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| BORROWED TIME - Arcane Metal Arts LP | |
HRR 298, ltd 500, 250 x white vinyl + 250 x black vinyl, 425gsm heavy carboard cover, cardboard insert, A3 poster | |
| J. Priest - Bass, Vocals Victor Ruiz - Guitars Sean Cyriis - Drums | |
| -Burning Mistress -Out of the Forest -Necropolis -Sailor of the Seas of Fate -Burning Mistress (live) -Fog In the Valley (live) -Libertine (live) -I'm Waiting for You (live, Danger Zone cover) | |
SOLD OUT! | |
Borrowed Time is a new metal band formed in Detroit, Michigan in 2010. »Arcane Metal Arts«, a compilation of demos and live recordings, is their debut album for High Roller Records (following a split 7" single with British act Wytch Hazel). Borrowed Time are playing 2013's 'Keep It True' festival, quite an honour for such a young band. Singer JP comments: “I remember the exact time in November 2012 when Oliver contacted us about it, and ever since we've been fighting to be our best. Despite being younger fellas, we've all been doing this kind of thing for a while. Matt had his previous dark heavy metal project Ghost Tower, Victor has been playing and writing for the Black/Thrash band Sauron since 2000. I started out coming to these guys' shows and jams, and it just evolved into us working together. Getting this opportunity is something we do not take lightly, so we have fought to the teeth for three years and some to bring our art in its most realized form to the stage and to the wax.” As mentioned above, »Arcane Metal Arts« is just a taster, consisting of various demo recordings and live stuff. JP explains: “Well, the demo was done by me, Victor's younger brother David, and Sean Cyriis, both of them former members of Harbinger (on guitar and drums respectively). The demo holds a special place in my heart, I remember one of the first people I handed the demo to was Joe Hasselvander from Raven at our first gig opening for them! The band as it was on that recording did not stay together, as David now practices law in the South West and Sean had college obligations as well. I pulled a line-up together just to start, and that line-up produced the »Fog in the Valley« 7". In early 2012, we started talking to Matt Preston about being involved. So, for the compilation, it seemed best that we get a live representation that gives people the idea of how we sound NOW. So the compilation can be looked at as a 'then' and 'now' sort of release. The first two live tracks were taken from a gig opening for Castle (on January 24th, 2013) where we had a great crowd and some great energy. The final two live tracks were taken from the 'Warriors of Metal' fest, which was a great honour to play.”
JP explains that »Arcane Metal Arts« will be followed by a proper studio album later in the year: “We have an incredible group of people working together with us on this. Victor, Matt and I with a GREAT drummer named Sam Ceckowski and Mark Kuro of the band Anguish on bass. David will do guest guitar on a track as well, just like he did on »Black Olympia«. It will have nine entirely NEW tracks, no re-recordings, and it should be finished by the middle of February 2013! We rehearsed with Sam for a long time, and it resulted in some of the most positive jams we have ever had. The reward is that it sounds more real and natural as a band than ever! It's a bit darker, but more complex and aggressive as well. As I said, ever since Oliver and you guys for that matter contacted us, the band has been a powerful and rewarding struggle, the best of kinds. We wanted to reflect every single facet of why we are who we are, why I sing, why Matt plays guitar, why Victor plays insane riffs. We have an excellent rhythm section to help us articulate that.”
Borrowed Time's mentioned split 7" single with Wytch Hazel was well received by the press. “We had a nice positive review from Götz at Rock Hard, which is something that is so surreal to me,” says JP. “I wanted to present a juxtaposition, here you have us, a group of heavy metal rockers who try to keep our vices in a row and we also love black metal. Wytch Hazel couldn't be more different in ways, but they also rock and do so with real conviction and rawness. The concept of living in both Heaven and Hell is not new in Metal, Ronnie James Dio obviously patented that as a concept, but I felt it could be conveyed simply through the bands chosen for a split.”
In case you wondered, the name Borrowed Time is indeed a tribute to one of the greatest N.W.O.B.H.M. bands of all time, the mighty Diamond Head: “Oh yes!,” exclaims JP. “Sean Harris is one of my absolute favourite vocalists, Matt Preston and I have had totally man friendship heart to hearts on the greatness of the song 'Call Me'. 'In The Heat Of The Night' obviously takes the cake.” Not surprisingly, the glorious N.W.O.B.H.M. movement has been one of the main influences for Borrowed Time. JP goes into more detail : “Definitely lots of the more strange and melancholy melodic N.W.O.B.H.M., like Legend, Saracen, Deep Switch, Satanic Rites, Bleak House, Pagan Altar and then lots of old metal in the same vein, like Warlord, Manilla Road ... Definitely some classic punk in there as well, like English Dogs. We are also influenced by a lot of Teutonic oddities, like the lesser known acts Crows, Mayfair, Not Fragile and Exises, which will come out more on the album.”
Borrowed Time did a cover version of "Necropolis" by Manilla Road, one of my all-time fave US bands. “They're one of the greatest bands of all time,” comments JP. “Not just in metal. Just totally REAL dudes, making transcendental heavy metal about fantastical concepts. And historical ones as well. But without sounding spinal tap at all, just very gritty and real. The guitar playing sounds like a wizard shooting lightning from his fingers, and the vocals were always quite wizardy. To be on the same record label they put vinyl out through is such a tremendous fanboy honour that I won't even talk about it! They all have heard our version of that great song, and I got the insane privilege to perform with them on stage at the 'Warriors of Metal' fest in Ohio.”
The cover and some of the song titles on »Arcane Metal Arts« seem to suggest that Borrowed Time are singing mainly about occult topics. Is that the case? “Only as a metaphor for what's actually going on in my life or society,” explains JP. “I think it's produced some amazing stuff (Coven records, Mercyful Fate, Acheron song intros ...) but I don't seriously subscribe to it, it's mumbo jumbo just as much as Christianity, but you know, without all the great art. I use it in the sense of summing up my experiences and a reflection of the world around me, I feel exposure to silly occult books, just like with heavy rock music and comic books and DAW fantasy novels, defined how growing up was for me and the rest of us in the band as midwesterners. Strange vernacular amerikana kulture is definitely a huge lyrical influence, as well as shame ... I mean, basically trying to positively channel a pastiche of the folly of post-industrial, post-global midwestern life. Upside down crosses are a part of this.”
According to JP, Borrowed Time are friends with fellow High Roller recording artists High Spirits (and Züül): “We're friends with them, that's true! Chris Black moved into Lansing for a little bit through 2008 when he was starting Planet Metal and turned us on to ZüüL. I've seen ZüüL a handful of times, High Spirits stayed at my house one of the last times they came through. Mike and Bob are totally real dudes. Chris is one of the best - he's a musical dynamo and a top notch chap.”
Matthias Mader