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Band page - Achren
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| Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - Achren Confirm Debut Album Release | After a triumphant set at this years Metalcamp 2011 and their forthcoming invasion of Wacken Open Air, on Thursday 4th August at 2.15PM on the WET stage, rising Scottish metallers Achren have announced that they plan to release their long-awaited debut album on Thursday the 11th August at the UK's Bloodstock-Open-Air 2011festival, on the night they open the festival.
Entitled 'The Forgotten King' this first full-length release was recorded around their native Scotland, mixed at Drop Hammer Studios in Finland by Matias Helle and mastered at Fascination Street Studios, Sweden by Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Opeth, Bloodbath, Devin Townsend Project).
The Forgotten King can be pre-ordered online now at http://achren.bigcartel.com/ and is available as a download on Amazon from the 11th August 2011.
You can listen to a full streaming track from the album on Soundcloud at : http://soundcloud.com/band-26-4/pestilence-2
Previews of every track can also be heard here.
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| Sunday, May 1, 2011 - Achren Confirm DVD Release Details | Scottish Blood Metallers Achren have released their debut Live Concert DVD entitled 'Impaled at Bloodstock-Open-Air 2010.' Produced in conjunction with UK based Darkbox Films, the DVD features their whole award winning Bloodstock performance from the New Blood Stage at last years festival, band biography, photo galleries and preview recordings of their upcoming debut album.
Previously made available on their March UK tour, the DVD is now available to purchase by clicking here.
The lead promotional track 'Impaled' is available to watch here.
The band play the following Summer European Festival shows :
Metalcamp 2011, Slovenia, 11th-18th July
Wacken-Open-Air, Germany, 3rd-6th August
Bloodstock-Open-Air, UK, 11th-14th August
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Other information
Band Profile
What is your name and your current position in the band?
Scott Anderson - Guitar and vocals
Tell us about the history of the band. More specifically, when was the band formed, how did you meet, and have there been any particular highlights or low points in your career, any crucial events that have taken you where you are today?
Callum and I have known each other since school and have played in bands together since then. Gordon was introduced to us back in 2003 when we were looking for a drummer to put together a new band. The first time we met in the studio, we were all so hung over that we each thought that we played terribly and we didn't think the others could possibly want to continue with the band. After a few weeks, we got into the studio again and it all just clicked.
John didn't join until about 2008, I think. For a long time, we played without bass at all then we did get a bass player, but for one reason or another, that didn't work out. John was someone we all knew from the Glasgow music (and specifically metal) scene. He was working in the local guitar shop, in the metal pub all the time and I don't know how many bands he was in. In fact, I don't really know exactly how John joined Achren. At the time, Achren wasn't doing much after the departure of our last bass player and we went to the pub. John was there and somehow, during the evening, he was in our live lineup for some gigs. After the gigs, there was no question, he fitted right in musically and mentally - he was in the band.
Over the years, we've toured the UK and in Europe and we've done things and seen things that I would have thought only existed in stories and spoof films about bands. We've met some really excellent people, and got into some bizarre situations, all of which I'll always remember. Playing at Bloodstock and being told that we'd be playing at Wacken is a clear highlight to me. I'm still on a high from that.
I also really liked working with Dave Chang on the Blood Soaked Banner single. He's an outstanding producer and a pleasure to work with.
Of low points, I wouldn't call them such - I find all these things really funny and we wouldn't be the band we are unless they happened However, at the time, I do think "how can stuff like this constantly happen?". For example, the album that we've just finished recording has been recorded 3 times, each time all the tracks have been lost due to technical issues. That can only happen to Achren. And I still find it all funny.
Was there ever a time when you wondered if your band would remain just a local outfit and never make it in the industry?
Never. Regardless of what's thrown at us, we'll never stop! Reality just has to cave to relentlessness eventually. Although, on the other hand, I do say that there's no definite criteria for having "made it" - I've seen too many artists and bands rise and fall to take anything for granted.
What is your latest album and why should people buy it?
Our Bloodstock Live DVD and debut (as yet unnamed) album, both due in 2011. These have both been around 8 years in the making - during this time we've gigged a lot, but if you want to see and hear how metal should be and haven't seen us, this is an 8 year first to hear this captured on record and DVD.
How would you categorize the style of the band? And did you ever consider or try playing other styles of music than the one(s) you are playing now?
We play Blood Metal. Mainly because we can't really categorize it into one niche.
Blood Metal could be described as thrashy black metal with death metal and old school metal influences. You really need to listen and make up your description.
What we play is just what comes out when we pick up our instruments: we don't try to be any particular style and I don't think it'd work if we tried.
Can you share with us one or two of your favourite moments with the band?
Looking out over the crowd every time we play, screaming into the mic and hearing them scream right back is one of my recurring favourite moments. There's just such a feeling of energy that you just don't get doing anything else.
For a one off moment, it really has to be walking off the stage at Bloodstock, grabbing a bottle of Buckfast, thinking "did we really just do that?". I looked around at the rest of the band and they were listening to the crowd chanting and thinking the same thing. That was just such a perfect moment - we knew right then that this was it.
How is the writing process in the band?
Usually, Callum or I will write a riff or two and we jam it - we'll each change the other's riffs and Gordon will direct the arrangement. John and Gordon write their own parts as this is going on. We all have a say in what should happen in any given song - if one of us has an idea, we try it and if it sounds good, it stays. Somewhere along the line, I'll get an idea for a lyrical theme and some vocal lines, but the completed vocal line is always finished after we've finished writing the music.
