[IMGLEFT]http://www.npearce.ultimatemetal.com/norwebd1.jpg[/IMGLEFT]By Jason Jordan
Spearheading the campaign against mediocre hardcore is label Facedown Records with recent gems such as Symphony in Perils The Whores Trophy and Nodes of Ranviers The Years to Come. I talked, at length, to bassist Terry of Nodes of Ranvier in an effort to uncover details about the bands unusual, anatomy-related moniker, the untimely demise of Hellfest 05, and of course the new record.
First, I envision frequenters of UltimateMetal not being acquainted with Nodes of Ranvier in any way. So, to put curiosity to rest, what does the bands name mean?
Jon (guitars) found the term in one of his anatomy books in school. It has to do with synapses in your brain. Just Google it on the Internet and you will find out the whole explanation. We wanted something non-typical. Little did we know that nobody would know how to pronounce or spell it Ha ha.
To keep focusing on your bands name, Nodes of Ranvier doesnt exactly roll off the tongue, though its quite memorable. How important is a name? And do you think a name should drop immediate clues as far as style is concerned?
Kind of like what I said before, we really wanted something that was not typical. I dont think our name pigeonholes us into any category. It does not have blood, heart, or X in it
Before we delve into the new albums music, we simply have to spend a little time discussing the artwork for your releases. The sophomore output Nodes of Ranvier boasts art by Derek Hess, and the latest effort The Years to Come features the talents of Dennis Sibeijn. Pick out some positives and negatives about each, and then choose which one you ultimately prefer.
Derek Hess is hands down my favorite artist. I have 6 pieces of his tattooed on me. I love the nervousness of his pieces. They are all very tense and not defined. We were honored that he wanted to do art for us. We considered having Hess do the art for the new CD, but as of late many bands are using Hess, which is great for him! We just wanted The Years to Come to be original all around. So we started looking for art that was not common in the hardcore circle.
Dennis caught our eye with his Aborted CD art. We knew the second we saw it that we had to have him. We wanted something truly original, and with the gloomy feel that he projects. When I opened up the email that had The Years to Come art in it, I was stunned. It was exactly what I had hoped for and more.
What about the coat of arms that graces the actual liner notes of The Years to Come? Is there any significance to it?
Caleb, who assembled the layout for us, came up with that concept. He read through our lyrics and saw Denniss art, and went with what he thought. That was all Calebs baby and we loved it. It felt like the right thing for the CD to have.
I foresee Nodes of Ranvier gaining in popularity within the next few years (although you already have to a certain extent). And Im reminded of Mastodons and Opeths big jumps of late. What kind of record would you have to write to push yourselves above the underground?
We spent countless hours agonizing over The Years to Come. Honestly, I think we wrote an amazing CD that we are 100% happy with. I feel if enough people get it in their hands, good things will happen. We have already started writing new material. Mastodon and Opeth have also been able to get on high-profile tours such as Sounds of the Underground and Ozzfest. That helped both bands a lot. Plus, their labels have thrown countless dollars out there to push the new releases from each band. We have a lot of amazing things in the works right now that, combined with this new album, should definitely get us there!
Seems like The Years to Come is very groove-oriented. Flesh out the titles meaning, for us, and then explain how the bands emphasis on grooves came about.
The title refers to our hope for the future. Right now the world is in such a bad state. Wars, natural disasters, disease, hate for our brothers and sisters, and the list could go on and on. I think people lost sight of one thing: tomorrow is always a new day to start over. We must remember that we need to always look forward and never lose hope in ourselves or the human race.
We concentrate very hard on riffs. There isnt a Nodes game plan on what we will write. The grooves just keep coming like the start of the song The Years to Come. When we wrote that beginning part, we all knew it was going to stick. We want these songs to hit you in the face, in a good way.
Of your current batch of songs, which one do you think is your strongest? Your weakest? For what reasons?
My personal favorites on the new CD are: Relentless, The Years to Come, and Grave. Relentless is probably the most brutal song on the CD, and that is why we chose to start the CD out with that after the intro. I dont feel there are any weak songs on the CD. There are a few I like less than others, because we have been playing a few of those for quite awhile and I love playing newer stuff more.
Are there any peculiarities about The Years to Come (studio antics, unreleased tunes, etc.) that no one would ever think to ask about? If there are, feel free to relay them here!
