This four piece from Calgary are fairly easily classed as 'hardcore', but what I really love is the random sort of 'talky singing' between the screaming. Formed in 2001 by vocalist Steve Moore, we've got Scott Taylor on guitar, Bryan Sandau behind the kit and Jim Fernandes on bass rounding out the line up. A line from their bio worth repeating, 'As opposed to conforming to the 'meathead' mentality of heavy metal and hard rock, Inner Surge's energy is focused on breaking those stereotypes down, and pushing boundaries, both lyrically and musically.'
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Steve
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Inner Surge has hooked up with Cyclone Records to release 2006's Signals Screaming, and are on the Cyclone comp Storm Warning: Sampler Vol. I. Steve and I did an email interview in mid-April.
The songwriting for this release started long before the rest of it came together, Steve was penning lyrics in 2003 with basic themes in mind, but things started coming to life after a little reading, (I Refuse to Die by Koigi Wa Wamwere, Shame by Talisma Nasrin and No Logo by Naomi Klein). Explains Steve, 'These and others had their impact on the feel of the album and gave it more potency. The music was natural, but we always strive to break our own rules. Jamming all the time is good but you usually end up with similar results that way. So, for songs like When the Door Locks we took a strict no melody approach while it's sister song Wolves is very rich and melodic. The lyrics are edited to work with the drum and guitar arrangements. The bass parts were added on later and built on by Jim Fernandes, who has a jazz sort of style. We're very happy with how it came out.'
The disc was recorded at Echo Base Studios in Calgary with Casey Lewis. It was spread over three sessions late last year, Steve on working with Casey, 'He did an excellent job and worked with us almost as a 5th member to get the best result possible.' Around the time they started recording, Cyclone Records approached the band and the hookup was made. 'Brad Trew was always very straight forward and prompt in getting us any information we needed, so we decided to jump on board and start promoting this album together. We're trying to promote the Cyclone Records name as much as possible,' says Steve on the link.
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Jim
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Bryan
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Joining forces with Cyclone is a move that makes sense for a band that has such a passionate and independent spirit, 'It's very important because you could be putting your full energy into something,' notes Mike, 'and if you're not watching closely how it is being promoted, you could come across ineffectively due to misrepresentation.'
'We have some aggressive imagery and lyrics, but there is a point to all of it and we choose carefully. Artist Shaun Friesen did the album artwork and it turned out exactly how we wanted it. As for press, you have to be honest and wait for the slant to come. Some people can only box things into left or right idealogies, but we're talking about something different, so the best thing you can do is be honest with everything and hope it comes across.'
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Mike on Cyclone Records
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'Brad Trew was always very straight forward and prompt in getting us any information we needed, so we decided to jump on board and start promoting this album together.'
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The guys have found themselves doing a whole lot of press these days. After pieces in FFWD Weekly Magazine, Beatroute Magazine, the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun, they launched their CD to a really good turn out in Calgary. 'It takes a lot to get people to shows though. People want to be part of something big. That's also why it's difficult to get activist networks going,' laments Steve. 'People seem to want to jump on board something that is making waves. Now I feel like we're gaining momentum and starting to get a lot of articles and support and people are starting to ask 'Who are these guys?' That's what we want.'
They're also being featured in the book the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (Garry Sharpe-Young). When I asked Steve about how this happened, he's not sure himself, 'Your guess is as good as mine!' he says. He was notified by email and thrilled to be a part of it. 'He was trying to take a comprehensive look at the keys players in the metal/rock/metalcore scene mainly across North America, and there are a lot of great bands in the book that we're fans of such as Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon and Lamb of God.'
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Scott
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Video Shoot for Retribution Song
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Getting their videos for songs Retribution Song and Flames in Synergy some airplay is part of the promo plans for getting Signals Screaming more exposure. Both of these videos were done by horror flick Cabras director Fredy Polania (Polania Pictures). We're talking about four hard working guys that put out quality tunes, why shouldn't they get airplay? 'As long as people request us instead of, say, the Black Eyed Peas,' says Steven, 'hopefully they will play it and we're excited about it getting heard. Also, travel plans are in the works, so hopefully we will be playing in your area very soon. We're going to do everything we possibly can to push this thing we call Inner Surge.'
The hookup with Fredy Polania, and being on the soundtrack to his feature Cabras, actually happened through MySpace. Explains Steve, 'He really took a liking to Retribution Song and ended up wanting to have us as the only Canadian band on the Cabras soundtrack. We're excited for the soundtrack and movie to drop in 2007.'
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The Flames in Synergy video is still on the way, though the video for Retribution Song has already been shot. It was done over a few days in March of this year througout Calgary. Live performance shots were done at The Warehouse/Underground. 'It was the hardest work we've ever done, but the experience was amazing,' says Steve. 'I think the videos will show that, and I can tell you this is not going to be the typical rock video you see coming from Canadian bands these days. We're putting something across and we're going to do anything we can to get this played, because once people connect with it, it's going to spread very fast.'
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The Playlist
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Steve's Playlist
1. Sepultura - Convicted in Life
2. Katatonia - Leaders
3. Dillinger Escape Plan - Panasonic Youth
4. Refused - New Noise
5. Dead Prez - Walk like a Warrior
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