The band is made up of Dean Donnelly (Vocals) , Daniel Tyrrell (Guitar) , Niall Ennis (Guitar), Alex Caffrey (Bass) and Ben Deane (Drums) . Their musical influences are Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, Trivium, Pantera, Hatebreed and While She Sleeps.
Since their debut show in The Academy on January 21st, they have played several venues supporting acts such as Avatar on their Hail the Apocalypse tour. Their EP launch is on July 20th in Fibber’s.
OD: How did the band get together?
Alex: Dean wanted to set up a band, me and Dan always worked with Dean. Niall and Dan were in a band with Ben. He was the best drummer we seen, so Dean asked them, they asked Ben.
OD: When?
Alex: About a year ago.
OD: How did you come up with the name?
Alex: We were throwing names around and that one stood out the most.
OD: Who are your musical influences?
Niall: A bit of everything, mine personally would be Lamb of God.
Alex: Trivium.
OD: For a relatively new band, you supported Avatar. How did that come about?
Alex: Adam, the defector, he e-mailed John Drumner three weeks before the show. It was the best gig we’ve played. We had an amp issue, so the sound engineer plugged the bass straight into the PA, so I couldnt hear myself. A few of the songs had bass being the main instrument so Niall played the guitar alongside me in case it couldn’t be heard.
OD: What is the EP called?
Alex: Its called Scattered Kings.
OD: How did you come up with the name?
Alex: I was in a band called Scattered Kings.
Niall: We tried a few names, but that was the best.
OD: Where did you record your EP?
Alex: In Dublin’s, Temple Lane studios. On the first day at around 7pm, the studio was broken into. Someone left the door open and two junkies came in. We could see them on the camera. They got money and a phone, but luckily not my ipod, which I found later at the bottom of my bag.
OD: Where did you get the idea for the cover? [Ricky Shortall]
Alex: Mascaraed of Bliss. Dean mainly sorted it. We had a few ideas but the crown of thorns was the best. He sent it while we were recording.
OD: What are a few of your favourite album covers?
Alex: Ascendency and The Crusade, both by Trivium. One has a demon and the other has a Knight. When you put them together they look like a part of each other. I think it would be a really cool tattoo.
Niall: Ashes of the Wake by Lamb of God and Hail the Apocalypse by Avatar.
Daniel: City of Evil, Avenged Sevenfold.
Ben: Ben Dookie, Green Day.
OD: Are you touring the EP?
Alex: We are having the launch in Fibber’s, playing the Unleashed Festival in September and headlining in November.
OD: Is there any particular system to the way you write music?
Alex: No. Its a long and painful process.
Niall: Dean writes full lyrics, sometimes we pick lyrics or build off a riff
OD: How would you describe Call To Arms in a live setting? What’s the mindset before you take the stage?
Alex: We go into the bathrooms and tune and scream at each other, try to get hyper.
Niall: Dean gets full of himself, all the time.
Alex: A lot of violence.
OD: What is your most memorable moment to date?
Alex: Playing the Voodoo Lounge, after the first song the reaction was amazing.
Ben: Our second Academy show, we got cut a song, and the crowd kept chanting “One more tune”, so we got to play it in the end.
Scattered Kings is out now. Get your cope here.
For more information on Call To Arms, just hit the links below.
Words – Louise Wood
Photography – Damien Broderick Photography