What brought you on the path to becoming a musician? Did you ever consider or take any other paths through life besides music?
When I was at school, I remember wanting to be a drummer for a while; I can't imagine what a disaster that would've been - I can't play drums at all. You never know, though, I might give it a go and learn one day. Then I got my first guitar and the musical world just opened up for me.
I don't know what drew me to music, but I always remember wanting to spend my life doing something with music -for a long time, though, I just didn't see how that could realistically happen. I studied for a few years and have a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology (mainly because I thought it was interesting) and I worked for a bank for a really long time (I hated every second of that job), but through all of that, I was always playing in a band.
Do you have any idols? If yes, who?
I don't have any, and maybe my life is a bit emptier for it. I admire a lot of people, but when you meet folk, you realise that they are just people with all that that entails, regardless of how good they are at something.
If I had to choose one (and this would change from day to day), I'd say Pythagoras. When he lived, he didn't have access to all the modern equipment that we do today, but still managed to define some of the fundamental rules of the geometry and harmonics and even managed to relate them. This man would have thought that an electronic guitar tuner was witchcraft, but his work is still used to determine the placements of frets on guitars to this day.
Do you have any regrets looking back at your career? For example any songs or even full albums that you regret recording? If so, what made you regret it?
Not a single one. If I changed any tiny thing for the better, I might not be where I am today. Many things might be better but, more than likely, there'd be something that I'd miss.
Are there particular songs in your catalogue that the fans love but you're not particular fond of yourself?
That's the beauty of being a mainly live band - we only play songs that we like and we like them better when we get a good audience reaction. From time to time, we'll get bored and drop a few songs from the set. We usually rediscover these a few months later and think "that's a great song, why don't we play that much any more" and throw it in for a few gigs. It's a good way to work because it keeps things fresh and it means that when we do record, all the songs there have earned their places by virtue of being loved by the fans and us.
How important do you rate the lyrical side of your albums?
Our lyrics are very important - generally, I spend a lot of time on them. They have to work musically, first and foremost, but I like to have at least two or three reasons to use each word. I usually build more than one layer of meaning into the lyrics. Knowing that people might not even listen to the words and, if they do, they probably won't pick up on more than the surface imagery really does add to the enjoyment of writing them.
What do you think about the state of the music industry today?
The music industry is in a state of change, to say the least. I think that, on the whole, this is a good thing - there are a lot of great people in the music industry and these folks will always survive because they're fair and good at what they do. It's easier for artists to take control of their music and be heard without being taken advantage of.
What do you think is the best way to fight music piracy?
Make live music a priority again! If live shows had the sense of occasion and importance in people's lives as they used to, piracy would be less of a problem. No one can pirate the experience of being there.
People will always copy music, but people will always pay for music that they genuinely enjoy. All DRM does is annoy the law-abiding legal downloaders. I know people who will buy a legal download, then download a pirated version so that they can listen to the music that they bought in a way that suits them without the restrictions of DRM. Surely this is madness.
Do you have a life philosophy? If yes, what is it?
I do. Regardless of all else, do what fundamentally makes me happy and don't give undue weight to others' opinions. This philosophy can be summed up in three words:
"Fuck it Hard!"
Can you describe a typical day in your life?
Usually, I'll get up between 7am and 10am and wander to the gig that I'm working at on that day (when I'm not doing stuff with Achren, I work as crew for other bands). I'll load the gear in and set up - it's more like hanging around with my mates that actually working. If there's a long time before anything else needs to be done, I might go to the library and read or go home and play guitar. I'll come back for the gig and watch, changing equipment between bands and the like, then break down and load everything back out. Probably finish around midnight, but some big gigs mean I'm up for stupid lengths of time. I'll then head home and play some guitar or just sleep, depending on the time.
What do you like to spend your time with besides music?
I really like to read; I'll get through one or two books a week on average. I'll read anything; I love to know things.
What's the craziest thing that has ever happened on a tour?
I don't know if I could think of a single candidate for the most crazy thing, but possibly the top two would be: Getting a call at the end of a tour from Gordon asking where he is when I last spoke to him 400 miles away after a drink-spiking incident; or having our drum tech arrested and then finding out that we don't have enough fuel to get to the next gig on the tour after picking him up from jail. Afterwards, we found out that he'd stolen his interview tape from the police office. That tape was hilarious listening.
You're heading off to live on a deserted island for a couple of years with your portable entertainment system... Which albums, movies or books would you bring? (Max. 3 of each)
Difficult, indeed! I you were to ask me tomorrow, it'd probably be different, but today:
Books - The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien; Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter and Excession by Iain M Banks.
Movies - A Scanner Darkly, Lucky Number Slevin and π
Albums - Belus by Burzum, City by Strapping Young Lad and Clutch by Clutch
There's so much music that I'd love to take, but those are the ones I listened to today.
What is your favourite joke?
I love awful jokes! At the moment, my favourite is:
What cheese do you use to get a bear out of a tree?
Camembert.
Can you tell us about any future plans for you and your band?
This coming year, we plan to release our first album and DVD, invade a load of festivals in the summer and somehow find time to record a follow up to the album. After that, we'll just have to wait and see what comes into our sights.
Thanks for answering these questions. Now you are free to write a few lines to our readers.
Thanks to all fans of extreme music that support live shows: no metal band would exist if it weren't for all of you!
If you like extreme metal - come see us if you happen to be at one of the festivals we're playing this year. FUCK IT HARD!!!!
Added by Stuart - 1/13/2011
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