 The End Makes Stunning Transformation With Elementary
The End
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When Canadian quintet The End released the album Within Dividia on Relapse Records in 2003, it put the band alongside abstract Metal contemporaries like Dillinger Escape Plan and The Locust with its off-kilter rhythms, complex time changes and abrasive vocals. But as The End reemerges in 2007 with Elementary, it is clear that the band has undergone a huge transformation. This time, the group took a more refined approach and incorporated melody and more traditional song structures into its music. The CD still boasts some extreme tracks, such as the album opener, “Dangerous,” but The End takes the listener into more accessible, melodic territory with tracks like “Throwing Stones” and “My Abyss,” which are highlighted by the emotional vocals and lyrics of Aaron Wolff. The band members have truly outdone themselves with this stunning new effort, so we spoke to guitarist Andrew Hercules to find out what inspired The End’s musical transformation The first thing I noticed when listening to the new album is that it's quite a departure from Within Dividia. What happened for you as songwriters over the last few years? How did you evolve Mainly two things. First we took a look at the big picture. We did that by focusing on the album as a whole as opposed to the individual songs themselves. Instead of putting every element of our band into a song, we realized that we should space out the ideas throughout the album, thereby allowing them to breathe and flourish. That sort of approach really appeals to humans. Also, we stopped trying to write music that was cool and instead wrote material that was just good. Why did you decide to start incorporating clean vocals and melody into your music? I think “Awake?” was probably the first song we wrote for Elementary and as good as that song was, we knew there was still so much more our band had to offer that we had yet to capture. We are totally the type of band that sits around doing four part harmonies in our van. When you grow and expand your sound as you guys did, do you worry that it will be difficult for some of the old fans to accept? I wouldn’t say that we worry, but no one ever really wants to have one of their long-time fans come up to them and say, “I was a huge fan, but your new stuff is the worst shit I’ve ever heard.” The idea however is to challenge our fans, some of them may just miss the point at first. What inspired you lyrically on the new album? In this band, most of the songs are about personal experience, feelings that are generated by our daily lives. Our lives revolve around this band. That is how it relates to us, but different people have different motivations, but they invoke the same emotions within us all. As we are The End, there is always pathos within all of the material as well. "The Never Ever Aftermath" is one of my favorite tunes. Is there a story behind the writing or recording of that song? It’s simple really. If you’ve been told to be afraid or have been warned to stay away from something all your life, then there will come a time when you will crave it. You’ve been conditioned to be prepared and the mental anticipation can be overwhelming. It’s like weapons-trained military personnel who have never seen action. It’s a part of human nature. As a fan of horrific and violent cinema, I can’t but see another level of the same affliction. It seems like there is already a lot of buzz and critical praise for Elementary. Do you feel any pressure to live up to people's expectations? Not at all. That praise just makes it easier knowing that people are backing you and believe in your music. What do you hope to accomplish as a band this year? Play every place a band our size can feasibly play in the world. That would be awesome. We’re planning to tour as much as possible. Right now we’re doing stuff in Canada and the U.S. with bands like Cancer Bats and Poison the Well. Did you make any New Year's resolutions? Yeah, to live like a hedonist! Haha. Metal Filings… FMQB welcomes WHRL/Albany to the Metal reporting panel. The host of The Metal Show is Mike the Enforcer. Reach out to him at mike@channel1031.com… Lamb Of God will obliterate the NBC Studios on February 9 when the band plays live on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. "It's exciting to think that national television has come far enough in our direction to actually let a Metal band like us on the air,” says drummer Chris Adler. “We are very excited for the opportunity not only for ourselves, but for the doors it will help to break down for heavy metal in general. We are flattered to be in this position, thankful to Conan and his staff for their invitation, and looking forward to proudly kicking some serious ass on National TV!” The Lamb’s tour with Trivium, Machine Head and Gojira begins on February 16 in Dallas… Pig Destroyer has begun recording their next full-length album, dubbed Phantom Limb. The band also has been confirmed to co-headline this year’s Los Angeles Murderfest, which takes place on March 24 and 25. Also in the lineup are Obituary, Brutal Truth, Cretin, Atheist, Kylesa and many more… An April 3 release date has been scheduled for Shadows Fall's upcoming Atlantic Records debut, Threads Of Life. The band can be seen on this year’s Jagermeister Music Tour with Stone Sour and Lacuna Coil, beginning March 23 in Minneapolis. It’s set to run through May 4 in Des Moines… Candlelight Records has signed thrashers Carnal Forge. The band’s sixth album, tentatively called Testify For My Victims, is to be mixed in early February with an expected May release date. ~ Mandy Feingold 
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