Country: WALES
Genre: HEAVY / EXPRESSION / HIP-HOP
Label: UNSIGNED

Following the recent review of Artisfiction's explosive self-titled EP, it was time to strap these four musical geniuses in, get the pincers out and set to broil as Global Metal Apocalypse interrogates the four-piece from North Wales, even Snowdonia received a melting down. This is what we got:


How long has the band been going, how did it form and what does the band name mean?

Artisfiction was born in July 2012. Myself (Zachariah - Vocals) & Carl -Guitar started writing & gigging whilst in school in 2003, after gigging around the UK and releasing several demos over the years we formed KSK in 2009. After a year of gigging and searching for committed band members we recruited Nathan on drums, then shortly after Thomas on Bass.

We spent a year writing and gigging, getting tighter as a unit and letting the chemistry flow, and eventually began to experiment and finding our sound. What was even more important was we had finally found a line up that was set in stone, something that we had wanted for a long time, y'know, there are so many musicians out there who think they are committed, thinking they have the patience to make something brilliant but when it comes to the crunch, so many crack and give up.

We recorded the Artisfiction self titled E.P whilst still under the name of KSK, but once it was finished and we brought it home, we knew it was time for a new name, we wanted to put the past in the past and come out with a bang with a fresh start on everything. So like never before the whole band put its heads together and came out with Artisfiction.

"Artisfiction" has a number of different meanings and ideas behind it, Art - Is - Fiction, Art most of the time is something we have made up in our heads, just like once someone thought up a Car / Computer / House, it was just fiction / invention, but then it became reality, most of our modern world was once just an idea, fictional, but now its part of our everyday lives, and we wouldn't be able to cope without these things, so now art is our reality, so you could say our reality is fictional because its not natural. ITS HARD TO EXPLAIN YOU HAVE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THAT ONE!

Also, Fiction means to Imagine or Imagining, so Art - Is - Imagining and Imagining is our art... hope you like our crazy minds! And finally it is ironic because every lyric in our music is about something that is real and / or something that has happened, but its now Art and Art Is Fiction.

What inspired you to play the style of music you play?

We stopped "trying" to write and started to just write what was naturally inside of us. As we are four humans we have a shit load of influences, musical and personal, this is what seems to pour out of us.

What is your local town / city scene like?

It is pretty dead compared to how it used to be back in the early to mid 2000's, but their are a few strong venues still pulling in a crowd and recently the crowds have seemed to be getting quite portly so I hope the scene will rise again, I think people are finally getting sick of watching bands on Youtube and remembered their is a world outside their front door.

Have you played alongside any big bands, if so who? If not who would you like to play alongside?

As Artisfiction not really, I think the biggest band we have gigged with was The Virgin Mary's, which Thomas loved as he really digs them, oh and Evil Scarecrow, which was just awful.
But over the years in other bands myself and Carl played with acts such as; 
Hardcore Superstar, Crazy Lixx, Zico Chain, Ghost Of A Thousand, Flood Of Red, probably a few more that have slipped my mind.

Has the band got any plans for 2013?

Well we have just bought a new MAC with LOGIC PRO 8 software so we will be recording a new E.P soon and probably some demos here and there, but overall we are just going to hit the road and see where it takes us, we have a lot of good friends and contacts, and people seem to be catching onto what we are creating so the sky is the limit this year.Check out our facebook page for all upcoming events and news!

Finally any thank you's, hello's and any other messages you wish to say?

Please download our debut E.P from Itunes or Amazon... or if your poor you can head straight over to our Facebook and download some tracks for free. Also check out our music video to "Get Em To The Butchers" on Youtube, share that shizz to the friends and fam! And finally a big thank you to everyone who supports us in any and every way. Much love!

Artisfiction's self-titled EP is out now via the band

https://www.facebook.com/artisfiction/info
http://www.twitter.com/artisfiction

Following the recent review we gave to uprising East Sussex quartet City of Ashes in regards to their groundbreaking new EP "Then There Was  A Hand In The Darkness", it was time to crawl beneath the skin of this fortified monster and excavate the truth behind why this band is one to watch for 2013. The band has just released a new music video and can be seen after the interview.

So guys how long has the band been going, how did it form and what does the band name mean?

We had a couple of line up changes early on but in it's current form the band has been going since beginning of last year. The name is something that Orion wrote whilst he was living in the London. It reflected how he was feeling about 'the big city' life and the way it can really crush you creatively and artistically. When the band formed shortly after that in it's original form in 2009, it seemed like a very appropriate name.

Who or what inspired you to play the style of music you play?

We never really tried to play a particular 'style' of music, but we really just write music which feels natural to us whenever we are in the writing stage. That being said, each of us has extremely wide ranging influences from punk to classical to acoustic to rock and everything in between, and I think these styles have all come through in our music at different times.

What is your local town / city scene like?

We're based in Sussex which has always had a pretty decent rock scene. Over the past two or so years it has seemed to lull slightly, but recent times have seen it beginning to come back in a big way, with more people than becoming excited that about live music again, and we're thrilled to be one of the bands representing this.

Have you played alongside any big bands, if so who? If not who would you like to play alongside?

We've been fortunate enough to play alongside some great bands which have and still are making a huge impact in UK Rock, and further afield! Highlights for us include the shows we've played with our friends Hildamay, Polar and Fei Comodo, while others include Young Guns, Skindred, Exit Ten, Verses, Attention Thieves, SCG and more!

Has the band got any plans for 2013?

We've got some pretty huge plans for this year actually, which have already seen the launch of a brand new Merch Line! The E.P. we recorded with Matt O'Grady (You Me At Six, Deaf Havana, Architects, etc) has just been released in all online stores today, and we're hitting the studio again with Matty through a bit part of March to record the next record! Right off the back of that session, we hit the road for a 2 week UK Headline Tour and are already sorting tour plans for the summer! It never stops over here, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Finally any thank you's, hello's and any other messages you wish to say?

We'd like to give a huge shout out to all the people who have taken such a big interest in the band. A big cyber hug goes to anyone who has grabbed a copy of the E.P or a tee, come hung out with us or put us up on the road. To name you all individually would take an eternity but know that we love you for it!

"Then There Was  A Hand In The Darkness" is out now and can be bought from the band

https://www.facebook.com/cityofashesband
http://www.cityofashes.co.uk/

Below you can watch the bands latest and new music video, "Falling Star"