In this exclusive interview, we delve into the world of Embers Ignite, a one-man metal project. The mastermind behind the project, Rick, takes us on a journey of inspiration, setbacks, and creative breakthroughs that led to the creation of the debut EP.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your one-man metal project, Embers Ignite, and how it came to be?
Music has been part of my life ever since I can remember. I grew up listening to all sorts of music and started getting into heavier music at the age of 9. I started learning guitar as a teenager (playing along to Metallica records with tab books) and since then I’ve always played for my own enjoyment, jammed with friends and been in a few bands over the years. I've always created music in one way or another and have always listened to music as a fan. I left my last band, Incidium, in 2011 after being with them for about 6 years. We played live gigs a lot and recorded a few demos at home which we gave out at shows, but I always wanted to properly record, and release music and it never happened with them for various reasons. After I left the band I ended up taking a few years out from playing guitar/music at all after that. Looking back, it was a sad and dark time for me personally but a necessity - I was burnt out and needed the time away from guitar and music.
In time, I started to play guitar again on and off and came up with loads of riffs and ideas but never really finished anything. I talked to others about starting bands, but nothing ever came of it. Then, a few years back I decided to make myself write and finish songs on my own and not rely on others. The songs became the start of what was to become my debut release. However, during this time, covid hit, I got married, we moved to the countryside, and we started a family. Music took a back seat once again until August 2022 when my son started sleeping through the night and I started to feel a bit less like a zombie from a lack of sleep and I began to have a little spare time again. I sold a load of unused music and photography gear I had lying around and used the money to buy a new guitar (a Schecter C1 SLS Elite Evil Twin if you were wondering) to inspire and with the promise to myself that I would finish writing the songs, record them and release them.
So that’s what I did. I tweaked the song structures, tempos and lyrics a little, I recorded the bass and guitars myself, programmed the drums and did the artwork myself. I’d never done any more than a bit of backing vocals previously, but I’d gone this far on my own so I thought I’d have a crack at vocals too, so I did those all myself too. Originally, I was going to mix and master it myself too, but I thought that if this was to be the only music I was going to release, I should get some help making it sound as good as it possibly could - so I hired someone else to do it in the end (enter Thomas Berdal Audio - who did a great job).
And that was it. Embers Ignite was born!
Your self-titled debut EP is described as offering "crushing brutality and groove-laden death metal." What can listeners expect from this release, and what themes or ideas are explored in the lyrics?
It’s heavy, it's dark and it’s raw! I find it hard to describe and pigeon-hole my music but due to the vocal style (or lack thereof 🤣), I would have to say it is fundamentally death metal with a vein of groove and melody running through it. Not long after it was released, I heard it described as “groove-laden death metal” which I think sums it up quite nicely. A few others have said it's more melodic death metal. In truth, I think it's somewhere in between, and probably varies between songs too. The riffs are a mix of death metal and melodic metal riffs (with harmonies etc…) but there’s not a huge amount of lead lines which I typically associate with melodic death metal so I lean more towards the death mets
Musically, the opening track has a fast-paced melodic riff as the centerpiece and feels more melodic death metal to me. The title track “Embers Ignite” is a slower, more groove-orientated death metal track. Then there’s an instrumental track probably more like Iron Maiden / In Flames - driven by melody and groove and then the final track has a real thrash feel in parts with a bigger, more epic chorus.
