Speaking of the new album, the band commented: “The album consists of 12 tracks. We wanted to really show our diversity from anything we had done before and bring a new era of the band to life and worked hard to do that.
‘Conflictions’ is best described as heavy groove and Metalcore, combined with all of us finding our inspiration from our influences individually, bringing it all together to create our own sound.”
Check out the new official video for ‘Exposed‘ below…
Overdrive sat down with the guys to discuss the new album as well as some other topics…
Tell us how far back the writing process for ‘Conflictions’ began?
DAN – We started the writing process for ‘Conflictions’ about two years ago. We used the impact of Covid to lock ourselves away and really work on material for this record. Looking back now it was time well spent.
Can you please give us a background on the title of the album and the inspiration behind the artwork?
VINNY – The title of this album really stems from the sound and emotions that was put into this record. Some songs show the sad times, some show the angry side of us, and others show the happy moments that went into creating this album.
You can tell when you listen to the record from start to finish that there really is an emotional conflict going on within the catalogue. The artwork shows this in an image format with the play of the masks inspired from ‘tragedy & comedy’. we gave them a human touch as you can see them hugging each other, indicating uncertainty of themselves and what’s around them.
With regards to writing, talk us through the typical process for Following The Signs, ie, is it a collaborative process or is there one primary writer in the band?
DAN – Our writing process always starts the same, a sick guitar riff! Noel or Vinny will show us something cool that they have created on guitar and then they work together to build the structure. Once there is most of the foundation there, Rory will then add his touches of arpeggios that bring more feeling and life to the song. When all musical elements are finished and everyones happy, I will then add vocals to complete the story.
‘This Day is Mine’ and ‘Escape’ have been the first two singles taken from the album, can we expect more in the coming months?
NOEL – Yes you can! When the album is released, we have two more surprises in store that will be coming in the next few weeks.
With regards to the band’s sound, there is an obvious selection of influences that are incorporated into the music, by default, creating your own unique sound. Do you feel that you’ve reached a point creatively to what was originally planned when the band started, or do you feel that there is more evolution yet to happen within the band’s sound?
RORY – We are very happy with the evolution of our sound for this record but, we never want any of our albums to be similar to the last. There will always be an evolution of sound after each record as that is how a band grows! We always want to give ourselves something new, and we think with a new album people deserve to hear something new instead of the same records over and over again.
Can we expect to see Following The Signs for any forthcoming live dates?
NOEL – None as of right now, but keep your eyes peeled!
What is the most frustrating obstacle for a rising band in Ireland and what would you like to see change to better the situation?
DAN – We would like to see more promoters catering to the heavier side of music. We have some great metal gig promoters in Ireland, but we would love to see it brought to the big main stages more often.
If you could tour with any band, who would it be?
VINNY – SLIPKNOT!!! Without a doubt.
For those that are just discovering Following The Signs for the very first time, what song would be the best introduction to the band?
To be honest any one of the singles, whether that be ‘Exposed’, ‘This Day Is Mine‘, ‘Escape‘ or ‘Bury Me‘, they all will give you a fair representation of the bands sound and tastes.
‘Conflictions’ is out today. Listen here.
Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2023
