So what can you tell us about your EP ‘Reflection’? We’re so happy with how it’s turned out. Our guitarist Mike recorded, produced and mastered it all and he’s done a wicked job, so bands should check him out if they like what they hear. It’s five tracks and they’ve all got their own energy to them whilst keeping a sense of familiarity throughout. We’ve taken our sweet time getting it out, but there’s no point in half-arsing these things so I’m glad we took the time to get it just right. We’ve had loads of positive feedback from the recent video release for ‘Virtue’, so hopefully people will feel the same about the EP and then - come November - the album.
Lyric wise, what can we expect from your EP? There's a mixture of themes on the EP, a few hit quite close to home and I don't doubt some people close to me would be shocked to find out the lyrics are about them. People have fucked other people over, I've been fucked over and I've not been perfect either, so it seems to be a constant cycle sometimes. There's a lot of trying to deal with that, trying to understand what goes on in people's heads and why they act like they do. There's also a lot about pushing through all that bullshit and believing in yourself. I hate to sound preachy or 'hardcore lyrics 101', but everyone has it in themselves to take control and make something their own, even if you don't believe it yourself right now. I'm still not over a lot of things from the last few years which annoys me beyond belief, but I know I'll look back one day and think "fuck, why did I carry that with me for so long?" So these songs are helping towards that, pushing on and leaving those who betray you and those you cared about behind.
You guys have done some pretty awesome tours so far, with bands like The Elijah and Poison My Blood, (can we say Liferuiner instead of Poison My Blood here? That tour was a long time ago) with this in mind, what has been one of your most memorable moments on tour as a band, and why? We toured a fair amount last year, and I've gotta say I had the best time on every tour. In March with Martyr Defiled and The Elijah we made great friends with some of the UK's top underground bands, and in December we made great friends with Australia's Buried in Verona and the sweet dudes in The Handshake Affair from Germany, but I think our three week tour with Liferuiner across the UK and Europe in May was the most special, for me at least. Getting on the ferry felt like a proper adventure and even though there's a lot of travelling in a van, you can hardly complain. You get to travel all over different countries, playing shows and hanging out with your best friends while constantly making new ones. The camaraderie is unbeatable, and even when someone is feeling shitty it doesn't take long to realise you're doing what you've wanted to do for your whole life. It also gave us a proper, proper taste of touring life and cemented us as a band. We've still got a lot to prove, but playing 20 gigs in 21 days really helped us to hone our live show and realise that when you're on stage, you don't hold back. You play hard and you play right and it just all comes together. Every moment is memorable and you try and make it all count as much as possible.
Now there is a lot of competition when it comes to being in a full time band, so what sets you guys above the rest of upcoming bands out there? I think I might have gone through a lot of the reasons in previous questions but I think persistence, determination to prove to people that the songs we have are worth hearing, and a belief in ourselves has a lot to do with it. We wouldn't play music we didn't like, so why not try to make music we fucking love? I don't think it's arrogant to be proud of what you've created, so show people what you've done at every opportunity. There is an unreal amount of bands out now and it's hard to push your name out there when you're a small band, but there's no harm in trying. No one's going to hear you if you just play to your mates in the same city all the time. We try to get out there and let people know about us as much as we can. I wouldn't say it sets us above the rest and I'm not saying we're any better than the next unsigned band, but belief and a bit of determination can go a long way to getting people to hear and appreciate what you've done in the past and what you're doing now/in the future.
What else does 2012 hold for Empires Fade? A two week UK tour in June, hopefully both Europe and America later in the year and a full-length in November. We're gonna be really busy, but we're at a point now where I think we're strong enough to take on new challenges and truly push ourselves. We need to prove ourselves this year, and we're going to take as many opportunities as we can get to spread the word and let people hear our music.