Mind Noise Network
Introducing:
The Face Of Ruin
By James Salt - 23 March 2015
The Face Of Ruin are:
Alex Mumford - Vocals
Richard Pew - Lead guitar
Chris Alexander - Rhythm guitar and backing vocals
Chris Smith - Bass
Matt Haycock - Drums
The Face of Ruin are a five-piece, melodic death metal outfit from the green pastures of Warwickshire in the Midlands, on the door step of Birmingham - the birthplace of our beloved heavy metal.
These talented young gentleman are heavily influenced by the likes of In Flames and At The Gates and look to try and inject some much-needed life into what many may claim to be a dying sub-genre of metal. With very few bands still flying the flag for melo-death in 2015.
After only existing as a band for little over a year now they remain unsigned, but have played a few local shows and recorded a short demo showcasing just what they are capable of. Certainly, if they continue to produce catchy tracks such as "In Centuries" it shouldn't be too long before they catch the eye of someone in the industry.
In 2015 they look forward to playing a lot more live shows, increasing their fanbase and hopefully recording some more demos or even a debut album.
We caught up with TFoR vocalist, Alex Mumford and guitarist, Chris Alexander recently for a chat about all things metal as well as a few other burning questions:
James caught the band at their show recently at The Zephyr Lounge in Leamington Spa, check out our live review here:
First off, as always, who are The Face of Ruin and what are you all about?
Alex & Chris: We are a five piece metal band from the shire of Warwick.
What are we all about??We are pretty new as a group but now we have a good bunch of songs written, we are looking to play live as much as possible. Tearing faces off with the music we play.
How did you first get together and form the band?
Chris: We formed last year and started writing songs, a lot of the guys knew each other from bands past so it was easy to fall back into the old routine of writing and playing.
Who would you say are your biggest influences? After listening to your demo tracks “No Hope” and “In Centuries” I’d say you may be fans of the Gothenburg melodeath scene?
Alex: Yeah a lot of our influences do derive from that scene. We do take some influences from black metal and metalcore but the majority of our music does stick to melodic death.
What was your highlight of 2014?
Alex: We formed last year so that would be a highlight.
Chris: First gig was awesome. We played at Nuneaton’s Queens Hall. We had a great turn out and the sound in there is incredible.
Which city/town or venue would you most like to play?
Alex & Chris: We’d love to go to Bloodstock festival and play in one of the tents - they always have a great atmosphere, and loads of big bands have started their festival careers there. We went there last year as a band (not playing) and loved it!
Got any good stories to share from when you've been on the road or playing live?
Alex & Chris: Dancing to Evil Scarecrow last year as a band… we saw everyone in a different light that day, turns out we are all a bunch of idiots! A day that won’t be forgotten so easily.
What are TFOR most looking forward to in 2015? What's next for the band?
Alex & Chris: LOTS OF GIGS! We really want to get out there, show our faces and play our music! We are ever building on what we think is a strong set, so our aim is to tear the UK up with our live performances.
What's the tipple of choice backstage?
Alex & Chris: Goblin Boy on drums would say Lucozade because he drinks it until he passes out from sugar intake! But it’s pretty much just Beer for the rest of us, maybe some Whiskey.
If you could support any act on a world tour, who would it be and why?
Alex: Dark Tranquillity – because Mikael Stanne is a legend!!!
Chris: Behemoth – you know why…
What are your thoughts on streaming services such as Spotify? Is it good for the industry?
Alex & Chris: We both agree that it’s great. I would also go as far as saying it’s good for the industry after all bands are still making money from it albeit a smaller profit then say from album sales. But people aren’t buying albums anymore they will illegally download them. So Spotify is the better alternative and like I said the bands are still making money rather than none at all because people are stealing their albums.
Gene Simmons recently told the media that "rock is dead"...do you agree?
Chris: No not really, perhaps 80s rock as Gene Simmons knows it is dead, but the rock and metal scene is as interesting and diverse as it ever has been. Having said that, I’d love a couple of bands to return to the ridiculous KISS style stage shows everyone used to do!
Alex: This is odd coming from Mr Simmons…Isn’t Kiss headlining Download this year??
Just for a laugh – Mario or Sonic?
Alex: Mario of course!!!
Chris: Sonic for nostalgia…Mario for the legacy
Alex: he practised that line!!!!
And finally, in your opinion who are the best band in the world?
Chris: N-Sync
Alex: YES!!!
3pm seems a very bizarre time to be turning up to a heavy metal show, there's daylight seeping through gaps in the venue windows and the crowd is...sober.
Amidst this rather unusual atmosphere; melodic death metal five-piece, The Face of Ruin, take to the stage. Looking a little nervous to say the least, after all this is only their second show, but there's a swagger in their step...and so there should be!
Exploding full speed ahead into “Incision”, it's clear these guys are out to prove a point. The sound is great, and it's easy to see why The Assembly and Zephyr Lounge have garnered themselves a number of awards and nominations for the quality of their audio output. You can hear every note and chord that guitarists Richard Pew and Chris Alexander churn out. Brought together nicely by a thick undercurrent courtesy of bassist Chris Smith.
Obviously heavily influenced by the likes of At The Gates and In Flames these fellas pummel the audience with a very mature blend of infectious riffs and aggressive growls courtesy of charismatic frontman Alex Mumford, who tries his best to interact with an audience who are very...reserved at best.
As soon as the first song is over, enthusiastic sticksman Matt "Goblin Boy" Haycock has removed his shirt and the intensity of the performance is ramped up another notch.
Half way through their set they blaze through a terrific "For The Crows" which injects a very welcome change of tempo, drawing inspiration from the thrash end of the spectrum. A real highlight with a much more positive response from the crowd. "In Centuries" proves another quality number with its massive chorus that'll have audiences in raptures when these lads hit the road.
However, it could be better. The stage is tiny and restricts the band to a very static performance, however they make the most of what they've got and takes absolutely nothing away from these young gents' talents. Other than the occasional dip in Alex’s vocals they’re very tight overall.
Closing their well-balanced half-hour set with the epic "Nightfall", featuring a breakdown that quite possibly crushed the Parade, The Face of Ruin really showcased what they're capable of this afternoon.
The band proved that even as openers among some fairly respectable local bands, they are deserving of attention that stretches a lot further than the posh pedantics of rural Warwickshire.
They were impressive enough to earn themselves a return show at the Zephyr Lounge as headliners in April, based on this afternoon they are more than capable of entertaining a full house of punters. And it would be well worth your time to check these guys out.
Catch The Face Of Ruin in April:
You can also see them in the heats of the Bloodstock Metal To The Masses competition at The Roundhouse, Birmingham on 22nd April 2015.
Check out The Face Of Ruin on their social media pages here:
Facebook: Facebook.com/thefaceofruin
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/thefaceofruin
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