Since self-releasing their debut album, Embryonic Anomaly in late 2009, Rings Of Saturn have built a huge global fanbase, touring non stop and releasing four albums. Their 2015 appearance on the US based Knotfest showcased their spacey melodies and galactic chaos to a wider audience than ever before and they haven’t looked back.
With more than 30 tours under their belts, its high time the band brought their acclaimed energetic live show to their southern hemisphere fans! The bands fourth album, Ultu Ulla, was released in 2017 via Nuclear Blast and combines ultra heavy chug and groove with eerie soundscapes, soaring melodies and enough oddball fusion to truly make it a celestial event! Steve caught up with guitarist and mastermind of the band Lucas Mann to discuss the tour, a new album and a quick segment of Off The Record.
Steve: Hi Lucas how are you?
LM: I’m doing great man, thanks for having me along today.
Steve: Your welcome. So I see you guys are coming down under in June, that will be exciting?
LM: Yeah it will be our first time, in fact I’m very excited. There have been lots and lots of people asking, ‘When are you guys coming to Australia’. We are finally coming down! So it’s going to be great.
Steve: Excellent so I see you guys have something locked in album wise for 2019, are you able to shed any light on that or is it still in its infancy?
LM: Well I can’t say too much about it but yeah you are right, it will be out a little bit later in 2019 and there will be a lot of call backs going back to our roots and our past albums. That will be great for our long time fans and there will be a few surprises as well and lots of experimentation, a lot of guest spots, lots of cool stuff.
Steve: Awesome I guess it’s difficult to talk about an album that hasn’t got it’s wings yet?
LM: (laughs) Yeah I would love to talk about it more but we haven’t made the official announcement yet.
Steve: Yeah fair call, I just thought I’d ask, push my luck (laughs). So you guys are the self proclaimed “Aliencore” band, how does that tag sit with you guys? I know tags drive bands absolutely crazy but “Aliencore” is kind of a new venture to my mind anyway?
LM: Yeah everybody is interested in aliens, you know they’re sort of a hot topic around the world so when I made Rings Of Saturn about ten years ago I actually coined the term as sort of a joke and I put it on our profile and stuff like that and people took it seriously and there was a lot of talk about it. It started off as a joke and now it’s kind of like a real thing and some people talk about some bands that are “Aliencore” and some that aren’t, I always take genres of metal lightheartedly so as long as people know that they are talking about then that’s cool.
Steve: Great so in terms of the style you guys play technical death metal, I was having a conversation with one of my colleagues here at The Rockpit about how extreme can extreme metal get. What are your views on that?
LM: How extreme can extreme music get…well for the new album for example I’m moving onto a nine string guitar, it’s going to get even deeper and even heavier and in some ways even more extreme and more fast. We have “Lord Marco” as one of the guest drummers, he’s been on countless albums, ex Vital Remains and Brain Drill just to name a few. He is a drumming machine! So it’s going to test those waters that you are talking about.
Steve: Sure thing and I guess along that same line, how do you guys keep pushing the boundaries I’m curious in particular with you guys as musically it already at such an extreme level how keep coming up with the ideas to push beyond everything we’ve known?
LM: Well we are an experimental band we don’t like to put rules on the things we do and we always review the reception of past albums what people liked what they didn’t like and we always look to raise the bar in terms of song writing production or even just the merch everything we are always critiquing and trying to get to the next step and raise the bar most of the time it happens I’m sure a ceiling exists but we haven’t got there yet.
Steve: Well that’s good news! So we have a podcast here at The Rockpit called Heaven & Hell and we have a segment called “Off The Record”. So what ever the first answer is that pops into your head is cool with us.
LM: Sure (laughs).
Steve: What is the meaning of life?
LM: Oh man it’s not really something I should bestow upon you earthlings yet. I’m not sure you guys are ready yet, maybe a little more time is needed before it’s presented. Maybe it will be on the new album.
Steve: Cool well I look forward to deciphering it (laughs). What is the craziest fan experience you guys have had?
LM: Hmm we had a fan walk up to the merch booth and we had a full spread of merch, ten shirt designs, tons of table items, hats, whatever and he says, ‘I’ll have two of everything’. It was like a two thousand plus transaction for one guy, best fan in the world!
Steve: I’ll bet!
LM: I’d say that was the craziest love that guy, super appreciative. He’s still a very big fan of the band to this day.
Steve: I bet you guys just about backfliped over the table!
LM: It was a good day.
Steve: So if you could tour and play with one band who would it be and why?
LM: Maybe Meshuggah just because their production is super intense with their light show, their tones are always super thick and there are a lot of people that come out to see them. We haven’t toured with them yet, they are just heavy man, just heavy and thick. I like that, I think our intensity together would be beautiful (laughs).
Steve: That certainly would be the icing on the cake! So if you could be remembered for one song what would it be and why?
LM: Hmm man that’s a tough question. I’m going to have to say pass because I don’t listen to much music which may come as a surprise. I find I just focus on my writing and what I’m doing, who knows, maybe because of this question I’m destined to be forgotten.
Steve: Oh I don’t know about that!
LM: I’m just playing!
Steve: So I guess that negates my next question, what have you been listening to but I take it you are the kind of guy who just focuses on what is in front of you?
LM: Yeah it may sound strange but I think you’ll find I’m not the only musician because I’m constantly surrounded by it. I don’t know, I like to play music as opposed to listening to it, I guess if I had to say music that I listen to it sounds nerdy but I really like video game soundtracks.
Steve: Now you are talking!
LM: That always got me more because there’s a lot more orchestration and composition, it’s a lot more interesting for me.
Steve: Are we going back to Mario and Zelda days?
LM: Oh yeah get some Mega Man and Donkey Kong Country, those were some great tracks.
Steve: For sure! Now you are speaking my language. So if you could work with anyone within the industry wether it be a producer or fellow musician who would it be?
LM: Woah! Well to be honest the people who were guests on the new album were who I really wanted to work with. Lord Marco is amazing, working with Charles Casswell has been amazing as always, Dan Watson is a fantastic vocalist. Yeah I don’t know, maybe I’ll find some new people that much I can talk about with regard to the new album as they will all be appearing.
Steve: Well I really can’t wait to hear the finished product . Thanks for those answers, that’s was great! It’s been great speaking with you today, thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it and good luck with the tour and maybe next time you can make it to the west coast.
LM: Maybe and thank you for having me a long today, take care.
TOUR DATES
Thursday, June 20: Basement, Canberra
Friday, June 21: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Saturday, June 22: Crowbar, Sydney
Wednesday, June 23: Stay Gold, Melbourne
Monday, June 24: Brightside, Brisbane
Wednesday, June 26: Valahalla, Wellington
Thursday, June 27: Whammy Bar, Auckland
Tickets available from tickets.destroyalllines.com
