With a distinctive British melodic rock sound, Somerset rockers Apherium latest EP, ‘Embrace The Fall That Brought Us Here,’ offers three hook-driven, striking tracks that has seen the quintet be compared to Fightstar and InMe. Songs such as ‘Embrace’ and ‘Resolve’ thrive off jabbing drums, sonic guitars, a strong bassline and Larry Turner’s impassioned vocals.
It’s clear that Apherium have been inspired by some of rocks biggest names as well as some enticing and mesmerizing acts. To find out who specifically influenced them along the way, we asked Larry Turner to tell us about five of Apherium’s most influential bands.
U2
A controversial choice in some people’s eyes but I’ve been listening to U2 my entire life (my parents were at Zoo TV whilst my mum was pregnant with me). Bono has always been my biggest inspiration in terms of on stage energy, to this day I watch or listen to a U2 performance to psych myself up for a gig.
Top Pick: ‘Acrobat’ from ‘Achtung Baby’
Coldplay
You might think this is a list of the most hated bands in rock looking these first two choices! Watch the ‘Coldplay Live 2012’ film and tell me that this band are anything less than sensational. Their songs are timeless, catchy, emotional and genuine. Even people who claim to hate Coldplay can’t help but sing along to the chorus of ‘Fix You’ and nod their heads to ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’.
Top Pick: ‘Death and All His Friends’ from ‘Viva La Vida’
Anathema
A more obscure choice, but probably the most important to me musically. I will never forget the feeling I got when I first heard this band; it was unlike anything I’d ever heard in my life. The melodies, lyrics and instrumentation was completely fresh to me. These guys are the most talented musicians I have ever heard, and it’s a damn shame this band aren’t selling out stadiums across the world. They were a huge influence in the writing of Apherium’s latest EP.
Top Pick: ‘Untouchable’ from ‘Weather Systems’
Biffy Clyro
These guys are edgy, passionate and exciting. They are a big influence on a lot of my guitar work, especially in our earlier work. Their ability to move from heavy, jagged riffs to huge chords and melodies is something we always try to carry across into our songwriting. They keep the listener on their toes, throwing in unexpected twists and turns into all their songs!
Top Pick: ‘Saturday Superhouse’ from ‘Puzzle’
Caspian
One of the top dogs in Post Rock right now, and a huge inspiration on my guitar work. I’m a sucker for big, ambient, reverb laden guitar lines and there’s something beautiful about taking one sequence of chords and building on it until it reaches an epic climax. Listen to the ending of the last song from our latest EP and you’ll hear that same technique.
Top Pick: ‘Hymn For the Greatest Generation’
‘Embrace The Fall That Brought Us Here’ EP by Apherium is out now.
