Exclusive Interview: Crowborn talk “It Just Is”!

Groove-centric Metal purveyors Crowborn hail from Cambridge, the brainchild of guitarist and bassist Matt Crawford and vocalist Ben “Bennboy” Goddard born to burn in the great plague years. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Numbskull Audio Production by Crawford himself, their debut EP “It Just Is” finds them joined by drummer James Chapman and creating songs that are simply a damn fine good time and surprisingly so. We got talking to them about the record, their inspirations and where they see the project going and that conversation went something like this…

How does it feel to finally have your debut EP out in Internet land? How have you found the reaction to it so far? “Liberating! It’s honestly a big milestone for me as I’ve always struggled to know when to call things “finished”, especially when self-producing. The reception has been great. We’ve had overwhelmingly positive reviews, and it seems to be gaining traction despite it being somewhat niche (derivative?! Haha)”

You formed Crowborn during what we’re affectionately calling the “Great Plague years”; was forming a band something you had always had in mind and used the time to bring to fruition? “This was never really meant to be a “band” per se. I was already in a band when I started this, and it was something of a vanity project. Something where I could unapologetically write the kind of music that makes me tick without having to compromise for other people’s tastes”

You’ve described your sound as “Like dancing at a funeral“; we’re calling it a funky groove orientated alternative metal sound; where did the concept for the sound come from? “I’ve just always loved the kind of metal that makes your foot tap. Metal, by and large, has always been sort of “stiff” if you like. I’ve always been drawn to those artists who took a groovier stance on things, and made their riffs swagger and sway. I’ve tried to dial that up to the Nth degree with the Crowborn stuff, so everything is very “danceable”. 

The “funeral” aspect of it was just a tongue in cheek commentary on a lot of the subject matter. When I first started writing lyrics it was very bleak and negative, as I tend to have a naturally morbid and misanthropic nature (I’m a riot at parties). Once Ben took over lyric duties it’s become a bit more meaningful and varied, so I suppose that appraisal doesn’t quite work anymore!”

If we are made up of our genes and our influences, what is in your jeans and who would you consider your influences? “Definitely the aforementioned groove-makers, who are (in no particular order) Pantera, Extreme, King’s X, Stuck Mojo. That’s for the guitar aspect at least. They’re all players who have huge swaggering riffs, and really lean in to that swung timing. For the actual song writing aspect I absolutely love Alice in Chains, Dream Theater, Tool, bands of that nature. Less so for the groove, but just for the depth and scope of a song, and their sense of melody. 

I think being a teenager during the rise of nu-metal was also a bigger influence that I sometimes give it credit for. Being a thrash/death metal-obsessed guy at the time it was fashionable to reject that stuff, and still is! But it’s undeniable what cultural impact it had on the world around me, with friends, the metal media, the guitar world, it was unavoidable and as I’ve got older I’ve got into it with a new appreciation. The whole cross-over thing of having hip-hop influences, funk, R&B, you name it. It’s the only time metal ever had any decent bass players!”

Do you see the project as purely a studio beast at this point in time or do you have grand plans for World Domination in the live arena? What’s the dream? “As of now yes, just a studio project. We’re far too old and lacking iron to be quite so gung-ho about this as we once were. We’ve been in bands/are in bands, albeit not big ones, but we’ve done our time and had a taste and it’s all gravy where that’s concerned. Once we have more material under our belts and we can get some sort of measurable attention from it then we’ll reassess and see what’s what. Tentatively do a few live shows and see how it pans out. You never know!”

What’s next for Crowborn? “Writing the next EP, currently. It’s well underway, lots of demo material flying back and forth with some great ideas. More songs than last time that’s for sure. Stylistically it’s a little heavier, I’d say. A bigger sound, with a bit more teeth and muscle”

“It Just Is” by Crowborn is out now and available over at bandcamp