Hardcore outfit Imperial Tide new EP, Existence In Crisis, is out now via Mascot Records, and to tie in with its release they’ve just released the opening track, ‘King Of The Gutter’, as their latest single.
Talking about the song they said; “As the opening track of our EP, ‘King Of The Gutter’ erupts into the energy we brought throughout the entire project; aggressive, relentless and uncompromising. The lyrics throughout describe the lasting feelings of isolation & the inner dialogue that comes from being left alone within the darkness of our emotions.”
There is also a video for the single that you can check out here at RAMzine, and about which they said; “Every little detail in this video was intentional. We wanted to let the music & visual encapsulate a moment within this dark, corrupt world we describe throughout the EP. Birthed from the collaboration with our director Chaz Dray, the music video is meant to give a visual dialogue that interprets the sentiment brought throughout the song.”
The band features Landon Hill, vocals; William Barber, guitar; Keene Dadian, guitar; Tanner Galambas, bass; and Russel Schoenbeck, drums, a band of five childhood friends, who now call both Las Vegas and Los Angeles home, brandish a hyper-charged, relentless, and adrenalized style.
According to those who know, they combine the exuberance of bands like Knocked Loose, the versatility and uncompromising creativity of Code Orange, and the heady depths of Gojira. Like Turnstile, they’re masters of melodic perseverance. And their breakdowns are harrowing AF.
They follow that lineage with a metallic hardcore-punk assault untethered to genre conventions and ready to smash preconceptions. “We came from the hardcore and metalcore scenes,” frontman Hill explained. “And Las Vegas is different than anywhere else. The city gave us a hustle mindset. You can go there and get lost in the sauce, or you can find your own voice.”
From screen-printing their own merch to shooting and editing unique visual components, Imperial Tide built themselves in the hardcore-punk DIY tradition. “We have so many influences when it comes to music and just the different kinds of people we are as individuals,” noted Schoenbeck. “We pull from all those things and put ourselves into the music and energy we express.”
A “no rules” attitude informs their songwriting process. Sometimes Schoenbeck may start with programmed, hip-hop-style beats, or they’ll key in samples. The goal is to make something nostalgic and familiar to audiences, equally inspired, fresh, and distinct from what everyone else is doing.
As for the EP, the band said, “Existence In Crisis is the reflection of the world around us, and our space we create in. The songs are a breath of fresh air without re-writing the history of the band. We put the songs together over a period of time that was filled with unrest, personally and socially.
“We had to say something about what we were seeing and the issues that were so blatantly present. At our core we aren’t afraid to ask questions or push back on the things we don’t agree with. The EP is our first step into pushing ‘Tide in a way that separates us from the standard product that our genre seems to revert to.”
Existence In Crisis is said to be “an exercise in bombastic creative freedom” and previous Mat released single, ‘R.A.T.’ being a prime example. “This track echoes the sentiment of the entire EP, ” said the band of the single, continuing lyrically, “‘If I light the match, I can set the fire’. “This is our spark before we set the world ablaze. The chorus’ riff rips, while the punk influenced verses bring a consistent energy that makes you wonder what’s next. The song culminates with quite possibly the heaviest moment on the EP, our guitarist Keene’s vocals bring a level of grit we haven’t touched yet.”
‘R.A.T.’ is available here and you can check out the video for it here at RAMzine.
Previous single, ‘Off The Leash’, was described as “crackling-with-intensity”, and you can check out for yourselves via the video for it, presented right here at RAMzine.
“We wanted to make a music video that the audience could immediately identify who we were as a band,” said Hill about the video. “No glitz or glamour — Just raw, black and white, and in your face. We made the point to film this video entirely by ourselves, with no filter between us and the fans.”
Regarding the deeper meaning behind the song, Hill continued, “‘Off The Leash’ is about cutting off those around you with disingenuous motives. We build a support system through life and sometimes those we surround ourselves with don’t have the drive or intentions to match. The lyric ‘All Bark, No Bite’ explains how some people just want to talk about what they want…but we’re here to take action ‘with nothing left to lose.'”
This single followed last year’s ‘Slip’. An unholy union of crunchy riffs, booming bass, and breakdowns, Imperial Tide champion an independent mindset in all aspects of their music. The group has built itself from the ground up. They screen-print their moniker on their own t-shirts, hang it on the banisters they build from scratch, and conceptualise it in visual metaphors they film themselves.
Comprised of five childhood friends with a range of experience in the music industry — Musical production degrees, experience with web design and animation, hands-on merchandise production, and more — Imperial Tide has mined the depths of emotional turmoil and existential crisis in order to create music that challenges convention and alters perceptions, screaming in defiance at any and all who would try to oppose their reign. Early live appearances have included Rockville 2021 and the SO WHAT? Music Festival.
