Introducing: Foundry

February 23, 2014

Andy Slade (ex Gravil, Collapse, and Echovirus guitarist) has released new EP ‘Machine City’ under the name of Foundry. The EP has been put together by Slade completely on his own – a one-man band. If you want to hear something new and different in the form of dark melodic metal then the talented Mr Slade provides you with just that.

Influenced by: Nevermore, Children of Bodom, At the Gates, Gojira, In Flames, Sybreed.

Andy Slade: “This EP was just a way for me to vent out some of the built up creative angst I’d had sitting in me for a while. I spent a lot of time playing other peoples music in bands which got boring after a while. As a creative soul, be it a guitarist or a painter, you need to express your creative ideas or else you’ll be unhappy. So the EP has a lot of me venting in it… one way or another. I wanted it to be heavy and raw but not a repeat of what’s already been done. I don’t see the point in trying to be another ‘At the Gates’ or ‘Carcass’, you can’t surpass what’s already top of the line.”

RAMzine: How do you manage to play every instrument on one EP?

Andy Slade: “I’ve been playing the guitar and bass for twenty years so that part of the process was easy enough. I’ve always been a big fan of composing on other musical mediums such as other instruments or through software. Sometimes my ability to write music on the guitar alone dries up, and I lose inspiration. So naturally I’ve built up a few different instrument skills over the years. I wouldn’t say I was good at most of them… but I enjoy trying.”

RAMzine: At the moment you’re a one-man-band! Any plans to have a full band in the future?

Andy Slade: “Well, yes and no. I’ve been talking to some amazing musicians about possibly doing this live. I’d have to hang up my guitar for this one though, I’m no James Hetfield. But it’s all about the right people and the right chemistry. And if I did take this to the live stage I’d want it to be something original and interesting. I think fans of music, especially metal, deserve to get their moneys worth. I like an element of danger and mystery to a live show. Bands such as Rammstein deserve every moment of success they have. Those live shows took a lot of hard work and thought.”

RAMzine: We hear rumours of new material in the future, are you likely to go in a different direction with new material whilst sticking to your metal roots?

Andy Slade: “I’d like to get the second EP out before the end of this year. I don’t see why my approach or sound would change in that time. Maybe when this year is over I’ll look into how I can expand the sound more… but it’ll always be metal at the core. Having said that the thought of doing a Cindi Lauper style 80’s retro pop album does appeal to my dark side… Anyway, yes I imagine eventually the music will evolve. Everyone has a change of taste, or at least an expansion of tastes, over the course of their lives.”