>>PREVIEW
INNER SURGE
Saturday, April 1
Underground
An irrepressible wave of energy emanating from the centre and radiating outwards in all directions – this is Inner Surge, the politically charged, metal-punk brainchild of Steve Moore that, according to music author Garry Sharpe-Young, was worthy of mention in the hallowed tome The New Wave of American Metal. Just one catch – they’re not American, they’re from Calgary.
Things initially got all fired up back in 2001, when Moore wrote and recorded their debut album, Solus Vernum (Latin for "The Only Truth"), which was followed in 2002 by the critically acclaimed Matrika (Sanskrit meaning "Power of the Word"). Four years later, a fresh outlook and a retooled group dynamic have Inner Surge looking and sounding better than ever, poised to release the long-awaited Signals Screaming.
"This may be our third full-length release, but I would consider it our first because we have a whole new lineup. It is the first time an album turned out to be exactly what I wanted," says Inner Surge’s lead singer and lyricist Steve Moore.
Combining his earnest efforts with those of like-minded musicians proved to be quite a challenge for Moore, but thankfully he has found common ground and a license to groove with band members Bryan Sandau, Jim Fernandes and Scott Taylor. Together they present a united front that actively promotes their agenda of bringing human rights concerns to the forefront of their creative endeavours.
"The whole album is a total collection of all the things we’ve been working on," Moore explains. "Every song on the new album shows a change for the better, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the positive reviews we’ve received.
"Signals Screaming was recorded at Echo Base with Casey Lewis. We went into the studio with a somewhat conscious effort to make each of the songs as effective as they could be while eliminating anything that was not needed or necessary. We wanted every piece of music to count."
To further their ambition of making the little things count, Inner Surge has been focusing their attention on international marketing, chiefly through their internet site www.InnerSurge.com. Most recently they have formed a great relationship with filmmaker Fredy Polania of Polania Pictures who has used their music on the soundtrack to his new horror movie, Cabras. In return, Polania has also filmed two videos for the new album, "Retribution Song" and "Flame and Synergy," According to Moore, it wasn’t easy to pick two tracks out of 11 for video development, but ultimately it came down to the same old equation, making the greatest impact possible and getting their message across in a meaningful and hopefully stimulating way.
"’Retribution Song’ was partially inspired by an event in Uzbekistan where a large group of protesters were shot down in the streets," Moore elaborates. "The lyrics are pretty aggressive, but dissent cannot be crushed. Uprisings may be snuffed out in many places, but our message to the authorities is that it won’t simply go away. ‘Flame and Synergy’ is more melodic," he says of the band’s second choice. "It’s about a relationship with the inner self, inspired by a book called I Refuse to Die by a Kenyan politician named Koigi Wa Wamwere. During his 12-year imprisonment, he found his resolve while being tortured with water. I wanted to bring that energy into the song."
Pushing the boundaries and taking the fine art of headbanging to a higher artistic plane are more than a side effect of cranking amps and blowing eardrums – it is a testament to Inner Surge’s collective determination to end the "blind eye" syndrome that afflicts our privileged society. With pulse-pounding and change-provoking songs like "Welcome to the 5th World" and "No Profit in the Cure" to its credit, Signals Screaming (out on Cyclone Records) delivers a genre-smashing one-two punch that carries over brilliantly to Inner Surge’s dynamic live performances |
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