Interview With Beyond The Red Horizon
First off, what’s with the name? Why are you all charging past the horizon? Or are we, the audience, supposed to be peering past that wild red something?
The name has different connotations to each member of the band, and I also think it’s hard for our audience to pinpoint us for several reasons that have to do with that idea. We’re not a band that all stand for the same things. Our lyrics, name, influences and music are all a conglomerate of the individual thoughts and beliefs of each member, so when someone reads our lyrics and hears our music, well, sometimes they just come away confused, like “What are these guys about?” If someone asked me personally what came to mind when I heard the name “ Beyond The Red Horizon,” I would think of the physical limitations of the world we live in. What’s beyond the red horizon? Something greater than ourselves, something unexplainable, something vast; something that can’t be spelled out in human terms.
What are Beyond The Red Horizon’s goals? What are you guys all about?
Our goals are to keep on creating proggy catchy tunes that try to push our musical abilities and expands people’s preconceived expectations and stereotypes. As long as we can keep doing this, pushing ourselves to become better musicians with each composition/release we create, we will continue Beyond The Red Horizon. And Perhaps one day it will pay off and pull in some serious label interest.
Who would you say your biggest influences are?
We hate naming influences because it really can pigeonhole you as an artist, and we don’t want to be in the shadow of our idols forever. Suffice it to say that anyone pushing the envelope in terms of speed, time/tempo changes, introspective, ideas, and a knack for at least attempting an original sound and progression over various releases is what we’re into. I would say listen to our songs and draw your own conclusions…if you can, haha!
It’s just a huge amount of artists from nearly every genre imaginable; however, our music is influenced as much or more by sources other than bands. If you read a lot of our lyrics, we’re a band that asks big questions about life, death, energy, good and evil, etc.
Space, Philosophy,Thoughts,Inner Struggles,Cryonics,Alienation,Religion, …once again I am delving into our lyrical topics, so I digress, but you get the picture. Personally, along with the aforementioned topics,
Where was that picture on your Metal Archives profile taken? It’s driving me nuts since it looks so familiar…
I actually don’t know haha! I wasn’t in the band at that time. That was the original lineup of Sky (Guitar & Vocals), Vlad (Guitar), Peter (Bass) and John (Drums) that lasted from 2006 to 2008. I think it might be under the St. Johns Bridge, but I could be wrong about that. I think the band has a knack for bridges though, our new promo pics were taken under the Fremont Bridge, but it’s Portland, the bridges are hard to avoid!
With the constant line-up changes, was it hard to discover your core sound? Or was it easier with fresh perspectives? Did it evolve over time or was it set from the get-go?
Our core sound has definitely evolved, Listening back to the 2008 self titled- Demo and the stuff we’re diving into now is like night and day…. and we are all about that lol, but some of it was purely by accident BECAUSE of the lineup changes. Personel changes was the band’s biggest set back from the get go due to the lack of dedication and creative differences. However, every single musician brought something of their own to the mix, which obviously complemented the sound at that particular time Like for every other artist, change is a very natural and sometimes an unavoidable part of their journey so it is true for us.
After the the departure of Corey(Vocals) and Marco(Bass) after the Observance E.P It was very hard to find replacements who are capable of playing this music around Portland, and we were fortunate enought to have good friends fill in for a number of occasions, so before Nathan and Matt entered the picture, Vlad and I felt optimistic enought and kept it going and wrote and arranged the better part of our new material. Between July of 09′ and January of this year we had a lot of time for experimentation with various themes/ideas and we promise it will show!!!!!!!
Where was your 2009 EP, “Observance” recorded?
We recorded that at Robotsatemystudio May-June of last year, with Dan McCall, he is the bassist in a Portland band called A Hope For Home. I think they’re on Facedown records.
You guys seem to be getting around Portland pretty well. Where would you say your favorite place to perform is at?
Yeah, we really have been playing out a lot. Portland has been good to us really… I would say as a whole it’s probably the Hawthorne, the sound on stage there is just phenomenal and the crowd is always receptive. We have played quite a few exceptional gigs in ’09 with Psyopus and later Moonspell Devine Heresy which helped us greatlly with exposure.
One which sticks the most is Playing out with Dark Tranquillity in May, and scoring a KUFO interview and a great response.
Do you guys plan on releasing a full length album any time soon?
We are holding off on a full lenght due to time/budget constrains. However we have a five track independent release in the works in a pre-production stage with some of our strongest material yet.
In speaking of…we are very proud of the new material and the guys with whom we are working right now. It will definitely be a huge leap for us musically, we hope it will speak to a lot of people and raise a few eyebrows.
Tracking Listing For the TBA E.P
The Mythic Image
Walking In The Starlight
Infinity At Our Hands
Storms Within
Into The Cosmic Realms
Is there anything you would like to add for the E-MetalSpace & Funeral Rain audiences?
Thanks for the interview, and thanks to anyone who reads this and comes out to a show or checks out our music.
I was unaware of any creative differences in the old lineup. More just like everyone went their own way and shit happens. The band is better for it now no doubt, but for someone who wasn’t there to say there were dedication and creative differences when he doesn’t really know what hes talking about is a little douchy. If Vlad wants to say that, its a little different. I for one can say that no matter what anyone thinks, I gave up SO much for this band just to be ditched (albiet for someone much better) when other people quit. So as long as my reputation doesn’t get mixed into the whole “dedication and creative differences” thing I guess I’m cool. Beyond the Red Horizon is, WAS (faster doesn’t always mean better), and probably always will be an awesome band!
Well, I can’t say anything about the ‘creative differences’ because I never had a thing to do with this interview, but I CAN say thanks for joining up and putting in your two cents. As the guy who owns this site, it’s great to have people stop in and talk, even if it is to make a… uh… correction. :)
I hope you’re liking what Funeral Rain is bringing to you.