Progressive grunge metal enthusiasts Static Tension have an all new album causing such a buzz, so much is being said of it. The band goes into talks of the album, some insight history behind this band, and what sort of plans align the way ahead.
1. Let’s start off with an icebreaker. If you could describe your band in 3 words, what would they be?
Progressive grunge metal.
2. What are your names and what do you do in the band?
Rob Rom, I’m the lead vocalist and lyricist.
Greg Blachman plays guitars and does some vocals.
Brian Spurrier is our bassist.
And Tony Sager is our percussionist.
3. You guys are a newer band so many people might know about your history. Would you be able to delve into it a little?
Let’s see if I can sum it up in a short paragraph or two. I met Greg 4 years ago through a friend and we hit it off. We started making music together with our friend Ritchie Paik who played bass at the time, and a drummer we found through an ad named Tony Sager. We recorded and released our first EP "Rebirth", played some small shows, and headed back to our recording space for our 2nd EP, "Out of Reach".
In August of 2017, Ritchie had to part ways for very respectable reasons, as he’s a fantastic human being. Our good friend and artist from our previous EP's, Brian Spurrier, picked up the bass and we started writing "Ashes to Animation" right away.
4. Where does the name Static Tension come from?
Greg basically used that name in the 90's for a project, and he released an album called “paint by numbers”. We just liked how it sounded and figured it fits what we’re about, mental illnesses and the darker tones of life. It can’t be all butterflies and roses all the time.
5. Who are some of your influences?
Well Alice In Chains is a major influence, both eras, they’ve always been a top favorite. We all have some varying tastes so I can’t speak for everyone, but there’s definitely some Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Nirvana, faith no more, dream theater, fates warning, Pink Floyd, Deep purple, Jethro Tull, Mastodon, Gojira... just a wide mix of rock and metal
6. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
We hit on the struggles of people like us. Anxiety, depression, addiction, spirituality, just basically a lot of human emotion. It may change over time to mirror whatever we’re going through or thinking but at the moment we’re reaching out to those battling these issues.
7. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Yes we write our own music. All songs are different. Usually Greg will come up with a great riff and we will get together and build melodies and timings from there. But sometimes I will come up with a vocal melody and bring it to the band, and we’ve even had tony bring us a few guitar riffs. So we try different avenues and angles to make sure there’s a good variety of sounds.
8. What was the recording process like for this new album of yours?
Easier than our previous EP's. We’ve learned a lot and we do our recording, mixing, and mastering all on our own with no outside influence. It’s a great way to learn as you go and also helps to achieve a one of a kind raw sound. The writing always comes easy and natural for us, and of course there are frustrations that occur with tracking and schedules but over all it was a pleasure.
9. Would you say that you have a favorite song off this album and which is it and why?
We all have our favorite but mine is "No Return", which was not a choice for the singles we’ve released so far. I’ve always preferred the deeper cuts and "No Return" is the song I would show people to say "This is Static Tension".
10. Why should people go forth and check out this album?
I think people will find an old familiar 90's feel. I also feel there’s a lot going on in this album so it’s an interesting listen to say the least. Its a mysterious album that starts off with a bit of a trance like introduction and doesn’t pull any punches for an hour straight... it’s a complete dive into everything the four of us have ever loved about rock music.
11. What would you say separates you from other bands in the scene?
We write what we would love to hear instead of what we think the majority of people want to hear. We give you a break from cliche lyrics and repetitive pop rock riffs provided by mainstream radio and attempt to grab something outside of the box.
12. How about this next year, what is next for Static Tension?
We’re promoting "Ashes to Animation", playing some shows, selling some merchandise, gaining new listeners, writing more new music, and enjoying every moment of having the ability to share music with our wonderful friends and fans!
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