Earlier on in the week, I had a chance to talk to a few members of Auras – one of Canada’s most promising up-and-coming progressive metal acts – about what to expect from the band in the future, “djent” and a little bit more. Here’s what Aaron and Josh (guitarists) had to say in response to a few questions:
It’s been about eight months since you released your debut EP, and you last released a single a few months ago. Are you working on a new EP/album now?
Currently, we are focused on writing material for a full length album that we hope to begin recording in the early part of 2014. Writing is always a tedious process for us, so we are trying to work as efficiently as possible in order to meet our goals.
What can fans expect to hear on the new Auras material?
We are definitely attempting to create a very diverse album that incorporates as many of our influences as possible. We refuse to remain stagnant with our song writing, so definitely expect progression.
What is your opinion on “djent”? Do you consider it to be a genre or a guitar tone, or do you consider it to be completely irrelevant label/classification of your (or any other band’s) sound?
To us, the word “djent” is a way to describe or characterize particular aspects of music. It is primarily referring to the guitar tone/sound; however, there are definitely other features of music that can be encompassed by the term “djent”. We honestly don’t take it very seriously, as there are more important issues worth arguing over.
What are your biggest musical influences?
We tend to draw inspiration from bands that are pushing the boundaries of their particular genre(s). Disperse, Ever Forthright and Tesseract are current examples of bands that drive us musically.
Which band has been your absolute favourite to tour with?
We have really only done one legitimate “tour” with the guys in Ever Forthright, and it will be difficult to top how incredible that experience was. We absolutely love those guys.
Which band(s) do you really want to tour with in the future?
There are a ton of incredible acts in our genre that we would love to hit the road with. Our friends in The Afterimage would definitely be on our list, and we have always thought that a tour with Structures would be a great experience also. Both bands are from the same area as us and we would love to represent Canada across the world.
What are three of your favourite albums to come out in 2013 so far, and why?
Our favourite album, hands down, would be Living Mirrors by Disperse. It incorporates so many different styles and really brings something completely new and fresh to the progressive scene. Another great album to come out this year is Tesseract’s Altered State. This album has its own overall sound/feel that we think suits the band perfectly. Finally, the album Singularity by Northlane is a really powerful piece. The combination of great production and songwriting makes this album engaging from beginning to end.
