Elemental metalcore band I AM THE WRECKAGE have a debut EP as well as a follow-up EP in the works currently! The band goes into great detail about these releases, and what else they have planned for this year alone!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
I Am The Wreckage formed in 2012 from the ashes of metal band We Own The Skies. Largely playing local shows, we released two singles and went through numerous line-up changes until the current line-up solidified in 2017 – it’s been a long ride, but it’s made up who we are.
We’re a four-piece made up of Aaron Keller, Aaron ‘Azz’ Miller, Brad Hickling and Ian Kenworthy. All of whom hail from the Oldham area - except Azz who is from Manchester via Wales.
Not only does our frontman Azz have a fantastic voice, he’s also a qualified sound engineer and plays a significant role in shaping our sound. Aaron has a master’s degree in music performance, plays guitar like an absolute demon and is the main songwriter. When he’s not sitting behind the kit Brad also handles all our graphic design and is lead producer; he’s qualified in sound design too. We’re all pretty deeply enmeshed in the music business. Oh, and there’s Ian who’s some sort of straight-edge athlete – he plays bass, provides backing vocals and does all the running around.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Apparently, there’s a great story behind the name attributed to our original drummer – but it’s lost in the mists of time. One thing is certain – I Am The Wreckage is the name and we’re proud that we’ve given the name meaning.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Primarily we’ve been a live band for our whole existence and have played tonnes of shows around the Manchester area. We played around 28 shows last year and have a name for ourselves on the local scene, which is thriving. We wouldn’t be who we are without the Manchester 0161 Underground Metal Community so they deserve a big shoutout. We’ve played alongside so many great bands, and so many we can recommend; Mexican Painkiller, Asylum City Zoo, Portrayal of Ruinn, Severenth, Betray The Throne and Saurr are just a few. Plus we owe a lot to the guys in Karma’s Puppet and Newwcastle’s Cast In Tephra who are always supportive. We’ve also been lucky enough to play alongside bands like Black Coast, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion and Purgatory which was a blast.
So far this year’s been a bit more relaxed as we’ve been trying to get our new EP finished, but we’re playing the Bloodstock ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ competition again later this month. Most cities have their own competitions and it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re into metal. All the bands get together, so many people come to watch. There’s such a sense of community, and it’s such a great experience!
4. How would you describe your style?
We usually describe it as ‘metalcore’ although that’s a pretty broad term. Our music contains elements of hardcore, metal and southern rock. We usually say ‘riffs, grooves and breakdowns with a side order of melody’ – we love a good outro too. Of course, we find inspiration in all kinds of places. You never know where you’re going to find a slick riff! Our songs are usually pretty structured too, we like choruses and you can’t beat the feeling when people sing or yell along. You could say our style is similar to Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats and Knocked Loose, but there’s more to it than that. We have our own sound, our own way of working and there’s a dynamic between us that is difficult to describe. Just listen to our new single ‘Veneer Of Vanity’ which leans more toward metal than hardcore – there’s always a blend and you can hear a rock edge too. Plus Azz has a real way with lyrics – you get right inside his head, it’s great to hear him tell a story and make it so utterly relatable.
Part of our style comes from playing live. Our gigs are energetic, sweaty and we always put on a good show. We take a lot of pride in being ‘the band you don’t want to play after’ and hold ourselves to high standards, and set the bar high (which Ian is bound to try and jump over). You’ll have to come and watch us, just to find out.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
You can listen to our Self-Titled EP now on all the major platforms and we just released the single ‘Veneer Of Vanity’ which has been in our set for a while, and will be on our second EP. The ‘I Am The Wreckage” EP is made up of songs we had amassed during our time as a band. Obviously we chose songs that would fit together and rerecorded our two original singles with the current line-up. The reception has been pretty good. As I was saying before, our sound is best described as metalcore and songs like ‘I Am Not Gonna Die Sober’ or ‘Dinner Party’ are upbeat hardcore in the vein of Cancer Bats while ‘A Familiar Sound’ is much heavier. It makes a great contrast, and has proved great for those who like a wall of death.
You can find our music video for Ocelot Revolver here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D24HIr-9PaM
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes - our second EP has been in the works for a while. We’ve had the songs locked down for a while and we had the intention of recording them at the end of last year. It didn’t work out as planned – mainly because Ian broke his thumb during our set at Vilefest (Wow - that ‘Veneer of Vanity’ breakdown really is heavy!) – so we’re just putting the finishing touches to the mixing and mastering. As we said before the first single ‘Veneer Of Vanity’ just released and we’re planning a second single ‘Violence’ fairly soon. We have a stack of demos for another EP that we’re currently polishing up – There’s a good chance we’ll road-test a few at our upcoming shows, we’ll see.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We have a ton of bookings on the Manchester scene and we’ve been building a following further afield. We played in Sheffield a couple of weeks back and we’re hoping to head back there soon. We’ve also been invited down to Leicester and we played some great shows in Wales last year, so a return trip is on the cards. It’s just been announced that we’re playing Manchester festival ‘Summer Slammer’ so that will be fun and of course there’s ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ coming up. We have another few confirmed dates that we’re not allowed to announce just yet. So it’s keeping us busy.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We have some songs to release. Some shows to play. We’re going to see how it goes. Hopefully it’ll be as much fun as it has been so far. Keep your ears out for ‘Violence’ we promise it’s great.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
The best place to check us out is currently on Facebook and you can buy our stuff on Bandcamp – you can find our socials here;
https://iamthewreckage.bandcamp.com/
https://facebook.com/IamTheWreckage
https://www.instagram.com/iamthewreckage/
https://twitter.com/IAmTheWreckage
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
That undeniable sense of whiplash when the riffs kick in. Thanks very much -I Am The Wreckage.
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