Seasons Hollow, a five-piece metal band from Hereford, maybe a relatively new name on the UK scene, but they have bags of collective experience at least on the live scene, and have just this month released their debut EP, the potentially prophetically named ‘To Suffocate Silence’.

 

I recently caught up with vocalist Joe Dawson to talk about the band’s plans to do just that… but first, I asked how, as a group who had never recorded as a unit before, how they felt about the experience of being in the studio together for the first time:

 

The recording went really well, it was a new experience for most of us but it went smoothly and we enjoyed every second of it, we recorded at KJM Studios Hereford with Corin Myatt and we couldn’t have been happier with the results. We’ll be back there to record again, for sure.

 

Who created the artwork for the EP?

 

The artwork for the EP was an agreed decision between the five of us: we wanted to keep it simple for our first release and focus on the content of the disc to make sure it was as strong as it could be.

 

Does the artwork signify anything or have any relation to any of the songs?

 

The main statement that we wanted to make with the EP artwork was that we kept it bold, strong and straight to the point, this is our introduction as a band and we wanted people to get a strong first impression all round. The music gives you a clear introduction, and we feel the artwork does too.

 

Where did the name ‘To Suffocate Silence’ come from?

 

We spent a lot of time writing and working hard without being able to show anyone our efforts; [but] once we finally got it recorded down we felt that we were going to “suffocate the silence” of the previous months and scream about it from the top of our lung. We’ve worked hard and we want everyone to hear it. 

 

 

For those who haven’t heard it yet, what can we expect from the EP?

 

You can expect this EP to give a firm idea about what we’re about. It shows a strong range of our style, from the heavier metal riffs in “Last Confession” to the middle of the road hard rock songs like “I Was Blind” and “Broken”. It’s hard hitting, punchy, and generally just a mix up of all the influences we grew up listening to that we couldn’t get out of our heads. We want our music to be that for everyone else.

 

You guys are taking part in the Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition in Wolverhampton: how do you prepare for events such as this?

 

We spend a lot of time in the rehearsal room working on our live show; we focus on the order of our set, making sure we start with a bang and ride it through for the rest of our performance. We are always looking at how to better the last performance, so hopefully we’ll do all we can and leave people wanting more! 

 

When entering competitions such as this, what must you take into account as a band?

 

We’re not really one for entering competitions, but this was too good to look past. We know we have to make a great first impression if we want to progress to the semis. We’re up against three very good bands, so the standard will need to be high. And we need to be on the top of our game. 

 

What do you hope to achieve by entering the competition?

 

Obviously, the dream is to win and get the opportunity to play at Bloodstock 2017: it would be mad to think we could get there. We’re five down to earth guys with our feet on the floor: we know there’s a lot of hard work to do, but we’re motivated and passionate to achieve. 

 

What is it about Bloodstock for you guys that makes you want to play there?

 

Bloodstock is one of the major metal festivals: people come from all over the world to attend this amazing festival, both fans and bands alike. To be able to play there would be a dream come true. It’s a great festival with an amazing vibe and the thought of being able to stand on stage there is daunting but exciting. 

 

What do you think about the Bloodstock line-up so far?

 

The line-up at Bloodstock gets stronger and stronger every year! I don’t think Matt (Jones – drummer) would know what to do with himself if he got to meet Megadeth! It’s a line-up we’d love to be included on that’s for sure… let’s wait and see.

 

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

 

We plan on spending the rest of this year playing shows and working at getting our name out there across the country. We have booked ourselves back into KJM Studios with Corin again to get the ball rolling on our debut album, which we hope to release at the end of the year. So watch this space.

 

Anything you would like to say to your fans in closing out this chat?

 

We’d love to take this opportunity to say a massive thanks to friends and family that have supported us in this early stage. Also a massive thanks to everyone that has come to any of our shows so far, anyone that follows/likes us on Wwitter, Instagram, or Facebook. And to everyone that has purchased our merchandise or that buys/streams our music, thanks to you all. The responses have been amazing and we’re very pleased we get to walk this path with you all!

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