"The TV show Forged in Fire, Doug Marcaida specifically, anything with a sick ass riff," answers Wielded Steel drummer Cyrus Patel when No Echo asks how they would describe their sound. Vocalist Jesse Clark keeps it simpler: "Big dumb dickhead metalcore."
The Alabama band is chatting with No Echo as they just dropped a 3-song EP, Wielded Steel II. "I've done a lot of bands in the past, but it had been a really long time since my last one," Cyrus explains. "After a 4-year break, I felt the need to create again, but it was difficult to find someone who could write. So I took my own stab at it.
"I stumbled my way through demoing out a ton of material, scrapped a ton of songs, and eventually landed on our self-titled EP that we released in May. I reached out to the other members of the band, who have all been involved in other bands in the past, and we have all grown up and grown as musicians around each other. Wielded Steel consists of Jesse Clark (vocals), Elliot McCoy (guitar), Michael Carpenter (guitar), Jesse Williams (bass), and me on drums."
"I was really excited to write for these songs as they came together," vocalist Jesse tells No Echo. "Hearing them at practice and in demos from the early stages I knew these were gonna be insane. 'Prayer' was the first song we fleshed out from this EP and I wrote the lyrics about some feelings I deal with concerning my gender identity and my physical appearance.
"'Face the Wall' is just in that vein of classic talking shit hardcore songs where you’re just describing a type of person you hate and want to fight which is always fun to write. 'Choke' sounds like it’s a song about calling someone out but it’s actually just me talking to myself the whole time. Kind of focusing on the idea of having to fight yourself to get past your own stupid bullshit and be a good person and live a healthy life. I think the songs are fucking dope and I’m proud of my bandmates and I for writing these sick ass songs."
Wielded Steel recently teamed up with fellow Alabama bruisers No Cure for a split EP that No Echo readers should already know about. Prior to that, the group dropped their self-titled debut EP, and Cyrus wants to share some thoughts on one of its tracks. "Wielded Steel is anti-circumcision. Circumcision is an outdated practice, an ancient religious ritual, performed before a child is old enough to consent to it.
"The song 'Mutilation Doctrine' off of our self-titled EP from earlier this year is about how much I despise the act. The act of circumcision is done without anesthesia, kills nerve endings, and promotes rape due to the lack of pain from the foreskin being pulled back with no lubrication."
Cyrus and Jesse also want to make sure we shine a spotlight on their music community. "The music scene in Birmingham is absolutely thriving right now. Weekday shows have been selling out. Kids are seeing their first heavy shows, and then going out and making their own bands in less than a month's time.
"Shoutout to The Firehouse, The Hatch, and LCY Media. The bands/artists below have all been crushing it in our local scene: Apprehend, Snake Church, Joyboy, No Cure, Faulen, Gutter, Fauxdeep, Dogg, Mood Room, Smart Patrol, Mighty Menace, Selim Sivad, Scabpicker, Defense Wound, Forced Neglect, Writhing Shadows, Trooper, Stevo Blaque, Breuin, Griff, Jasen, Bicycle Day, Li Heat, Carlisle Jones, Iron Law, Bluhd."
Wielded Steel on social media: Instagram | Bandcamp
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