Lyrically it’s a mixed bag too. As these songs were written and re-written a few times over quite a time frame they all have a different subject and feel. The first track, “Into The Darkness”, is about depression - about how it lives inside you, waiting to emerge. About never having control over it and about it ultimately consuming you. “Embers Ignite” was written after watching the film ‘Silent Hill’. I guess it’s about torture to some extent, being ripped apart by the fear and pain, about it turning to hatred and about that hatred fundamentally changing you as a person (and the world). A more classic death metal feel to this one for sure, both lyrically and musically. The third song, “…From The Ashes”, is the instrumental. I never set out to write an instrumental, but I never wrote any lyrics I was happy with for it. The more I listened to it the more I felt it could stand on its own. A mid-tempo ‘verse riff’ with a harmonised part, a melodic ‘chorus’ section, a different feel midsection breaking into a melodic solo and dropping into a groove section before looping back to the original concept. This track always felt a bit more uplifting to me hence the name – it was like the hope of the Phoenix rising from the ashes in the otherwise dark, fiery, bleak EP. And then the final song is “The Curse Of Man” which is about humanity being a curse on the earth, a virus, bringing about the end of the world. Cheery stuff eh!?
How would you describe your musical style and the influences that shape your sound, particularly in terms of death, thrash, groove, and melodic death metal?
As I mentioned earlier I’ve always loved music and from a very young age was always exposed to different genres growing up. Rock, indie, pop, punk, blues, soul, reggae, prog etc… I always loved how it could enhance or even change your feelings /mood depending on what you felt and what you listened to. I can’t say I always loved all kinds of music, but I was aware of it and what it could do. The first time I heard what I would call ‘heavier music’, I was 9 years old and it was Iron Maiden's “Number of The Beast” album. Instantly I was blown away. I loved the guitar melodies and harmonies and the galloping bass and drums. Not long after I heard Metallica's “Ride The Lightning” album which took it to a whole new level. Fast, aggressive, tight! From that point I gravitated towards the heavier bands and seemed to progress through the following as a kid: Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Machine Head, Obituary, Slipknot, In Flames, and many others. I loved the emotion, the raw energy and then getting to those teenage years the lyrics really spoke to me and got me through some tough times and I’m sure many others can relate to that. I think my taste has generally gotten heavier over the years and more death metal was incorporated as I like the brutal feel of it and the blast beats but I still love and come back to the groove and melodic aspects. Heavy is good. Fast is good. But if it has melody and groove incorporated too it’s even better in my opinion!! I struggle to listen to bands where it's all blast beats or all detuned. A bit of that's great but I prefer my metal with groove and melody and contrasting parts.
Musically I would probably say Embers Ignite is primarily influenced by thrash and melodic death metal bands, but it is probably played and sounding more like a groove death metal band. I think I’m just saying words now, I’m not sure it even makes sense?! Go listen to it and let me know what you think it is!!
"Stargazer" by Rainbow is a classic rock song. What motivated you to create an epic and brutal reimagining of this track, and what challenges did you face in adapting it to your metal style?
So, it wasn’t something I initially set out to do. I guess I’ve always learned other people’s songs now and then just to learn some new riffs, patterns, chords, or ideas. Some fresh inspiration so to speak. So, when I started playing guitar again last year for this project there were a few songs I’d heard around that time that I thought ‘what the hell, let’s give it a go’ and try and get my guitar chops back up to scratch again. These included songs/riffs by the likes of Iron Maiden, Insomnium, Sylosis, Gojira, and Rainbow’s Stargazer was one of them.
The main riff of the original is super easy to play, and I started jamming it and immediately started playing it faster and heavier with a few more notes, some palm mutes, and some pinch harmonics for good measure without too much thought. It kind of came naturally. Originally, I was just messing about but I ended up recording a couple of guitar tracks along with some basic drums, I loved how it sounded so I decided to learn the rest and then I decided to keep going with it. I was a bit wary of doing it because it’s such an iconic song and because Dio is such a legend. I’ve obviously not tried to imitate Dio in the slightest and I think I did enough to it musically to make it my own so hopefully I got away with it! I recorded it at the same time as the debut EP but I didn’t want to release it as part of that, so I kept hold of it to release at a later date to sort of fill the inevitable void between original music releases. I also collaborated with Mammas Maiden Studio who created an awesome video to accompany the song - check it out on YouTube if you’ve not heard/seen it yet!
