Interview: Wars

For some bands it can take years to get noticed but for Rugby hardcore five-piece Wars they have stepped into the limelight straight from the start. Even though they have been working away on material for quite some time, Wars officially came into fruition just this past February.

From the get go they have gathered plenty of attention and even premiered their debut song, ‘Gambler’s Ruin’, on the influential BBC Radio One Rock Show. The track is a heavy, sharp blast of metallic hardcore with Wars taking a cathatic lyrical approach. It sets the bar high for what their debut EP, ‘And So The Sea Will Claim Us All’, has to offer but having worked with Matt O’Grady (Architects, Bring Me The Horizon, You Me At Six), we expect the bands debut release to be a rip-roaring yet intriguing affair as Wars look to become one of the UK’s most promising emerging metalcore bands.

As the quintet prepare for the release of ‘And So The Sea Will Claim Us All’ on May 18th, we seeked out vocalist Rob Vicars to discuss how the band seemingly came together so quickly, what we can expect from the EP, their goals for the future and more.

AH: So I hear the band only began this year and it’s only February. Care to explain how wars came together so quickly? Had you played in bands together or separately beforehand?
Rob:
We had. In fact to say we only began in February is a bit of an injustice. Though it is technically true. We officially became a band on the 22nd, but of course, we’ve been toiling away at this for a while now, writing and recording, and crafting and culling and filing down the edges and making sure it’s all spick and span. It was nice to be able to take the time to do everything properly, but from the moment we recorded the first track we were all itching to get it out there. It’s a crazy relief that it’s all in a different kind of motion now, despite the fact there was no real pressure, other than the pressure we put on ourselves internally. We’d all played in bands before, and three of us were in the same one. For some reason, it took very little convincing to get everyone together for this little soiree; think it just gets in your blood.

AH: You made a pretty significant debut by premiering ‘Gambler’s Ruin’ on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show. How was that?
Rob: Incredible, really. Can’t quite literalise what it was like to launch in that way, but it was inconceivably exciting that so many people would be hearing ‘Gambler’’s that night.

AH: How has the response been to the track and why did you choose it to be the first track to be released from ‘And So The Sea Will Claim Us All’?
Rob: The response has been unnervingly brilliant. We’re a little euphoric solely because we can finally jam it people’s faces. ‘Gambler’’s was the first track we recorded for the EP, and between then and now we’ve managed to accumulate this fervent desire to start rampantly sharing it, but haven’t been able to. It’s glorious to get it out there now, and to be able to say “this is us”.

AH: Moving on to the EP from itself, how would you sum up the overall tone of it?
Rob: In terms of subject, it’s a bleak old affair. It tackles most significantly, the idea of this internal, cognitive dissonance that pits our own beliefs against us; which is largely where the name wars comes from. It touches once or twice on a contradiction to John Donne’s infamous poem ‘No Man is an Island’, claiming that we are in fact singular beings, unable to truly breach the confines of one another; “islands, after all”. For me, it’s cathartic, violent and sentimental.

AH: What do you consider to be your influences in terms of both style and llyrically?
Rob: Lyrically, we’re influenced by, I suppose you’d count it as the ‘human condition’. Which sounds a bit mad, but the inner-workings of our minds, the things that cause anxiety and depression, the hunt for existential knowledge; all fascinate us, and are the areas we naturally explore in our music and other creative exploits. In terms of the music, we’ve long been a sucker for the sound of heart-in-your-mouth chaos, stirred in to a melodious hum you can sing to like no one else exists. That said, we’re also pretty heavily influenced by Yorkshire Tea, Phil Collins and Benny Goodman on the long drive home, and too much whiskey.

AH: Although it is seemingly still early days for you. What do you hope to achieve with this EP?
Rob: I hope the EP sets a precedent for wars; that would be achievement enough. I hope it sets the bar for who we are and what we do. We’re already planning what’s next, but hopefully, this will give people a good idea of the kind of band we are, and the kind of band we’re going to be in the years ahead.

AH: For potential new fans, what impression do you hope they leave with after hearing ‘And So The Sea Will Claim Us All’?
Rob: Like most bands, I think we want to leave a lasting impression. I hope they read between the lines and take something, anything away from it. I hope they love it, and see the passion that’s gone into it, and of course I hope they want to hear some more.

AH: Besides the EP release, you’ve got a handful of UK dates lined up. How would you describe wars in a live capacity?
Rob: Hectic. For me, if you’re going to play heavy music, it’s got to mean something; it’s got to drag you to your knees when you play those songs. That all comes out live. It’s a different experience to the disc, but that’s how it should be, isn’t it?

AH: Looking further ahead. What else does wars have lined up for the remainder of 2015?
Rob: We’re a live band; we love touring and everything that comes pre-packaged with life on the road. We’re putting together a pretty rigorous schedule, so there’ll be plenty of that this year. Further than that, I can’t really say, but you can rest assured we’re already hard at work on whatever it might be.

AH: Any closing comments to finish things off?
Rob: Namely, a colossal thanks to the people that have helped us so far, we’ve only just begun but the support we’ve had already, both from the local scene in Rugby and in other capacities has been truly overwhelming. And of course, thank you Already Heard for letting me ramble on incoherently for so long.

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