Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
“Music has really been an outlet for us to channel our anger and grief” – interview with Wildheart
These are challenging times in the world, and from Brisbane/Meanjin (Australia), metalcore quartet Wildheart channels their emotions and frustrations—stemming from the rising cost of living, social media manipulation, climate disasters, wars, and more—into their new album “Searching For Life Beyond Tragedy”, set for release on Friday, November 15.
Wildheart’s sophomore LP is home to eight poignant and scorchingly heavy new tracks, including the previously released “Withered” and the latest single, “Evergreen”. Carrying the torch forward, the album delves into themes varying from political frustration, to mental health awareness and social injustices.
Days before the release, Chaoszine.net spoke to guitarist Adam Finlay about the new LP and other current topics that inspire the band’s songwriting.
Your second album, “Searching For Life Beyond Tragedy” will be out shortly. You have a lot to say in these new eight songs. What can you tell me about this new LP?
We actually hadn’t planned on doing another album, but we ended up writing a lot more material than we needed. I guess ultimately we still had a lot to say. I went into this wanting to push our core elements further, I wanted it to be more melodic, heavier and the political aspects to hit stronger and the sadder more melancholic parts to be that much more intense.
“Evergreen’s” video has more than 5,000 views on YouTube so far. About this track, you say: “Whilst this song wasn’t specifically written about Gaza, it touches on Capitalism, Western Imperialism and the ongoing rise of the Fascist Right, which, in light of the ongoing events, we want to raise our voices for.” We live in a troubled world: the war in Ukraine is still going on, in addition to Gaza, Israel has invaded Lebanon and Iran has attacked Israel. It seems that we have learned nothing from COVID-19. In that sense, is Wildheart a refuge for you in the face of global reality?
I wouldn’t call it a refuge. We regularly talk about the political mess we’re in, the culture war bullshit being fed to us, seeing the disastrous effects of climate change unfurl before us and what’s happening in Gaza. It’s challenging to see this all through your phone screen and it can make you feel somewhat powerless. I think music has really been an outlet for us to channel our anger and grief. Our last record, “Global Crisis”, talked about similar issues but nothing much has changed in those few years, in fact, I feel like it has only gotten worse.
You also mention politicians and the high cost of living. Australia is recognized as a country with a strong economy, but whether you reside in Australia, Spain, Ireland, England, or nearly any other nation, it seems almost impossible today to afford housing and, in music, to earn a living. The paradigm has shifted, and we also face the threat of AI and the fear that things could spiral out of control. What is your perspective on the future? Do you believe we will return to our roots? On one hand, I think music will thrive again because machines will never be able to feel. Do you agree with me?
In terms of our country ‘having a good economy’ now that we’re older and part of a generation that is inherently poorer than the previous ones, the only ones benefiting from our economy are people who benefit from the oppression of the working class. As far as music goes it’s kinda mirroring the broader economic issues. Unless we can break away from these larger tech companies who have completely devalued and monopolized the music industry it will only get worse. Music has never been the most lucrative way to make money but reading statistics that only 20% or something on Spotify actually make any money is just so busted, and we all deserve better. It doesn’t matter how big or small your band is, your hard work and labour go into creating music and you should get paid for it.
AI absolutely fucking sucks and all the tech bros who think it’s some great revolution can shove it basically (chuckles).
You’ll be launching the album with a series of shows in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney. Are you considering touring other continents next year?
We’re always talking about it, just a case of having things line up in our favour!
I was struck by the fact that the new album is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. How did that connection come about?
It’s something our drummer Andrew looked deeper into after we were successful in getting a grant for our “Solid Rock/Sacred Ground” release and had spoken with other musicians who had used them in the past to pay for tours… There are a lot of grants available. You just have to be willing to put the time and effort into applying as it’s not an easy process.
Wildheart’s debut album “Global Crisis” won the Gold Coast Music Award 2022 for best album of the year and debuted at number 10 on the Australian Independent Record Labels Associations charts. Your career is short, but in just two years you have made a name for yourself, sharing the stage with the likes of Stick To Your Guns (USA), Holding Absence (UK), Northlane, Alpha Wolf and many more. A short but long journey, isn’t it?
We’ve been around a lot longer than that I’m afraid haha. But we owe a lot to our first album for putting us a bit more on the map.
Australia has been home to world-renowned bands like The Vines, INXS, and others. In the metalcore scene, groups such as Northlane, Alpha Wolf, and Polaris have made a significant impact. Is the metalcore scene in your country as robust as it appears? What is the current landscape regarding bands and venues?
There is absolutely no shortage of talent in Australia across every genre, but the heavy scene is thriving in terms of the quality of bands. Venues are a different story, we’ve lost a lot of great spaces due to rising costs, but we are lucky in Brisbane that Crowbar is finally coming back after losing another iconic venue a few months ago.
I believe that depression is one of the most significant issues we face today. In this context, I feel that mental health has been impacted more than ever due to the rise of social media. As a band that exists in the digital age, I wanted to ask what insights you could share regarding social media.
I think it’s a double-edged sword, it’s absolutely not good to sit and doom-scroll, but again coming back to Gaza, we as a younger generation have been able to cut through so much of the bullshit and propaganda because of social media. Mainstream media refuses to report on the reality of what is happening over there. But it’s important to have things that can fall back on. For me it’s music, video games, and hanging with friends and family.
Where do you envision taking Wildheart?
As far as we can for as long as we can.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Play these shows, release our new record, enjoy some time off and figure out what we do next.
What is the primary message you aim to convey with the band?
That despite all the terrible things happening in the world there is hope for a better future. We are just a local heavy band, but if we can convince one person to engage with politics and make choices towards a better future for everyone then it will have been worth it.
