U.K. Alternative Metalcore band October Ends are set to release their second album entitled Phases on October 28th. The band’s guitarist Alex Hek took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about the band’s upcoming album, the lineup changes in the band, the band’s unique sound, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: The band’s new album entitled Phases is set to be released October 28th, what can you tell fans about the upcoming album?
Hek: As my Gran would say, it’s well and truly dope… in all seriousness though we are really proud of this album and super excited for everyone to hear how we’ve developed as a band. We’ve definitely broadened our sound for this album and tried to make it, so every song has a unique identity. We even went as far to write a Pop Punk song for it and another that’s pretty much a Pop song, so that’s what I mean when I say we’ve broadened our sound! Of course, there’s still heavy tracks as we love riffs way too much to forget about them, but you can expect a versatile October Ends on PHASES and a collection of songs that we think are really cool.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being the band’s second album?
Hek: I can’t fully speak for the band as I only joined when we started writing for this album, but I do know that the writing process has been very different. The band’s last album Zodiac was mostly written by Michael before Nick had even joined the band, and while Nick wrote a few songs for Zodiac, it’s mostly Michaels riffs which are super different and a bit more old school than what me and Nick write. There’s loads of riffs and breakdowns everywhere whereas our focus on this album has been to write nicely structured songs that have hooks, catchy riffs, and massive choruses. Nick and I wrote most of the material for this album so obviously it would come out different to our last, but it’s been very smooth, and I think we make a great core writing team. As for recording we did all that ourselves while we were writing, we like to have control over the production while it’s also super important to make sure your ideas actually sound good once they’re brought to life in a mix!
MER: The band has released three different singles from Phases, do you feel those three songs give fans an idea on what to expect from the full album?
Hek: I would say yeah, they do in that they showcase our current riff style and how we’ve been experimenting stylistically, but if you spread all the songs out onto a heaviness scale you will find lighter and heavier songs from the album.
MER: What do you see as plans for the band after the album release?
Hek: We’re always writing so we’ll definitely be keeping up with that and preparing for the next evolution of our sound, but I also see us touring and gigging into 2023. I’m really excited for that as it’s the best part of being in a band.
MER: Who do you hope to tour with that you haven’t yet and why?
Hek: I would love to tour with a Danish band called Siamese. I absolutely love the music they’re making and how they’re blending metal with pop styles and EDM. It’s so cool and I reckon we would have a massive party on tour.
MER: For anyone unfamiliar with the band, how would you describe your sound?
Hek: Someone called us Post Malone Core the other day and that made me laugh. I’d say we sound like a modern produced Metalcore band with big nu-metal riffs and plenty of trap, electronic, and industrial sounds.
MER: What have been some of your favorite releases of 2022?
Hek: There have been so many awesome releases this year, so I guess I’ll just tell you my best album and then my best song. My favorite album has been Obsidian by Northlane. For me it’s their best album, I just love how they’re doing their own thing and it all sounds like you’re in the Matrix. Please do more of that! As for the song, it has to be Dayseeker’s latest single ‘Without You’ that’s from their upcoming album. The track hits me right in the feels and gets me super emotional every time I hear it, it’s hard for a song to do that to me so it gets my vote. There’s also been amazing releases from Stray From The Path, Spiritbox, Bring Me The Horizon, and Brakence just to name a few.
MER: What are some songs you would suggest to a new fan from the band and why?
Hek: Check out our latest singles “Of Stars, Destroy Us All,” and “Play Time” in that order as they represent our new sound best and what we’ll be playing at shows. “Devils Den” and “Bury Me Under” from Zodiac are worth checking out too as we play them live and they’re my favorite songs from that album!
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