Ever since the '90s, thanks to bands like At the Gates and Soilwork, the melodic side of the Swedish death metal has had a huge impact in the sound across several heavy music scene. That influence is mostly evident in the guitar riff clinics thrown by the likes of Killswitch Engage, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Unearth.
A recent example of that sonic inspiration can be heard on Now We All Burn, the new EP from The Scattering. "We started out sort of more technical, but over time our sound sort of evolved into a mix of all our individual influences and talents," Jim Williams, the vocalist of the Reno, Nevada-based band, tells me.
"Our influences are all over the place [laughs]. Everything from melodic hardcore, to death metal. We all came up in different parts of the scene so we try to fuse elements of punk, hardcore (mostly '90s), and metal into our own sound. The end result is hard to describe, but feels uniquely us."
The Scattering formed over a decade ago, but as Jim explains, that time was needed for the quintet to finds its footing. "Like most bands, we’ve been through some lineup changes, but we feel like we finally found all the right pieces, and have reached our final form. We have all been part of the Reno scene in one way or another for a very long time, most of our former bands played shows together. It just felt right to join forces and create something new together."
In addition its bountiful collection of mouth-watering guitar riffs, Now We All Burn also benefits from its frenetic song arrangements. "We like to have drastic shifts in tempo and feel. Moving from maybe a speed-picked metal section into a groovy breakdown that’s in a weird time signature. Something to keep people guessing. We like to play right at the edge of our abilities, so it feels like the whole thing could fly off the rails at any minute."
To quote Biohazard, The Scattering's songs on Now We All Burn are a "state of the world address" in many ways. "The EP touches on personal, societal, and political topics such as climate change, queer rights, workers rights/late stage capitalism, personal trauma, etc.
"As a band, we’ve always tried to shine a harsh light on the things we see going wrong in the world around us. On this EP, we tried to tie everything together. The cover art tells the same story as the lyrics. The world is burning down around us and we (the human race) are too easily distracted to solve any of the problems we’re facing."
As I write this, I recently turned 50, Jim's closing thoughts hit home for me, and should also be relatable to a large swath of No Echo's readership. "We’re all older folks in our late 30s to early 50s. The band is something we do because we still love the principles of DIY and hardcore punk, and it’s something we’ve never out grown or wanted to leave behind.
"We all have grown-up jobs, and families, so it’s a hobby more than anything. We all still love playing, and sharing ideas with folks who come to shows, seeing other bands, etc. There’s a cathartic release that is unique to this kind of music, played in dingy DIY venues, that you can’t find anywhere else. We’re not interested in the posturing 'influencer' culture that seems to be more and more common with bands who are trying to 'make it' or whatever. We just want to vent our frustrations to like-minded people, and hear their frustrations vented back at us."
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Now We All Burn is out now across all music streaming services.
The Scattering on social media: Facebook | Instagram
