Band: Predecessor
From: El Paso, Texas
Their formation story:
(Amorette, vocals): "We are very fortunate to be friends before anything. Sergio (drummer) and I started out booking shows under the moniker 'No Push Mosh' but we always talked about starting a band because we have very similar taste in music. I met Victor (bassist) through booking shows. He came out to every one of them to take pictures and became a household name very quickly. His photos have been used on album covers, Spotify media, and more. Victor is the official/unofficial photographer for El Paso and other surrounding areas.
"Some time passed and my partner ended up with drum shells and soon as Sergio saw them, the rest was history. Sergio, Vic, and I worked quickly to start writing, reworking some old songs from past projects to use for Predecessor. We added Julian as our guitarist, someone pretty new to the hardcore community but dove head first into our music/scene and Sergio's brother, Angel, as our second guitarist.
"We are very lucky to have started when we did, we share a studio/jam space with other hc bands as well as our producer, Hector of True Fury Audio who records almost all heavier bands in El Paso. Our story is truly one of amazing friendships and a deep love and passion for community that turned into a band that was already years in the making into a reality."
Their sound in their own words:
"I truly believe Pred is a mix of all our influences. We are fans of dark, alternative music like the Sundays or Cocteau Twins, power violence and fastcore like Mind Eraser and Siege but the root of our sound is hardcore punk. Bands like Lower Species, Soul Swallower, the Rival Mob, and Punch formed our base but gloomier heavy bands like Soul Swallower and DGR Ohio bands like Rabbit and En Love helped us find our footing.
"We wanted to have roots in OG hardcore with dark lyrics, imagery with a positive undertone. Fun fact: there are no cuss words in any of our songs. As a vocalist, I want to challenge myself to write songs that are aggressive but have depth, showcasing my love for literature and language. The first time people grabbed the mic for our self titled song, I knew I found something special in writing in the style. There is power in our words."
Latest release info:
"Divine Punishment is our first EP was self-released late last year. Angel, the second guitarist and producer, recorded bass, guitars and drums in less than 48 hours. My vocals were recorded and mastered with Hector at True Fury (our studiomate and new producer). It's a record about self impowerment and finding comfort in anger. It's riddled with religious references, nods to books, movies and poems.
"I wanted to use a title that felt reminiscent of other hardcore albums and EPs that describe themselves has 'demolishing, crushing or punishing' but in a more omnious way. Tying it together with religious iconography and text, 'Divine Punishment' was the best way I could describe the album as a whole.
"On first listen, you will notice it is heavily bass driven. We wanted to stay loyal to our punk roots by having bass be in the forefront of the mix. Sergio's drumming style is unique and diverse. He will change tempos and techniques, giving us our hardcore punk meets power violence sound. Julian's haunting ambiance and aggressive tone really added to the overall sound we are dying to go for.
"Both Julian and Angel are very experienced musicians. Angel being a producer, working in the audio industry and Julian, at only 23, is already part a multiple bands/projects. Leading the way in the shoegaze, indie scene in El Paso."
Future plans:
"We are busy bees! We did our first Texas run with our good friends in Barbarian in December and since then, we've kept our creative juices flowing. We are currently finishing writing and start pre-production on our new EP, The First Communion, that will be produced by True Fury Audio.
"We have a few shows in our sister city ABQ, we're opening for GAG and Haywire in April and June and we are going on a run with our homies in FLU from Dallas, Texas. We're hoping to complete the album in time to do a triple release show with Barbarian and Maldito Dios."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Please check out West Txase/ABQ hardcore bands. We get so overlooked because we are not a big city and we're far from the rest of Texas. Bands like Rotten Disgust, Sabrewulf, BarbarianTX from El Paso. Flu, and Dysmorphia from Dallas. From ABQ: Mishap, Nowehji, Price of Life, GunGame. False Front and Worst Behavior from RGV.
"We have been working really hard to build a connection from the west to the other parts of Texas so we'd love to see our homies get the recognition they deserve."
Predecessor on social media: Instagram
Tagged: predecessor
