I Give You Firax

Well it was a great month with some awesome new music. We had a massive variety from pop to hip hop, from country to thrash. It really does reassure us that there are still sdome awesome bands and artists out there and we want to help them get the recognition they want. I don't want to hear Cheryl Cole, The Saturdays or this year's X Factor winner on the radio. I want to hear The Calling Card, Speedbird and The Limelight (check out our reviews section at http://www.bandassist.co.uk/)

So this months competition was hard but our "Metal" reviewer let us all hear Firax and boy are we glad they did. These guys are the next metal band to make it. Hell, Band Assist even created a genre for them; "Groovecore"

Check them out at www.myspace.com/firaxband

Here is their interview:

BA: Well Done for winning Band Assists Act of the month! How would you descibe the Firax Sound?

Firax: The FIRAX sound is like a freight train without brakes powering along the railway lines of what you thought was metal until it breaks away and suddenly begins its own path down which there are no stop signs, there are no crossings just inhibited thrash rock metal that moves with the rhythm of everything you know that is right, you just didn’t know it until now.
It makes you feel dirty and greasy and think you know what’s coming. But you don’t.

BA: "Effigy of Hate" is an awesome track can you let us in on the story behind it? and how/who wrote it.

Firax: Effigy is very much Glyn’s song, but I like to think we all had some input. This was the first of our ‘groovy’ songs, the first one that had that ‘different’ sound to it.
The formation of the lyrics didn’t take any pushing or sleepless nights, they simply wrote themselves, and it was a story that Rhyd had needed to say for a long time.
When I (Rhyd) was younger, after a really bad year I was out with a couple of friends having, to the contrary, a good night. We were split up. I met some other friends and then I left the place I was in. I don’t remember the next 2 days. I was jumped outside, this I know from stories and what was in the paper. I don’t know how or why it started but all I know is that my head was stamped on. My face was kicked. My inside was bruised badly. I lost my teeth. I gained permanent scarring on my right eye. I suffered memory loss for a year.
It’s all in there if you listen.


BA: You have such a new sound - was that a conscious decision? how did you come up with it?

Firax: When we got together we just decided to try and take a big influence from the classic metal bands,Pantera, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, you know, it’s just pure chance that our individual styles happened to come together this way.
When a group of musicians get together, who are on the same playing field, who love the same thing, who have the same goal then great music is what will happen.
Of course, when we realised what we sounded like, we decided it was a good thing and are trying to keep it going!

BA: What is your writing process?

Firax: So far it’s been pretty different for every song! Sometimes one of us will come up with an entire song, and everyone else will add their stuff around it; sometimes we’ll say “let’s write a song about this, and this bitof it should sound like that”. Basically, if something sounds cool – whether it’s an idea or a riff – we’ll give it a go.


BA: What do you find most difficult about being an unsigned band?

Firax: We all had different answers to this but they are all valid so i guess we have about 3 things.
1) Unfortunately it appears that, due to various things like the recession, the days of going out to see any old band that happens to be on in your local are gone.
2) People/promoters completely ignoring us. Also, being unable to play a gig unless you bringa certain number of people
3) MONEY.It’s all funded by ourselves. Most gigs aren’t paid. We just do them because we love it.


BA: What is your top tip for other acts?

Firax: If you don’t enjoy it, you’re doing it wrong.
On a side note, try and have a lot of money,this band thing is really quite expensive!

BA: What is your fantasy band line up (Vocals, guitar, Bass and Drums)

Firax:This is definately something we could never all agree on! I guess thatis a good thing though, we all have different influences.

Here is a mix of what we decided :-
Vocals - Bruce Dickinson (Maiden)
Guitar - Marty Friedman (Megadeth)
Bass - Flea (Chilli Peppers)
Drums - Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)



BA: Tell us an amusing Band Story!

Firax: Ah, what to pick? I would try to think of one not relating to Machin, but I’m not sure that’s possible! I think I’ll go for the one where we had a gig in a pub in Crumlin, and he managed to end up on Crumlin road, Pontypool! The other side of the mountain!


BA: Proudest moment so far in Firax?

Firax: Getting in to the top twelve of Hard Rock Hells young blood competition October 22nd without a doubt.
Obviously being artist of the month is pretty awesome!


BA:What are your views on Band Assist?

Firax: A cracking website that has definitely influenced us, providing us with food for thought. Our review on Band Assist is an inspiration and the other reviews on there have given us a great insight into what we are up against, and how unique we are.
With Band Assist, you get the sense that the reviews are actually being written by someone who has a genuine interest in new music.

BA:Whats Next for you guys?

Firax: World domination! If the public don't mind, that is.

Thanks for the great review, interview and for generally being a site full of "real" people trying their best for people like us!