A majority of hardcore bands tend to have a fairly short life span. There will always be the Terror's and Converge's that feel as though they’ve been around forever and aren’t going anywhere, but sadly this isn’t the case for most. The average amount of time most bands in this subgenre stick around is approximately five years. Breaking that tradition and coming back stronger than ever are Welsh outfit Brutality Will Prevail who, like the aforementioned, are starting to feel as though they’ve been around forever, and long may they continue.
Cast your minds back to last November when Brutality Will Prevail started posting teaser images from their music video for, ‘Forever Restless’, which finally saw the light of day on December 30th, giving everyone something to celebrate whilst ushering in the new year. The track received a lot of attention online and got people talking once again as it was the first sign of activity from the band for some time.
The band had taken a bit of an unplanned hiatus after touring ‘Suspension of Consciousness’ due to some line-up changes before they could begin writing again. “To be honest nothing was really planned. The boys toured Suspension hard and then planned on writing. Just the usual real life stuff and member changes slowed that down to a halt, so it’s cool to be doing it again. A couple of us have been in bands together since we were fourteen so it all just came back to us like it never stopped.”
Three years on since the release of ‘Suspension of Consciousness’ BWP appear have grown together and levelled out after the turbulence of member changes and a busy tour schedules. With the release of ‘In Dark Places’ on the horizon it’s clear that the band are proud of their new record, have a new found confidence and really believe in what they’re doing.
“Louis joined right when the band was still pretty busy and was basically thrown in at the deep end. I think he tried a lot of new things on ‘Suspension..’ and this time round he’s focused in on what his sound is and to me it’s the hardest hitting he’s ever sounded with any band. Obviously you always have people being negative about it and bringing up previous line ups but that’s always going to be there. We stand by this record and if you don’t then that’s your problem.”
Having completed the writing and recording processes of their fifth studio album ‘In Dark Places’ almost a year ago, BWP express how excited they are to finally be able to place something they’ve worked so hard on into the hands of their fans. “By the time it’s released it will have been a year since we started the recording, so we’ve gone over everything so much that we are all 100% behind the record. I know everyone says this but it’s our best record without question.” claims their drummer, Marc Richards. “Me and Nick basically wrote the records people seem to associate this band with so if you’re looking for that ‘Root of All Evil’, ‘Scatter the Ashes’ and ‘Sleep Paralysis’ sound, it’s this.”
‘In Dark Places’ doesn’t simply return to the sound of their earlier material, it steps things up a great deal. The album is not only more aggressive than ever before in both general tone and vocally, but it also has a strong ‘no bullshit’ attitude to it. “I think it’s basically down to the fact that it’s back to the writing process that was in our earlier stuff and we still hold the same motives when we write. Me and Nick just jammed together loads and plugged away until we thought it was spot on.” Marc explains. “There wasn’t really any pressure to write so we scrapped cut and altered a tonne. Louis worked hard on this record and we all pushed each other to the point of almost hating one another, but I think the final product speaks for itself and shows the best intentions there.”
With each album release, one of the most notable changes for Brutality Will prevail visually is their use of artwork and iconography, especially in the recent ‘Forever Restless’ and ‘Penitence’ videos. “We wanted something to reflect the sound of the record as well as the lyrics. Louis has put a lot of dark stuff into this record and it seems both personal and broad. It definitely fits the overall theme of the record and I think it’s important to match both imagery and sound.”
For the release of the new album, BWP have once again teamed up with the independent UK label Holy Roar Records. “They’ve hooked us up in the past and it just seemed like the obvious label to speak to when we felt like we were ready to approach one. We’re happy with everything so far and can’t wait to get the ball rolling.” While both Holy Roar and BWP have their roots firmly embedded in the UK hardcore scene, both have progressed over time and broadened their horizons.
Despite changes in their affiliated music scenes, the influences and aims for the band have remained very much the same. “We’ve always had a wide variety of influences. I still listen to bands like Rise and Fall and Shipwreck A.D as much now as I did when we first started. I wouldn’t say we really even have ultimate goals. We just want to write stuff we are proud of, have fun and get out of work for a few weeks here and there.”
As Brutality Will Prevail have adopted a more metallic sound over time they explain as to why the change was necessary in order to survive. “It’s weird because we’ve always had the same approach. We’ve never set out to be a metal band or to be a straight up hardcore band either. We have always just done our own thing and then taken whatever opportunities have been given to us. I think all bands need to be more open minded and try all sorts of shows. I mean we’ve toured with bands like Terror and Harms Way as well as bands like Basement and Astroid Boys. Being narrow minded will burn you out quicker. I’m not gonna be one of those people who says that ‘back in my day…’ but it has changed. Some things for better and some for worse, but to me there are still so many good bands out there and that’s what really matters.”
‘In Dark Places’ is set for release on 24th March and currently available to pre-order now via Holy Roar Records.