Travelling along ‘The Road’ with Among The Ruined
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- September 11, 2022
Brisbane-based metalcore outfit Among The Ruined, are certainly one of the most exciting prospects of the genre today. The band know how to create an immense wall of sound, yet never fail to offer well-crafted intricate layers of melodies, perfectly represented in the band’s latest single ‘The Road’, which was released on June 10th. The new single is ambient, hard-hitting and incredibly well put together, guiding you through each constructed section through the seamless production and masterful musicianship. The sheer raw energy the band possess is mesmerising, as their passion and dedication shines through in bucket loads.
The band began back in 2015 and is made up of Paddy Creamer (Guitar/Vocals), Bailey Mackelden (Guitar), CJ (Bass) and Luke Conder (Drums). Influences of the band include Polaris, Motionless in White, Falling In Reverse and Bring Me The Horizon, all playing their part in the music the band has gone on to create, yet always offering a fresh, exciting and unique approach. The latest single is the band’s first release following their 2020 debut album, ‘Despite All Odds’. The album was praised for its refreshing take on the metalcore genre, never compromising when it comes to creating the music that they love.
The new single ‘The Road’, touches on the hard times found in pursuing a career in the music industry, and is the first release from the band’s upcoming album ‘Common Creature’. The track takes you on somewhat of a journey, beginning with an intriguing and haunting ambience, before the band really let you know who they are with an array of beautifully crafted metal guitar licks.
The Australian band are no strangers to touring, seeing them venturing across Australia over the past few years. The band recently took their new single on the road with them, with a short Australian tour back in July of this year. The band are continuing to work incredibly hard, with show after show, having recently just supported Australian thrash-metal band Hidden Intent back in August.
Since the very beginning, the band has continued to work tirelessly on creating the music that is dear to them, and I am eager to see what the band has in store for us all on the upcoming album project. My colleague Zara, was lucky enough to be able to interview CJ and Bailey from the band to discuss all things Among The Ruined.
Watch the music video for ‘The Road’ by Among The Ruined
Hello! Welcome to IAMUR, it’s wonderful to have you. Please can you introduce yourselves and tell us about the genesis of Among the Ruined?
Bailey: Hey! I’m Bailey and this is & CJ. I (Bailey) play guitars with 6 & 7 strings. CJ plays with 4s and 5s and screams.
You guys are from Brisbane. How would you describe the Australian metal scene?
Bailey: We reckon it’s pretty kicking man, there is a lot of sick bands on every level.
Which nation’s stages would you like to grace next?
Bailey: Man, so many! We wanna have a run down the east coast and hit some of those ‘right of passage’ local venues. Also, would love to get out regional, Toowoomba would be cool. Apparently, their regionals go off, man!
You launched your debut album Despite All Odds with a bang in 2018, playing at a sold-out gig at Brisbane venue The Brightside. That’s a massive achievement! How did it feel to send your debut album off into the world like that?
Bailey: It was pretty awesome. The circumstances were great, it was the first night the sitting down at gigs rule (due to covid) was over. We threw a bunch of toys in the crowd, and it got pretty silly, it was awesome to see. But for the most part, it was a bit of relief. we had been sitting on DAO for a while waiting to see if the pandemic stuff was going to get worse, and it just kept going. When we could finally play it, it was like a weight off our shoulders.
If you had to choose one film, one TV show and one album to illustrate the essence of Among the Ruined, what would they be?
Bailey: The Rocky Soundtrack!
Bailey & CJ: TV would be Brooklyn 99
CJ: The movie would probably Inside Out, I’m the red one…
You’re asked to play a festival—what’s your absolute dream line-up?
Bailey: Fuck there are so many. I reckon we would probably need two days for a dream line-up… Parkway, Northlane, Bring me the Horizon, Falling in Reverse, Slipknot, Metallica, Ice, Nine Kills, Mirrors, Wage War, Polaris
Your single ‘The Road’ touches on lots of themes of perseverance and keeping going in the eye of the storm. There’s a sense of turning struggle into empowerment. What does the song mean to you as a band? What message would you like fans to take away from it?
