Dead Rhetoric: How do you view the metal landscape today? What changes would you make (if any) to improve things on a short-term or long-term scale, not just for the bands but also for the fans?
Andrew: Locally I gotta say we have a pretty badass scene here in New England, but I will say while some shows are absolute bangers, they seem to be getting emptier and emptier, and I feel there’s not as much support/friendliness between other bands as there should be. Don’t get me wrong there are tons of cool bands we’ve become friends with, but I just think it could be better. On a wider scale I wish metal, mainly power metal would be more accepted here in America, it seems to do much better in other countries than it does here.
Davy: I feel like the New England metal scene is not as together as it once was. One thing I’d like to change is the hostility between people in the scene. In the Pop Punk scene we are taught to be like family and to support each other musically and in a general sense, but there are definitely bands in the scene that share the same thoughts as myself and I by all means am not bashing anyone personally.
Ben: In the metal landscape today, I hear a lot of hardcore screaming and breakdowns. I’d like to see some diversity I don’t care how out there it is.
Tony: One thing I’ll say is that I think metal has become way too genre-sized. A thrash band could have a Scottish vocalist and it will be labeled as ‘Pirate Metal’ or some bullshit. I think the metal scene is over saturated with a bunch of weirdly specific subgenres. I’d like to see that downsized and condensed to something that’s more cohesive and stable.
Sam: I’ve been playing in bands since I was 13 and learned a lot about the metal community ever since. I love how the genre brings a lot of people from different upbringings together and how the scene has a great sense of community to it. If there’s anything I would like to see, it would be the elimination of pay to play shows and more labels and promoters advocating for the bands. Trying to break ground as a metal band can be difficult as is, and seeing more labels and promoters getting as excited about the music as the bands and fans themselves can make a huge difference.
Dead Rhetoric: What common misconceptions do people have about power/progressive metal bands that you would love to clear up or have them take into consideration?
Andrew: Definitely that every song is about dragons or Lord of the Rings (laughs). I definitely think fantasy lyrics are cool, but I’d like to move away from that cliché as much as possible.
Davy: I think a very common misconception about our genre is the use of fictional characters and mystical creatures such as dragons. Even though I think that stuff is badass it’s not always the case!
Ben: People think metal bands are scary but we’re just a couple of cool cats.
Tony: Biggest one for me is that, because of the genre, the lyrics are going to be cheesy/corny. That every song is going to talk about magic, swords, or ‘an eagle’. There is so much untapped subject matter that could fit into this genre, that it’s a shame to see other bands recycle the same themes and content. This probably contributes to the stereotype associated with the genre, but I’m hoping we can help change that.
Sam: If there’s any misconceptions about the Power Prog genre I would like to clear up, it’s definitely that the genre is a lot more diverse that people give it credit for. I’ve seen a lot of people dismiss it due to how some of it is just over the top showing off of technical ability. Prog in my opinion is one of the most diverse metal genres, and there are so many great Prog bands that really have an incredibly unique sound,
Dead Rhetoric: What can people expect for Perennial Quest over the next twelve months in support of the demo? Has work already begun on the follow-up material – if so, will the band continue to progress in different directions or are you fairly satisfied with what’s been established already?
Andrew: I wanna play out way more and even possibly get a second demo out, we already have four songs brewing up and they all are in the same vein as the ones we just released, but I like to think every song has something special about it rather than all following the same style/formula.
Davy: A lot of shows and good times! We have started working on some new material and I feel like a lot of what’s being written now has been along the same lines as what’s been established but there will definitely be some cool stuff to check out when the time comes!
Ben: We will definitely have some new stuff in the next twelve months. In the new stuff I hope to slow it down a tiny bit (that will never happen) and make the bass really stand out more.
Tony: So far we’ve written one new song since recording, and it is very much in the same likeness as the other songs we’ve written. I think we’ll continue to develop organically, and let things progress naturally.
Sam: You can definitely expect a hell of a lot more shows and new material. With our current lineup we have many different musical backgrounds that have good chemistry with each other and I can definitely say we are going to push our sound to the limit and bring a lot of new elements to the table. We all have been working on new material together and we all have a bunch of material written to work out that should keep us occupied for a while.