Could you walk us through your creative process when it comes to composing and recording your music? How do you bring your ideas to life as a one-man project?
Yeah sure. I’ve always been quite good at coming up with ideas for songs and riffs. Even back when I was in a band, I used to write a lot of the stuff on my own and then bring complete or partial songs to practice and we’d work on them together. I guess I have a similar process now, it's just I don’t have any other input from anyone else.
It usually starts with a couple of riffs I have that fit nicely together. I’ll record them and add simple drums and bass to it and just jam it until I come up with a few more ideas. Leads and lyrics/vocals are nearly always the last to be written/recorded. And quite often, once I’ve written lyrics I’ll rearrange the song structure a bit to fit what I have. Once I’m happy with the demo I’ll move on to the next song and periodically listen back to see if it still stands up as a good song or not. Then, when I’m getting ready to record it for real, I’ll kind of relearn it, and make sure I’m happy with the structure and the feel and tempo of it first. I always start with the drums (which are programmed) to make sure I’ll be recording the guitars/bass to the ‘feel’ of what it will be in the end. Then I’ll do the rhythm guitars, bass guitar, and then any lead guitars. Vocals are always recorded last followed by a few minor tweaks to the drums (usually the fills – as I’m not a drummer) and inevitably a few overdubs to parts I think that could be better.
Being a one-man project, what are some advantages and challenges you face in terms of artistic freedom and balancing various musical elements?
The advantage is that I have complete control over it all. No long sessions with bandmates saying “I prefer it this way” or “I think we should try it like this” and having to compromise. If I like something I keep it. If I don’t, it goes! No wasted time arguing over how it should be (except with myself sometimes)! Being a guitarist I guess most of the songs are based around the riffs and everything else is a supporting instrument really!
A challenge, at least at first, was trusting my judgment. It's hard after years of having input and feedback from people to then not have that sounding board of others or getting input/ suggestions from others and instead learn to trust your own judgment and decisions.
I am currently in the process of recording the next EP now and I found at the start, like with the first EP, I was sending demos off to a few people and asking what they thought. I’m coming to realize now that I don’t really care. If they say they like it then great, or are they just saying that? And even if they don’t like it, if I do - that’s all that matters and I’m not going to change anything anymore. I rewrote an entire section on “Into The Darkness” because someone said it would be cool to switch to a major key for the solo section to give it a different feel. I spent ages trying to do it and make it work but in the end, I didn’t like it and I knew I wouldn’t like it. It was a song about depression. I didn’t want positivity in it! I should have trusted my instinct from the start! A lesson learned!
As a solo artist, how do you approach performing live? Do you collaborate with other musicians or use backing tracks to bring your music to the stage?
As it stands, Embers Ignite is a studio-only project and there are no immediate plans for this to change. Originally the plan was to just record and release the 4 songs I had with no more planned than that. However, since starting this project I have written a few more complete songs that I am in the process of recording properly now, and they will be released later this year (with another cover or two coming separately).
If I did decide to perform live again, I’m not sure I’d want to do it on my own with backing tracks. I would prefer to perform with a live band. I’d also have to decide if I wanted to focus on guitar or vocals or practice doing both at the same time! I’ve actually had a few people reach out and offer their services if I did ever want to tour it which is cool but it's not on the cards at the moment. Life is full enough with work and family as it is and I’m just enjoying writing and recording again at the moment, so I don’t want to ruin that. I won't say it'll never happen though, who knows what the future will bring!
Are there any specific goals or aspirations you have for Embers Ignite in terms of future releases or live performances?
Not really. I started this project to satisfy my desire to record and release my own music. Just to say I'd done it. In a way, I’ve already done what I set out to do. But in doing so I’ve realised there’s still more music in me that I am happy to explore and try and get out. I guess I will continue to do so whilst I still have the creative spark, the desire, and the health/time to be able to do it. And if I deem it good enough, I’ll release it! There’s another EP coming later this year. The songs all deal with the dire state of the world right now and how f**cked everything seems to be. It will be called “Visions Of A Dying World” and will hopefully be out October/November time. In terms of aspirations, I may look into promoting it a little more than the debut and see if I can grow the audience a little more this time around!
