Our last encounter with Tales of Autumn was in the runup to Bloodstock 2017 where they featured on the Jagermeister Stage. I confess I only saw the start of their set as they were on opposite one of the bands I wasn’t going to miss that weekend – Hatebreed! So to redress the coverage issue at last year’s festival, here are the guys in their own words…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
- Nick Horton (Bass/Vocals) – England, Hertfordshire county
- Stefanos Karantonis (Vocals/Guitar) – Cyprus, Limassol
- Jordan Dann (Drums/Vocals) – England, Worthing
- Tom Kiggins (Guitar) – England, Nottingham
How did you meet?
NH: We met through our music university where three of us were in the same class, and got Jordan on board from the same year when we were looking to start a band.
How long have you been playing as a band?
SK: We have been together for nearly three years now but have only been gigging for two.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
NH: Well we were outside a rehearsal studio in Autumn and each song we wrote had an emotional story behind it, so I just blurted Tales of Autumn. We were all terrible at coming up with band names so we stuck with it.
What are your influences?
NH: Currently I’m into more prog stuff with rhythmic technicality and crushing tones, so my influences are bands like Karnivool, Leprous, Periphery and Dorje.
SK: Opeth, Devin Townsend for me at the moment as a band. Guitar wise is a lot of John Petrucci, Guthrie Govan, Greg Howe, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.
TK: I love Dream Theater, rush, king crimson and a lot of prog but huge influences on me were 80s guitarists and bands, Steve vai, Malmsteen and reb beach from winger.
JD: I listened to a lot of classic rock bands such as Aerosmith and Thunder. Later on when I started playing the drums I played along to a lot of Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age) and Will Hunt (Evanescence). It’s where all of my writing and playing style comes from.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
JD: I think it’s the fact that we all come from different genres and influences but still within the same vein of metal. I think because we all collectively bring elements from our individual tastes into one project that makes it a strange but successful collaboration.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
SK: The album we released is all to do with mental illness, such as paranoia, depression, suicide and schizophrenia.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
TK: We always believed and have been told that we are much better live than on record, because we give it that much more anger and a push, to give the crowd raw, unhindered emotion from our personal experiences in life. We play maybe 5-10 shows in a good typical month, so maybe in total somewhere just below one hundred.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
SK: I think it was at Bloodstock Open Air 2017. We were playing a little bit after Municipal Waste on the smaller stage so while we were waiting backstage, I caught a glimpse of their set on the main stage and I think I saw around 100 people crowd surfing at the same time? It was insane! I think they broke some kind of record at Bloodstock that day according to Bloodstock Official. [They did! – Mosh]
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
NH: I play an LTD 5 string through a TC electronic BH250. A bit basic but lightweight, relatively cheap and very durable for the road. I also have a Darkglass Alpha/Omega, for some insane distorted tone.
SK: I use an ESP Horizon FR-II as my main guitar and for a guitar head I use my Hughes n Kettner Tubemeister 18. Also, a nice pedalboard with a TC Flashback Delay, a Holy Grail reverb, SP compressor, a mini Spark Boost and my beloved Suhr Riot Reloaded.
TK: I play mostly a Jackson DK2QM with some DiMarzio pups in through a Laney Ironheart. I’m a sucker for pedals though and have a Morley Bad Horsie 2, Friedman BE-OD, EHX Soul Food, Digitech Hardwire chorus, Line 6 Echo Park and then just an eq and noise compressor. There’ll be more soon!
JD: I use a Mapex Black Panther – Black Widow drum kit with 10”, 12”, 14” and 16” toms. My snare is a Mapex Saturn V and my sticks are Zildjian 5A Wood Tip.
Zildjian Avedis 18” Crashes, Zildjian Heavy Ride, Zildjian K Custom Hybrid Anniversary Reversible Hi Hats.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
SK: Well we just released our first album In Madness We Trust, along with some T-Shirts, so we are trying to get it out there as much as possible.
What are your plans for 2018, into 2019?
NH: We are already dipping into some ideas for some new songs and toying with concepts for another album, but mainly we want to gig this album as much as possible, for exposure and wicked fun.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
SK: Supporting Devin Townsend and opening for us it’s kind of hard to say because all the band we played so far in the local scene are amazing but if I have to choose it would be Aren Drift because they are amazingly good.
From previous Band of the Day Muscular Child: Dave Grohl, Mick Jagger, Prince – Who would you kiss, who would you marry and who would you kill?
NH: Jagger looks like a ballbag so kill him. Prince is an attractive man so I’d snog him. Dave is an all-round legend and very caring so we would be married and have babies with a cheap condo in the suburbs.
SK: I agree with Nick. Kill Jagger, kiss Prince and marry Dave.
From another BotD, Vanity: If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
SK: Do not rush with your music and always work hard. Everything needs time and even if you do not accomplish as much as you want at least you gave it your best shot.
NH: Make mistakes, learn from them and don’t let anybody tell you what you can and can’t do, especially yourself.
TK: Invest in Bitcoin… Or just have some self-esteem.
And from Charly&Faust: What’s your underwear colour?
NH: I got some pretty gnarly Hawaiian themed blue and orange ones. Form an orderly queue, ladies.
SK: Mainly black and white ones. Nothing too crazy. But I used to have a few Family Guy-themed ones such as Peter and Stewie.
JD: Black. Metal!
TK: Pink. I’m very secure.
Header image by Greig Clifford
Tales of Autumn: facebook