Blood Red Renaissance
Genre:Experimental, Metal, Rock
The cop cracked his knuckles and warily sat down on one side of the scarred interview table. Watching the huddled figure opposite with a careful eye, he threw a battered packet of cigarettes into its line of sight and folded his arms as the suspect slowly retrieved one and lit it. The man’s bleary eyes found their way to those of the interrogator and waited with the patience of one who is well used to the slow death of hope.
“Tell me how you got into this mess,” the cop eventually said, and the man took a deep breath, time-travelling within his own mind.
“We started the band in 2005,” he began, blowing smoke at the ceiling. “Blood Red Renaissance, we called it. There were four of us back then: Paul Hutchinson, Owen Gillett, Tom Kilsby, Matthew R. Davis. The idea was to blend everything we loved about art, and music in particular, into one potent brew. Loosely speaking, we were a heavy rock band, although to say that was all we were is selling us short – collectively, we were inspired by so many things: heavy metal, goth, punk, hip hop, ambient, industrial, electronica, soundtracks, experimental, pop… not to mention movies, books, comics, and all types of visual art. We got out there, started playing gigs, anything we could to get some legs under us. In 2006, we released two singles on our own tinpot label, idiotsavantgarde. The next year, we dropped our first record, Champagne Tragedy – which, musically speaking, covered more ground than rubbish in a Maccas car park.”
“Heard people were comparing you to lots of other acts,” offered the cop. “Faith No More. Karnivool. Mr. Bungle… sometimes even Deftones, Ministry, The Cure… maybe you were trying to do too much.”
“Some might say,” shrugged the man, unconcerned. “We got some glowing reviews, did our first interstate shows. While we were writing our second album, we were approached by a few people who wanted our music on stunt DVDs and in local horror films. Then we put out the second chapter, Crimson Deluxe. Cue more promo singles, a fifth member called Ben Ewens, another interstate tour. People were digging it. The music was heavier, less wildly diverse, but still enough to confuse people. Especially Germans.”
“Then what?”
“Then Tom and Ben left.” The man smiled bitterly and drew upon his cigarette. “After that, we had another new guy, Larry Ash, and then Tom came back. We wrote some more songs, laid plans to get ourselves noticed by the world at large. Then Hutchie had to step aside, and we got another new guy, Peter Sears. We decided we were going to release an EP in mid-2012, then a third album in 2013...”
“And now here you are. Up to your neck in it. Anything else to say?”
The man shrugged. “Words don’t do justice to actions. You have to listen. It’s all about the music, man…”
The cop watched him a moment longer, then shook his head and stood up. There was nothing else to be learned here; the man was offering nothing he didn’t already know. Any insight into his outrageous crimes against good music would be fleeting. This guy would burn along with his comrades, and good riddance.
With a sneer of disgust, Officer Sandilands of the AutoTune Enforcement Authority lined up the Top 40 countdown playlist on his iPod and left the room.
"Forceful, moving, more than a little offbeat, and quite catchy as well, Crimson Deluxe is an excellent album."
- James Brazel, dB Magazine
Thursday September 3 Free Tooheys UncharTED showcase @ Enigma Bar, Hindley Street with Erosion + Kremator
