16 Clefs was given the extreme joy to sit down guitarist, Mat “Cossie” Cosgrove, of Brisbane’s A Breach of Silence to discuss the band’s upcoming sophomore album The Darkest Road, how to make your band known in Australia, where the idea for their insanely good video “Night Rider” came from and more.
Let’s introduce the world to A Breach of Silence
We are from Brisbane Australia. There are 5 members. Cossie – Guitars, Blairsy bass/vocals, kerrod – Guitars, Rhys- lead vocals and Stix – Drums.
How did A Breach of Silence come together?
We formed in 2009 when a bunch of us decided to get together and see if we could come up with something different and fun. That happened by meeting Blair at a party and seeing him sing and not just sing but hit falcetto’s that were so high that even Rob Halford would be proud of. We wanted to combine different elements of our favorite genres and make something different. So we set out to do that. Add our elements of traditional metal and metal core but add spice by putting in power style signing. I know that sounds weird and somehow might not work? But it does. Our debut album Dead or Alive is testament to that. So after meeting Blair, we met our drummer Stix through mutual friends and then after going through quite a different number of member changes we have our current solid line up. With Kerrod and Rhys rounding it all out!!
Why the name A Breach of Silence?
A Breach of Silence was a name that I came up with when I toured a bunch of bands out to my home town of Roma, QLD Australia in 2005. The tour was called “Breach of Silence” Tour.
Describe the essence of A Breach of Silence in five (5) words?
The missing link of awesomeness.
Where does the responsibility fall for writing songs and music?
It falls with all of us. However a majority of the song writing is first done with me and Kerrod, constructing the main structure and riffs for all songs. This is then put to the other guys to put their magic to. If something doesn’t work or works better then the songs are changed around those ides. We have it pretty down pat know that we have completed two studio albums.
How does a typical A Breach of Silence song come together?
Kerrod or me will jam out some riffs and record them. From there, we two work a little bit of spice and cook up something to bring the remainder of the band. We all put in our input from there and our songs evolve into what you will here with the new album and what you can here on the current one. We work like an efficient machine now. It’s taken a while to master it, but like any trade you practice it enough you will get good at it.
Where did the idea for “Night Rider” video come from?
The idea originated as all the guys in the bands love Clint Eastwood style films and video games. And as the album was based around some outback history, we all wanted to incorporate into a epic video. Which ultimately came to fruition. The end result was awesome. It was met with some hate, but mostly love. I mean the people that just get it, appreciate it more then you can imagine. The people that don’t, well obviously have different taste and don’t appreciate something different.
Watch “Night Rider”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVjFfxHj59c]
You’re wrapping up the final mixes and mastering of your sophomore album, The Darkest Road, how different was the recording process from the debut album?
The process was similar. It was last minute changes again, due to ideas and making the songs the best that they could be. And I have to say, this album is something we are super proud of coming up with. The songs have evolved and the band has grown so much, we are so excited to show everyone all the tracks. We used Fredrik Nordstrom and Henrik Udd from studio Fredman again, and because of that I think we have something that will stand the test of time when it comes to the songs. We really challenged ourselves again and completed 14 tracks over 3 weeks. We had most of the songs fully written and went into the studio quite prepared. So it was pretty smooth sailing.
Any fear of the sophomore slump the music industry seems to slap on the second album?
Not at all, I think the quality and the song that have been written will really establish the band and show the industry we are serious new comers that can conquer what ever we set our sights on. I guess we will have to wait and find out though (laughs). I think this album will really give us the next push we need to achieve our dreams.
What can fans except from The Darkest Road?
You can expect an evolution of the Dead or Alive album in a good way. We have Rhys Flannery on lead vocals which if you have never seen us live, you would have never heard. He brings a totally different dynamic then what Corey (ex vocalist) does on Dead or Alive. You can expect the same powerful singing from Blair aswell but you can expect the same from Rhys. Every song is A Breach of Silence however, is not the same type of song. WE really hope this album is that album people have been waiting for, that finally makes them smile and people think “ DAMN this is good!!!”
In this day and age, bands are socially active; do you think that an online presence is important for fans to find you and critics to find your music to write about?
This is so critical. If you don’t, know one will care. Especially how the industry operates now. Everything is online, soon it will probably be our only source of income when selling music other then touring. Plus I think it is important for bands to connect with their fans, without them you’re nothing, so showing respect is so important. We try and do that everyday.
What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why? If no, why?
AHHHH online streaming. Its so hard. When we first began we wanted all the people we could to hear us and know about us. So yes we gave it away for free, as we weren’t making any money anyway. However know that things have changed, and income is so small coming from online streaming and zero from sharing I don’t love the idea. However I am the same as anyone else and have downloaded music for free. However if I love it, I will go buy a vinyl or cd. It’s more of a test for me now. Which is good in one way as it eliminates bands doing shitty albums however it has created a style of singles market again. Good or Bad? Well, I just hope we are on top of the streaming and can maximize it to the full potential. Gone are the glory days of selling hard copy records.
Australia’s music scene is diverse as the country is, how does a band stand out/make a name for themselves?
HARD WORK !!!!! TOUR, TOUR, TOUR. Keep putting out new music and keep all fans interacting with the band on a weekly basis. At the end of the day your music will make who you are, but you need people to give a shit about it first. So its through hard work and constant reminding to all people you exist. It’s a fun ride, but it is not easy.
Do you find your Aussie fans more die hard than non-Aussie fans?
Ahhh depends. We have some die hard USA fans and Aussie fans. As we haven’t played in the States yet I can’t comment on the live aspect, but hopefully can report back later this year . I can tell you though, our fans are die hard and it makes us keep going because of that fact.
Connection for band to fan is important during a live setting, what do you do to connect with the audience that is there?
Well we make them feel special. Get them involved. We just did a show were one third of the crowd jumped on the stage and jammed the last 2 songs with us. Incredible (laughs).
If you are opening, how do you connect with an audience that might be there solely for the headliner band and who don’t necessarily want to give your band a chance?
By blowing peoples minds. They don’t expect much so we give them something to remember. From crazy power metal falsettos to crazy live performances. We pull it all out.
Favorite artist you have shared the stage with?
Upon a Burning Body.
Artist you want to share with the stage with?
AC/DC
What are A Breach of Silence’s plans for 2014?
Releasing The Darkest Road and Touring the USA.
Anything else you want the audience to know before we go?
We love BBQ’s. So when we come and tour in the States, please invite us over so we can cook one for you. We will show you the true Aussie way :).
For more A Breach of Silence: Facebook | Twitter | Website
BUY LINKS: iTunes | GooglePlay | CD
Watch: “Night Rider” | “There Will be Blood” | “Circles” | “Blind” (live)
Previous posts on A Breach of Silence