and Groove Metal into their sound, “Pyrography” by Raze is one of the most eye opening debut albums we’ve heard in a while. That’s because its deceptive, playing with texture, emotion and contrast, an absorbing piece full of warmth and charm as well as bursts of aggression. We caught up with mastermind, founding member and vocalist Louis Dunham, who recorded and mixed the record at his own Black Seraph Studios to talk about everything going on in their World…

It has been six years between your debut EP “Falling Apart” and your debut album “Pyrography” so does it feel like a weight off the shoulders to finally have the album out there? How long have you been living and breathing these songs prior to the release? “We’ve been writing the album in a roundabout way for quite a while – some of the ideas have been floating since pre-pandemic. We didn’t get to finally get in a room together and finalize everything until that had all blown over, then we played them about for a while, read the room and the response, etc. It’s great to have them out there for people to listen to, and to show them what we can really do”

You recorded in house at Black Seraph Studios before the album was mastered at Plesion Studios by Paula Nelson of Helgrind fame; how challenging was it being your own taskmasters? Did you have any involvement from anyone outside of the band to offer an ear? “Thanks to playing the songs live a decent amount before recording, we were able to get a really good feel for them, and get the feedback of audience members on their favourite parts. From there we made sure everything was super spot-on and tight, conserving the human feel and energy”

You have a vast array of influences, quite literally from Alter Bridge to Lamb Of God on display within the folds of “Pyrography” as an album; how challenging would it be to choose a song to cover if you were offered the opportunity to do so for a Kerrang! or Metal Hammer? How have those influences helped shape the diversity of the record and inspire you to try new things in the studio? “I think the song we would choose would depend on the publication – we were recently featured in the Powerplay magazine, which is definitely a hard rock publication – so we chose the ‘Pyrography’ track as a it’s a bit lighter. For a heavier mag – I think ‘Blue-Sky Vengeance’ might be a good fit. The influences we have I think give us a lot to draw on, and allow us the breadth to make music that is fairly unique and fresh-sounding”

One thing that is striking is the unclean vocals; for us like Serj Tankian from System Of A Down they make a real point of difference that separate you as a band from the pack. However if you were approached by a major label and offered a deal but the compromise was you had to drop them, would you be tempted? Or would that be to sell out on who you really are having done this for so long? “In all honesty, it would depend on the setup. A couple of albums with that deal, if it offered some really intense promotion? Sure. Maybe further down the line we could re-record some heavier, ‘as-intended’ versions for the fans that enjoy that sound. I definitely prefer to have the screams in there (that’s why I do them!) but might reconsider if it meant really good things for the band.”

A moment that really stands out listening to the record is the Plini style main riff of “Mellow // Breeze”; it’s bold and vibrant, but also different. Were there any points in the studio where you thought “we’ve taken it too far, we need to go back to basics” or was it all just “whatever feels good, we do and see where it takes us”? “That song really focuses on the clean riffing style that we use (for example in the Pyrography verses, C. exigua bridge and Maple verses) and blows it up into a full song – the most ballad-y on the album. I don’t think it’s too far as it’s building upon something we’re already using within our sound”

What’s next for Raze? “We’re looking at maybe doing some remixes or crossover stuff for the Pyrography tracks. Beyond that – new music is on the horizon, as soon as possible! We want keep this momentum (that we’ve gained through the album release) going”

“Pyrography” by Raze is out now via One Eyed Toad Records and is available over at bandcamp.