Interview: The Forgotten Age talk upcoming EP

Welsh metallers The Forgotten Age will self-release their new EP Paradigm on the 29th June 2018.

This forthcoming release has a lot of heart and emotion and between every riff there is a soaring melody. From the heavy yet haunting Faith to the sweet, power ballad-esque Relent, this EP captures what The Forgotten Age are all about; prepare to sing your heart out with some catchy riffs, punchy drums and powerful vocals!

For fans of Killswitch Engage and Bullet From A Valentine, The Forgotten Age have a wide range of influences that helped them write and record ‘Paradigm’. The kind of music your teenage self would want to play to impress their friends, but beyond that, it captures the bands personalities and musical style perfectly.

After playing at an array of festivals in the UK and shows all over England and Wales, The Forgotten Age are ready for the next step and ‘Paradigm’ is definitely one in the right direction. Check out the new single Relent below.

We managed to catch up with The Forgotten Age as they talked about their upcoming EP and more!

So how pumped are you for the release of Paradigm?

We are so excited, and can’t wait to get this EP out. It’s really a compilation of our best, most refined tunes, and we would love for it to be the one that takes us to that next step.

How did you come up with the name for this EP?

We named it after the last track of the EP. As well as having the coolest name, it’s definitely the most complex track on there, but we feel it really fully encompasses our style, how we’ve grown throughout our time together, and it really best reflects the overall feel of the EP.

Can you tell us something about the release no one else knows?

[Mike] While the tracks themselves sound quite refined, the last track “Paradigm” was only completed on the day of the recording. I had to rework the vocals at the last minute, and adapt the lyrics pretty much on the spot, because we couldn’t afford to come back another day. The keys and lead guitar throughout “Faith” I also improvised on the day. Basically, I really ought to be more organised!

What is your favourite track from the EP

[Mike] Personally, it’s going to be “Faith”. It’s so sweet and eerie, but so driving and powerful. It’s always my favourite to sing live, because I can have so much fun with the way I express the song, and the ending always sounds so epic.
[Alex] My favourite song on the EP would have to be “Faith”. The track was heavily influenced by Japanese metalcore, which is something I’ve really gone into over the last few years. Being able to incorporate that style into our own sound has resulted in a unique and a stand out track on the EP.
[Ben] My favourite song would have to be ‘Relent’. I think it perfectly encapsulates what we do as a band and really showcases how far we’ve all come as musicians and songwriters. Plus, it’s a really fun song to try and sing in the car – Emphasis on “try”.

How has the release of Relent gone down with fans so far?

We think it’s gone down pretty well so far. People seem to dig the subtlety, even though it’s still heavy, it’s not so in-your-face, and it seems to draw quite a wide range of tastes, which is exactly what we were hoping for.
If you could work with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
[Mike] I’d love to work with Sharon Den Adel, singer from “Within Temptation”. She has such a great voice, and I love the storytelling aspect in their songs. I think we could write something really unique, and inspirational. Plus my Mum would be really, really jealous.

What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?

[Mike] Outside of the band, I spend most of my free time gaming. I love RPGs, strategy games and skill games. High challenge, lore-rich worlds, great soundtracks and immersive storylines will keep me going on a game for a very long time.

[Alex] Outside of writing music, I’d say my biggest hobby is gaming. I particularly enjoy playing open world RPGs.

[Ben] When I’m not writing music, I tend to binge watch Netflix and different anime series.

What was the first ever gig you went to?

[Mike] My first ever gig was Linkin Park, on their Hybrid Theory tour when I was 10. We were in the stalls obviously, I was tiny as a kid, but I remember how great the atmosphere was, just singing our lungs out to one of the most defining bands of my generation. Chester’s death was such a huge loss to the metal scene, and it just makes my memories of that first gig even more special.

[Alex] My first show was 30 second to mars in 2009. It was an amazing show with great aesthetics and presentation. The only downside was I was watching in the seated area, which I’ve never done since. The First show where I was stood was Bullet for my Valentine, in 2010, in the MEN arena. To this day it’s still the best show I’ve seen live.

[Ben]My first live band experience was seeing “The Automatic”, in a room of about 30 people. This was just after they released their single “Monster”. Was a really small venue, but it was a great first gig for a kid.