Bailey: I think turning struggle into empowerment is a great way to put it. I think for the band it references the blood, sweat, and tears you gotta put into this to get anything out of it. To our fans that can mean anything you are passionate about. You gotta grind, but it’s rewarding.
Speaking of drive – what motivates you as a band?
Bailey: That’s a tough question, there are so many reasons., I think we are motivated as a band to just be able to do what we love. We live and breathe this shit man. For some of us the metal community is the only community that accepted us, and we just want to do everything we can to be among it
You guys are described as metalcore. Does that feel like a good fit? What is it about this style of metal that attracted you guys?
Bailey: I reckon it is a pretty broad genre, I feel like it’s a pretty good fit. Despite All Odds is sort of 00s metal styled, we were listening to a lot of those bands at the time. I guess it attracted us with riffs probably, we all play the guitar and sick riffs are sick riffs…
How do you feel about sharp genre distinctions within metal music?
CJ: I think it’s good, as long as people don’t try and weaponize it
Bailey: He has a cake analogy
CJ: Yeah, it’s like cake. You go to the cake store, everyone likes a different type of cake.
But it’s still cake. Don’t weaponize the cake
What does the metal community represent to you? How do you channel this into your music?
Bailey: it’s my people man, like it’s a group of people who love the same shit I do.
CJ: It’s a big metal family. It’s nice being part of a big family
Your sound combines heavier and cleaner vocals, melodic tonality, and riff-driven sections with powerful, frequently stirring lyrics. Talk us through your writing process. Do you write lyrics or music first? Is it a collaboration between the four of you?
Bailey: Despite all odds was mostly collab, Paddy usually comes to the table with fully finished songs and stuff and with the new stuff he had already mapped out a bunch of stuff. I’d say though for me, Paddy and CJ, stuff starts as guitar riffs. We all play the guitar so it just sort of happens that way. Personally, I just write lyrics a lot on the go, my phone is full of notes. Sometimes they fit with stuff naturally and sometimes you gotta come up with new ones.
Who are your biggest musical influences? What records do you guys play when you’re touring together?
Bailey: Pretty much everything from the dream line-up question for a start. We have a pretty diverse music taste; CJ loves all sorts of weird and groovy shit. But we even go back to like 70s power metal shit. We chuck on the ‘for you’ playlists and it’s all our fav bangers.
Are there any artists on your radar that you think we should look out for?
Bailey: The guys we played with for The Road are an awesome bunch. Empire Within are awesome, I’m a legit like fan. Hang em High are so hyped too. Gives me Deep Blue Parkway vibes. Awake in Time just release panic as when which is a banger of a track
You’ve been touring for your new single ‘The Road’ in July. Has playing live changed for you guys since you first started?
Bailey: I think we are tighter for sure. Getting luke on board has really tightened us up. His first gig with us was at Wallapalooza on the GC. Man is a weapon drummer.
CJ: Having that makes it a bit more comfortable, being locked in like that means we can have a bit more fun onstage
We’re really hyped to hear your new tracks! How would you describe your upcoming album, Common Creature? How does it differ from Despite All Odds?
Bailey: It’s weird, it’s both like heavier and softer in different parts. Compared to DOA there are more layers beneath stuff. There is a lot more planning and narrative put into it rather than just being cool riffs. In the studio, we did a lot more improvised fun stuff which I enjoyed
What’s next in store for you guys? What are you most excited for?
Bailey: We are excited to be back playing again. With the international acts coming back and kicking shit back off I think the local scene has come back to life. We are pretty excited to just be playing live again and rehearsing. It’s nice to record stuff but it can be a grind. playing live I think is a lot more fun. We can’t wait to get down the east coast and play in some regional places. Apparently, those shows go off!
Listen to Among The Ruined on Spotify now:
For more info about the band, find them on Facebook and Instagram. We also recently reviewed the bands single ‘The Road’ which you can find here. If you enjoyed this, check out more reviews from IAMUR here… You might just find your new favourite artist!
