Exclusive Interview: Terraborn talk writing and recording “Return Fire”!

Returning for a second bite at the cherry six years after their debut EP “Call to War” took their to the final of Metal To the Masses, Terraborn have reloaded their weapons and “Return Fire“. Their sophomore EP continues a tale about an apocalyptic wasteland in which war wages between humans and mutants created by the fallout from a nuclear holocaust, frontloaded with bullets, octane and riffs galore. So without much further ado about nothing, here’s a second exclusive interview with them…

How did your previous experiences writing and recording help to smooth the path of the new record? “We used pretty much exactly the same processes as writing [debut EP] “Call to War” in 2017, but just simply put the experience we gained by doing that helped to sharpen us second time around”

How does the writing process of a new track start? Melody, riff or rhythm first? How does it evolve from there before you consider it the finished article? “Usually it starts with our lead guitarist or rhythm guitarist at home striking upon a big riff. Then it’s into EZ drummer for scratch tracks, and then into the practice room to write proper drum parts and bass. Finally it’s over to our vocalist to develop a lyrical theme. Usually there will be 3 or 4 re-writes before a track is considered done. But not always, sometimes someone golden just lands in 1 hit”

There are a couple of risks on the record with “Pre-Emptive Strike” having a couple of well worked more melodic parts. Were you tempted to add clean vocal parts to that or did you see that as a bridge too far? “The temptation was certainly there. But we felt with our aesthetic that sticking to the heavier style made more sense. Plus clean singing live brings in another layer of complication if the sound is bad. No one wants to hear flat singing.”

If you had the opportunity to work with a guest in the studio next time around, who would you like to work with and why? “Our vocalist did some lessons with Rasta [Rafał “Rasta” Piotrowski] from Decapitated, it would be cool to have him on a track. He’s a beast!”

For us gear nerds out there, can you tell us what you’re using gear wise (pedals, strings, drums etc) to get your sound? “Nothing special to be honest with you. We’re playing gear we’ve all owned 10 years+ and is beaten to shit. Just to keep the post apocalyptic theme going of course, not because gear is stupidly expensive or anything”

What difference would it make to you if you could land an endorsement from a gear manufacturer? “Huge! Especially for drum gear because like i said above all drum gear is stupidly expensive. If anyone out there reading this is from a drum manufacturer, get in touch please!”

Return Fire” by Terraborn was released on 16th December 2023

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