And there are loads of cool artists and bands in the indie/underground community I've come across since doing this, it'd be cool to do a few collaborations if anyone's up for it?!
In the metal genre, the visual aspect often plays an important role. How do you incorporate visuals, such as album artwork or music videos, into your project to enhance the overall experience for your listeners?
It does – it’s really important but it’s something that was secondary to the music in my eyes when I started this project. I was so intent on creating the music, recording the music, and getting it out there that I didn’t really spend much time or effort at all on the visual aspects. I had no online presence and no fans when the music came out, so I didn’t deem it important enough to spend any time on. The band name, logo artwork etc.. was almost an afterthought. Just something that I had to have in order to release the music. The original logo was just a font I found online which I liked and overlaid with fire and flames. The band name, whilst I like it, came from a title from one of the songs as I couldn’t (or couldn't be bothered to) think of anything else. And the artwork was created by myself too - a composite of images of a cloaked figure, a forest, and fires. It was dark and raw and fiery like the music I created. It was maybe a good idea but not very well executed. Looking back, I wish I had spent more time thinking about the image of the band/the music.
I have learned from this though! I had a video done for Stargazer which I mentioned earlier which is awesome and adds that visual element to the music/song. And for the new EP, I have had a new logo designed (by Black Upheaval) which fits better with the genre of music! Something that hopefully better identifies and fits with Embers Ignite and the music I create! And I have also invested in artwork for the EP from an artist (Mark Thomas) this time round – something that fits the sound and concept of the next EP and something I would happily put on a T-Shirt and wear (keep an eye out for merch coming soon)!
How has the response been to your debut EP and the reimagining of "Stargazer" so far? Have you received any feedback that has surprised or delighted you?
Really good, and so much better than I expected at the start. Again, releasing music as an unknown artist, after having been out of the music scene for several years, and having no fan base at the start - I didn’t have high hopes. My intention was just to release the music. I’d not anticipated that any more than maybe a handful of friends and family members would listen to it.
The fact that people have listened to it and that people are still listening to it now, blows my mind. In the 5 months since the debut dropped, I’ve gone from about 26 followers on Facebook to just under 1000 as I write this now. And Stargazer has received more views on YouTube in the 6 weeks it’s been out than the 4 tracks off my debut have combined over the 5 months since they were released! It's a small and moderate beginning but I’m just super glad anyone has listened to it and it honestly means the world to me!
Feedback-wise, I’ve had a couple of reviews that have been positive, and I’ve had a few people reach out and comment on the music I’ve created which is awesome. The songs have been added to various playlists and played on various online radio stations etc… too which again is super cool and not something I really expected. Luckily I've not seen any bad reviews but I know there will be people that don't like it. Music, like any art form, is personal and I'm well aware not everyone will like it and I'm ok with that. As long as I'm happy with it and proud of it, that's all that matters! And if anyone else likes it that's a massive bonus!
Are there any particular metal bands or artists that have had a significant impact on your musical journey? If so, who are they and how have they influenced your sound?
I guess growing up, Iron Maiden got me into heavier music, and my love of melodic guitar elements remains so they’re a big one. Similarly, In Flames (especially the old stuff) was a huge influence. They’re heavier and more my thing these days but melody is still a massive part of their music and always has. I was also a huge Metallica, Pantera, and Machine Head fan growing up and I think those thrash and groove influences remain with me too.
Vocally I think I'm akin to Dark Tranquillity or Carcass maybe.
Embers Ignite has been likened to old In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, and Arch Enemy. I was also told it sounded like if Carcass and Entombed had a baby!
Finally, where can listeners find your music and stay updated on your latest releases and news?
All my links can be found here:
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