The studio where we recorded all 3 CDs is called Cathouse Studio. It is in the basement of a house of this amazing producer named Mike Dresch. Mike and his wife have what could be described as a cat fetish. Hence, the name of the studio and our gear was in the studio for almost 3 months. In that 3 months, I think his cats soiled Ryans drum cases at least every day. I think Ryan has to get some new cases now. I think that is Mikes secret revenge on us for being in his house so long and scratching up the back of his guitars with our belt buckles.
If Im not mistaken, youre slated to commence touring with labelmates Symphony in Peril. Can you dispel any information on Shawn Jonass (vocals) exit and John Popes (ex-Narcissus) entry?
We played a few shows with the new SiP line up. It was really good, but different. Shawn and John are COMPLETELY different. I feel it is different in a good way. John has such a positive vibe about him and an amazingly strong voice, and I do not think their fans will be disappointed.
I know you guys were supposed to play this years Hellfest. How frustrating was it to see the whole event go up in flames, much like Milwaukee Metalfest did earlier in the year?
I cannot describe the disappointment associated with Hellfest. So many people and bands were affected. We met kids that flew in from California, Germany, & South Africa to go to Hellfest, just to fly into an empty venue. We played a few fill-in gigs with the Warriors (who are amazing by the way), but none of the fill-in gigs were fruitful. All the bands that were stranded on the East Coast, with no shows, also had $5,000-$10,000 in merch in their vans that was supposed to be sold at Hellfest, and in turn get them home. Most bands just gave up and went home early. We tried to stick it out, but every show on our way home fell though. So, in Virginia Beach, we decided we had enough and swallowed our pride and went home.
Other than plugging the new disc, what parting knowledge do you have for the UltimateMetal aficionados?
Nodes plans to be on tour for a long, long time once the new CD arrives, so please come out and say hi. We love meeting new people. I also play bass in a band called The Blinding Light on Deathwish. So please check us out at theblindinglight.com and deathwishinc.com
Medical photograph courtesy ucla.edu.
UltimateMetal's Review of Nodes of Ranvier - The Years to Come
Official Nodes of Ranvier Website
Official Facedown Records Website
Spearheading the campaign against mediocre hardcore is label Facedown Records with recent gems such as Symphony in Perils The Whores Trophy and Nodes of Ranviers The Years to Come. I talked, at length, to bassist Terry of Nodes of Ranvier in an effort to uncover details about the bands unusual, anatomy-related moniker, the untimely demise of Hellfest 05, and of course the new record.
First, I envision frequenters of UltimateMetal not being acquainted with Nodes of Ranvier in any way. So, to put curiosity to rest, what does the bands name mean?
Jon (guitars) found the term in one of his anatomy books in school. It has to do with synapses in your brain. Just Google it on the Internet and you will find out the whole explanation. We wanted something non-typical. Little did we know that nobody would know how to pronounce or spell it Ha ha.
To keep focusing on your bands name, Nodes of Ranvier doesnt exactly roll off the tongue, though its quite memorable. How important is a name? And do you think a name should drop immediate clues as far as style is concerned?
Kind of like what I said before, we really wanted something that was not typical. I dont think our name pigeonholes us into any category. It does not have blood, heart, or X in it
Before we delve into the new albums music, we simply have to spend a little time discussing the artwork for your releases. The sophomore output Nodes of Ranvier boasts art by Derek Hess, and the latest effort The Years to Come features the talents of Dennis Sibeijn. Pick out some positives and negatives about each, and then choose which one you ultimately prefer.
Derek Hess is hands down my favorite artist. I have 6 pieces of his tattooed on me. I love the nervousness of his pieces. They are all very tense and not defined. We were honored that he wanted to do art for us. We considered having Hess do the art for the new CD, but as of late many bands are using Hess, which is great for him! We just wanted The Years to Come to be original all around. So we started looking for art that was not common in the hardcore circle.
Dennis caught our eye with his Aborted CD art. We knew the second we saw it that we had to have him. We wanted something truly original, and with the gloomy feel that he projects. When I opened up the email that had The Years to Come art in it, I was stunned. It was exactly what I had hoped for and more.
What about the coat of arms that graces the actual liner notes of The Years to Come? Is there any significance to it?
