Source: PR
We caught up with rock/drum’n’bass quintet The Qemists around the time their UK tour with Crossfaith and The One Hundred to see what they’ve been up to since they released their last album Spirit In The System, why their genre-bending music appeals to both metalheads and bassheads alike, and to learn more about the concept behind their new album, Warrior Sound. Here’s what they had to say!
MOSH: So guys, it’s been six years since you released your last album, ‘Spirit In The System’. What have you been up to during this time?
The Qemists: Well, some could have mistaken our absence for obsoletion, but the truth is we’ve been touring, producing and planning for world domination. In that time we’ve also seen label changes, we’ve teamed up with 7pm management, Olly joined the band and we completed Warrior Sound as a fully functional family.
MOSH: Describe a Qemists show in three words!
TQ: FAST, FLASHY, FURIOUS!
MOSH: Your third album Warrior Sound is more rock influenced than your previous albums and sees you moving into a heavier direction. What was the writing process like with this album compared to your previous records?
TQ: We wrote a lot of tracks in the years between Spirit in the System and Warrior Sound and we took time to explore what we wanted to create in W.S. This evolved into more use of guitar than our other albums – we really wanted this one to growl. Plus writing a lot with Olly’s vocal really helped us create the heaviness that we were looking for. There was more of what I’d actually call ‘song writing’ done for Warrior Sound, we were looking for choruses this time around as much as we were drops.
MOSH: This is the first album with Bruno and Olly on vocals, do you feel that having them has brought a new sense of solidarity to the band?
TQ: Totally. Olly and Bruno featuring heavily on Warrior Sound and obviously both fronting the live show, has really cemented the sound we’ve wanted to achieve with the band. We’ve achieved a continuity that’s firing on all cylinders.
MOSH: Olly, you joined The Qemists after being in metal band Collisions. How does being in The Qemists compare, both in terms of live shows and the songwriting process?
Olly: I’ve found myself at home very quickly in camp Q. Obviously in terms of concept, blurring electro and rock, The Qemists is right in the same vein. I guess it’s the difference between being a cog in a well-oiled machine, as opposed to being the organ-grinder.
MOSH: You’ve collaborated with a load of vocalists over the years, including Mike Patton, Jenna G and more recently, Kenta Koie. Are there any other artists you’d love to collab with in the future?
TQ: Between us all there’s plenty of people we’d love to collab with, we have a couple of new tracks started with other producers right now, but when it comes to vocalists, one name always comes up when we’re asked this question – Zack De La Rocha from Rage Against The Machine. Think that’d make for a pretty cool track!
MOSH: Is there a concept or theme you had in mind when writing the album?
TQ: Warrior Sound was the feeling, it was the energy, and it was the vibration during creation. One of the early tracks that we had completed was in fact the title track, so the title had kind of created itself before we’d even really started thinking about it. The vocals we used in that song represented not only how we felt about certain topics, but how a majority of people feel around the world, so it embodied the direction we were going in from the beginning. As well as having a lyrically, socially conscious narrative meant to inspire thought, this album is at the same time meant to offer the listener an opportunity to unwind and enjoy themselves.
MOSH: You’ve toured with the likes of Korn, Enter Shikari and Skindred. What do you think it is about your music that particularly appeals to both rock/metal crowds and drum’n’bass fans?
TQ: I think obviously our music offers the listener something from both worlds, which is something that has been demonstrated through the range of different types of shows we play. I think as a whole, the music scene has evolved in as much as that you find a mashup of genres is not as taboo as it once was, people are a little more open to change which is great. We’ve seen success in both worlds which is something we really do appreciate.
MOSH: You’re heading out on tour with Crossfaith and The One Hundred – have you got anything special planned for the shows? Any chance of a Qemists/Crossfaith collab on stage?
TQ: We’re literally driving to meet those guys for our first night in Leeds tomorrow while we type, can’t wait to get into the tour. We had Rou from Enter Shikari join us on stage in Barcelona last night to play ‘Take it Back’, and I’m sure there’ll be a ‘special guest’ appearance on our set one night while we’re out with Crossfaith, but who can say when…!
MOSH: What’s next for The Qemists?
TQ: We’re really looking forward to head to Japan in April for our first headline shows over there, then we get into summer festivals, so basically: loads of shows! Plus we have a couple of tasty new collabs that we’ve started, so there’s plenty to keep us out of trouble…
If you haven’t done so already (you’re really cheating yourself it you haven’t), catch The Qemists on tour with Crossfaith and The One Hundred by grabbing some last minute tickets right here!
