Although a very new band on the scene, Ennis metallers Neverfade are already making quite an impression. The band have already recorded their first track, have several more in production and have played in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Not bad for a band that are in existing a matter of a few short months! We caught up with guitarist Rob Fitzpatrick to find out what the future holds for Neverfade.

IMF: Tell us a bit about how Neverfade came to be and talk about what each members role in the band.

Rob: Ok well It started off with Me and Nathan (our drummer) who I have been in previous bands with and we got talkin about starting a new band but mainly focusing on writing our own material and few covers. We were discussing this down at our local skatepark where Vito (bassist) said he would be happy to join the band too as he has similar influences to us. Then I got in contact with Oisin (guitarist) and asked him to join. At the time I was gettin lessons from my guitar teacher Graham Keane and Oisin had told me he was gonna get lessons off him too, I saw this as a good opportunity to recruit him at the time. At that time it was difficult to find a vocalist because there’s not alot of em in this town and we even had the idea that I should do vocals but I was sceptic about it so we tried out a few people but they weren’t very commiting to the band. Eventually around December we got Martin Benson (ex- Dyanide/Carnyx singer) and he fitted in really well. Since then we’ve had a solid line up.

IMF: Where does the band draw its inspiration from? Is there a fixed ideal as with regard to the direction the band are going musically or is it open to experimentation?

Rob: We like to experiment. We all have our own influences but it doesnt effect our style. My influences would mainly consist of melodic death metal and metalcore and bands such as Unearth,Trivium,Killswitch Engage and In Flames but I listen to various other genres too. Nathan and Martin are into heavier kinda stuff like Bring Me The Horizon but we share similiar interests. Vito is into the likes of Slipknot and System Of a Down. Oisin is a huge fan of Thrash metal. All in all, our influences mainly focus around Metal, and thats what we aim to be… a metal band.

IMF: Your first recording “What’s Left Of Me” is gathering alot of interest, tell us about the recording process and where you see newer material heading?

Rob: The recording process took some time but in the end we were pleased with the outcome. I asked my guitar teacher Graham to record for us and he helped us out. Eventually we recorded at his house over a process of several weeks. As for newer material…Each track will have its own uniqueness…if thats the right word to describe it… I dont want any of our tracks sounding similar to one another but I still want it noticeable to the listener.

IMF: Although a relatively new band, you guys have covered a few miles, tell us about your live show. How have gigs been going and how has the reception been to NeverFade?

Rob: When we first started off nobody liked us because of our image and who we were. People thought we were a joke at first. These were the same people from other bands who we ended up sharing the stage with. But we were like: “Fuck it we got nothing to lose, Lets show em what we got!” and every gig we played at we gave 100%. We have had 4 gigs so far and they honestly weren’t the best. Our first gig was in Limerick at Riddlers Bar and we were nervous but we didnt let it get to us…we only fucked up one song haha! Second gig was in Dublin and we spent alot of money on transport only to play in front of less than 15 people! That really sucked cuz when we were there all the bands had there own fans and it was bullshit because after the bands had played and left, the crowd went with them so by the time we went on stage there wasnt many people. But we didnt care cuz we were there to play and thats what we did. Our third gig was in Ennis youth centre and that was alright, no slip ups. Our Fourth was in Eire Og bar in Ennis. That was probably the most un-enjoyable gig that we have had so far. We weren’t even given a sound check! We were first on stage and we were only allowed 5 songs. See we’re a fast band. Onstage we dont mess around with tunings or any of that so we can go straight from one song to the next without any trouble. So we blazed through 5 songs in 20 minutes. Where as other bands were given longer sets. We released our first track “What’s Left Of Me” aswell at that gig and people enjoyed it so I guess that was the only good thing to come out of it.

IMF: Who is the main songwriter in the band? What is the creative process like? Is it a “jam” situation where you all contribute ideas or is it more of a solo writer situation?

Rob: I’m the main songwriter in the band. The creative process… well I usually come up with the riffs and stuff I want to use for the original at home and then I show it the lads at band practice. They let me know if it works or not. I usually get help from the others when I’m putting the song together so they know what to expect. I always ask the guys if they want to contribute anything like bass,drum or guitar solos so they dont feel left out.

IMF: Whats on the horizon for Neverfade? Where can people catch you live?

Rob: We have begun recording on our 2nd original “Dark Hour” and we are hoping to have it finished before our tour with Leviathan which is coming up at the end of June (hopefully). Details of the tour will be posted on our band page http://www.bebo.com/Nevrfade. We also have plans to release an EP at the end of year or the start of next year so we shall see how that goes. We are still deciding whether on getting Poseidon Productions (same guys who gave us the gig in Eire Og) to help us organise it or not.

IMF: Finally…any last words, plugs…things you need to get off your chest?

Rob: Thanks for the interview IMF! And thanks to our fans and those who have supported us. We do it all for you guys! Anybody interested in our band then just check us out and let us know what ye think.

Cheers.

IMF: Many thanks to Rob for taking the time out the answer our queries.

I highly suggest checking out Neverfade either live or at their Bebo page….http://www.bebo.com/NevrFade

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Content contributed by the Irish Metal Fansite of bebo
http://www.bebo.com/Masvidal

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.