Today’s Band of the Day have a new video out courtesy of industry favourites Very Metal Art tomorrow, but we’re here to tell you more about the band themselves…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from Kent, England!
How did you meet?
Directly through music.
Ritchie (frontman) was in a band with Owain’s older brother way back when. We all later formed a band called Benzokayn around 2012. Mace (drummer) joined in late 2017 when Benzokayn’s original drummer moved to Glasgow. Mikey (guitarist) was in a band with Mace called Armatyle (formerly known as Atlas).
When Benzokayn drew to its natural conclusion, we mutually agreed we still had some fire in the belly and unfinished business to take care of. We decided to start something new and thus Crostpaths was born.
How long have you been playing as a band?
As Crostpaths, we began tracking early demos about a year ago. We’ve taken our time to get everything in place before going public last month.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Once the early demos started to take shape as fully formed songs we started compiling a long list of potential names. Some (most) of them were utterly atrocious! Crostpaths was actually the last one added to the list. Either by being bludgeoned into submission by Ritchie or just because something finally clicked with us all we decided to run with it.
Simply based around the idea that we had all “crossed paths” either via fate or misfortune (depending on how you look at life). The deliberate misspelling just so it’s authentic to us and our music.
It’s also somewhat of a portmanteau and homage to 2 awesome bands in Crossfaith and Stray From The Path who have probably indirectly influenced part of our sound.
What are your influences?
Between us all we range from Architects to Jimmy Eat World, from Trash Boat to Mammal. We’ve found common ground in turn-of-the-century bands like Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit etc.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our core sound is heavily influenced by Nu-Metal and Metalcore so there’s a lot of groove and bounce. However, in our songwriting process we’ve purposely made room for a tracks that go a bit left-field so we’re not pigeonholed into being a one-dimensional band. People will hear a contrast in our first 2 singles but also recognise a clear thread of consistency. We’ve got material in the pipeline where the thread of consistency will be less obvious as we delve deeper into different genres on other tracks.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Every song is different, the first 2 singles are great examples.
“Bulldozer” sounds like a big macho/aggro track but it’s actually written from the perspective of someone criticising themselves by taking a look in the mirror.
“Meridian (Aftermath)” is slightly more reserved due to the ambience of the instrumental but is lyrically on the nose. The song addresses the negative sides of technology (and social media) consuming us all.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We only launched the band last month and we’re being patient by looking to build momentum online before we start touring in 2020. We’ve deliberately written certain songs with the gigging environment in mind. We’ve got songs designed to make people bounce and move which we’ll build our live set around. We already know from our previous bands, as well as our experiences so far in the studio with this one, that we’re gonna be a force to be reckoned with on stage. All out energy from the get go!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Not necessarily wildest, but definitely most ridiculous…
In one of our early shows by our previous band, some of us performed at a very reputable venue in Camden, London. We were so excited to be playing the venue, we’d seen so many of our heroes play there before.
We were the opening band and we’d sold about 50 tickets to friends and family who were queuing outside when the sound guy told us to start our set despite the doors not being open. We refused to start until the crowd were let through (which took another 10mins or so). Then, no more than 15mins into our set, the sound guy told us we had 1 song left so we decided to try and fudge 2 together as a medley on the spot.
Halfway through said medley, they switched off the stage lights so we performed the grand finale of our set in total darkness. Backstage, after the set, the sound guy came through screaming obscenities like a maniac and we’ve never played there since!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
- Mikey: “I use Solar guitars. They are light, durable & easy to make your own in terms of set up. Amp wise – I use a Line 6 Helix, which is really flexible with regards to creativity which also helps our writing process.”
- Owain: “I’ve played Ibanez bass guitars for the past 8 years. They’re light and have a neck I find easy & comfortable to play. They also have an amazing tone which helps lend a beefy tone to our sound. I use Behringer pedals for all the funky effects and an Ashdown amp.”
- Mace: “I’m currently crafting my own custom drum kit which will have a paint job from modern artist Stuart Worsell. I use Sabian cymbals, Tama hardware & Zildjian drumsticks”
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Right now, we’re plugging our brand new single “Meridian (Aftermath)” with accompanying visuals by Very Metal Art. It’s a track with a dystopian wasteland vibe and we really feel the lyric video adds to the song’s overwhelming sense of existential dread.
What are your plans for the rest of 2019 and into 2020?
Just a few weeks ago we dropped our debut single “Bulldozer” and next month we’ll be dropping our 3rd single with a 4th set to follow before Christmas… So we’re gonna be in a constant state of plugging/promoting for the rest of the year! 2020 we plan to hit the road ASAP as we’re Jonesing for our fix of gigs!
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!
If we went for an all time fantasy lineup we’d be here all day deliberating so in terms of the hottest band in the current climate? We’d have to be supporting Fever 333! As for the opening act?
We’ve gotta say our northern brothers and sisters in Pulverise. That’s a rap metal sandwich that’d have the crowd sweating Monster Energy Drink all night long!