Caleb, who assembled the layout for us, came up with that concept. He read through our lyrics and saw Denniss art, and went with what he thought. That was all Calebs baby and we loved it. It felt like the right thing for the CD to have.
I foresee Nodes of Ranvier gaining in popularity within the next few years (although you already have to a certain extent). And Im reminded of Mastodons and Opeths big jumps of late. What kind of record would you have to write to push yourselves above the underground?
We spent countless hours agonizing over The Years to Come. Honestly, I think we wrote an amazing CD that we are 100% happy with. I feel if enough people get it in their hands, good things will happen. We have already started writing new material. Mastodon and Opeth have also been able to get on high-profile tours such as Sounds of the Underground and Ozzfest. That helped both bands a lot. Plus, their labels have thrown countless dollars out there to push the new releases from each band. We have a lot of amazing things in the works right now that, combined with this new album, should definitely get us there!
Seems like The Years to Come is very groove-oriented. Flesh out the titles meaning, for us, and then explain how the bands emphasis on grooves came about.
The title refers to our hope for the future. Right now the world is in such a bad state. Wars, natural disasters, disease, hate for our brothers and sisters, and the list could go on and on. I think people lost sight of one thing: tomorrow is always a new day to start over. We must remember that we need to always look forward and never lose hope in ourselves or the human race.
We concentrate very hard on riffs. There isnt a Nodes game plan on what we will write. The grooves just keep coming like the start of the song The Years to Come. When we wrote that beginning part, we all knew it was going to stick. We want these songs to hit you in the face, in a good way.
Of your current batch of songs, which one do you think is your strongest? Your weakest? For what reasons?
My personal favorites on the new CD are: Relentless, The Years to Come, and Grave. Relentless is probably the most brutal song on the CD, and that is why we chose to start the CD out with that after the intro. I dont feel there are any weak songs on the CD. There are a few I like less than others, because we have been playing a few of those for quite awhile and I love playing newer stuff more.
Are there any peculiarities about The Years to Come (studio antics, unreleased tunes, etc.) that no one would ever think to ask about? If there are, feel free to relay them here!
The studio where we recorded all 3 CDs is called Cathouse Studio. It is in the basement of a house of this amazing producer named Mike Dresch. Mike and his wife have what could be described as a cat fetish. Hence, the name of the studio and our gear was in the studio for almost 3 months. In that 3 months, I think his cats soiled Ryans drum cases at least every day. I think Ryan has to get some new cases now. I think that is Mikes secret revenge on us for being in his house so long and scratching up the back of his guitars with our belt buckles.
If Im not mistaken, youre slated to commence touring with labelmates Symphony in Peril. Can you dispel any information on Shawn Jonass (vocals) exit and John Popes (ex-Narcissus) entry?
We played a few shows with the new SiP line up. It was really good, but different. Shawn and John are COMPLETELY different. I feel it is different in a good way. John has such a positive vibe about him and an amazingly strong voice, and I do not think their fans will be disappointed.
I know you guys were supposed to play this years Hellfest. How frustrating was it to see the whole event go up in flames, much like Milwaukee Metalfest did earlier in the year?
I cannot describe the disappointment associated with Hellfest. So many people and bands were affected. We met kids that flew in from California, Germany, & South Africa to go to Hellfest, just to fly into an empty venue. We played a few fill-in gigs with the Warriors (who are amazing by the way), but none of the fill-in gigs were fruitful. All the bands that were stranded on the East Coast, with no shows, also had $5,000-$10,000 in merch in their vans that was supposed to be sold at Hellfest, and in turn get them home. Most bands just gave up and went home early. We tried to stick it out, but every show on our way home fell though. So, in Virginia Beach, we decided we had enough and swallowed our pride and went home.
Other than plugging the new disc, what parting knowledge do you have for the UltimateMetal aficionados?
Nodes plans to be on tour for a long, long time once the new CD arrives, so please come out and say hi. We love meeting new people. I also play bass in a band called The Blinding Light on Deathwish. So please check us out at theblindinglight.com and deathwishinc.com
Medical photograph courtesy ucla.edu.
UltimateMetal's Review of Nodes of Ranvier - The Years to Come
Official Nodes of Ranvier Website
Official Facedown Records Website
