Symptoms Of Eternity
Album Info
Louisville based label Dunamis Records has announced the signing of Deny The Fallen, who released their debut release Symptoms Of Eternity in the fall of 2018. The band is fronted by front men Rey Parra (Sacred Warrior, Worldview) and Jonathan Johnson (Sacred Warrior, Zeal) and is joined by fellow bandmates Josh Johnson (drums), Harbor Horton (Rhythm guitars), and Erik Kyr (bassist). This is the first time Parra and Johnson have joined together to collaborate on a project since their pairing in 1991 for the Sacred Warrior studio release Obsessions.
Johnson stated in a recent interview about their upcoming debut release: "What I've set out to do is difficult. We made a completely modern metal album that won't get labeled Nu Metal, that sounds polished and raw at the same time. We wanted the music super heavy, yet melodic and hooky all at once. Not to mention, I'm taking an iconic vocalist and shattering what everyone would expect of him and adding a second lead vocalist with him, creating a completely different sound. It was an uphill battle trying to achieve all of those things and do it in a way that people would receive it. I was expecting 10% of people (the old school Sacred Warrior fans) to hear me and Rey doing something different and also Rey singing with someone else. I figured some people would get offended by that or upset by that. Yet, I've only seen 2, maybe 3 comments probably in the last 4 months."
This debut release sports a platter of special guests including Bruce Swift (Sacred Warrior), Dale Thompson (Bride, Perpetual Paranoia), Jimmy P Brown II (Deliverance), and Oz Fox from the legendary hard rock quartet Stryper. Though these guests have been noted icons of some of the best music coming from the 80's and 90's, Johnson states, "This is not the driving force behind Symptoms. We set out to make something 2018 and this doesn't sound 80's at all. I didn't want it to sound like Korn or one of those bands. I wanted to have elements of all the classic music. I wanted to bring our roots into it, but use those colors in a completely different way than we used to use them. I added them in where people who are accustomed to that era of music expect it and are going to hear it. It's going to jump out in flashes. It is not going to be the driving force behind the sound because it sounds completely modern. The other thing I wanted to do was take all of the elements of metal, be it death metal, extreme power metal, speed metal, melodic and such, and blend it together. I don't have any one song all that way. I like the breakdown in Murder Machine. That's a perfect example. It is a traditional death metal breakdown (the speed metal 64th note riffs and such) making a modern sound and throwing hints of traditional metal that could have been heard on a Slayer record. Throwing that in there like a flash and then going back away from it. Again, we wanted to pay homage to where we came from."
So, what can people expect from this debut release? Johnson stated: "There is a whole different atmosphere on each individual song. They all have a life on their own and they all have their own level of intensity and message as well. I think when someone plays this album from song 1 to song 11, they're going to be shocked. I feel there are very few records once every four to six years. Maybe once a decade, you will get an album in the rock world that every song on it can stand on its own. Where every song can be a single. There is no filler material or B sides or anything like that. That's been the overall consensus of this record. This record truly is the grace of God. It is God raining down creativity and He opened the heavens over us and said "Here you go. There are a lot of accolades that are being used regarding this album. Yet it's so much more than just the music. There are a lot of talented artists within the Christian industry. Bands from top to bottom. Talent really doesn't have a lot to do with it. It's about divine ability and grace coming on you. There was a grace that came upon us to write this album. I felt like I was riding a huge tsunami wave as we were asking for inspiration, and that goes beyond talent. Did we put in the time? Absolutely! But the level of the strength of the songs and the quality of the album I have to attribute to the Holy Spirit. I've never had a writing experience like this. It was like a soundtrack in my head downloading like a prolific writing experience. I've never experienced anything like this in my music career."
The ultimate goal of this record is not to create a fanbase as most bands would be accustomed to, but rather building community. Johnson stated: "If we can develop a community of people. If we can inspire these people to come together and pray for one another and to get to know each other, that's been the most exciting part of the process other than the music for me. The music becomes the dinner bell for people to come together. So rather than fans, we want to develop friends. It's going to be impossible as we grow because I'd love to communicate with everyone that communicates with us. That is our heart. We relish those relationships because we are all part of the same family."
Jonathan Johnson (Zeal, Sacred Warrior, Godman) - Lead Guitars/Vocals
Harbor Horton - Rhythm Guitars
Erik Kyr (Zeal) - Bass/Background Vocals
Josh Johnson - Drums
Bruce Swift (Sacred Warrior) - Guitars
Oz Fox (Stryper, Sin Dizzy, Bloodgood) - Guitars
Dylan Parra - Background Vocals
Johnson stated in a recent interview about their upcoming debut release: "What I've set out to do is difficult. We made a completely modern metal album that won't get labeled Nu Metal, that sounds polished and raw at the same time. We wanted the music super heavy, yet melodic and hooky all at once. Not to mention, I'm taking an iconic vocalist and shattering what everyone would expect of him and adding a second lead vocalist with him, creating a completely different sound. It was an uphill battle trying to achieve all of those things and do it in a way that people would receive it. I was expecting 10% of people (the old school Sacred Warrior fans) to hear me and Rey doing something different and also Rey singing with someone else. I figured some people would get offended by that or upset by that. Yet, I've only seen 2, maybe 3 comments probably in the last 4 months."
This debut release sports a platter of special guests including Bruce Swift (Sacred Warrior), Dale Thompson (Bride, Perpetual Paranoia), Jimmy P Brown II (Deliverance), and Oz Fox from the legendary hard rock quartet Stryper. Though these guests have been noted icons of some of the best music coming from the 80's and 90's, Johnson states, "This is not the driving force behind Symptoms. We set out to make something 2018 and this doesn't sound 80's at all. I didn't want it to sound like Korn or one of those bands. I wanted to have elements of all the classic music. I wanted to bring our roots into it, but use those colors in a completely different way than we used to use them. I added them in where people who are accustomed to that era of music expect it and are going to hear it. It's going to jump out in flashes. It is not going to be the driving force behind the sound because it sounds completely modern. The other thing I wanted to do was take all of the elements of metal, be it death metal, extreme power metal, speed metal, melodic and such, and blend it together. I don't have any one song all that way. I like the breakdown in Murder Machine. That's a perfect example. It is a traditional death metal breakdown (the speed metal 64th note riffs and such) making a modern sound and throwing hints of traditional metal that could have been heard on a Slayer record. Throwing that in there like a flash and then going back away from it. Again, we wanted to pay homage to where we came from."
So, what can people expect from this debut release? Johnson stated: "There is a whole different atmosphere on each individual song. They all have a life on their own and they all have their own level of intensity and message as well. I think when someone plays this album from song 1 to song 11, they're going to be shocked. I feel there are very few records once every four to six years. Maybe once a decade, you will get an album in the rock world that every song on it can stand on its own. Where every song can be a single. There is no filler material or B sides or anything like that. That's been the overall consensus of this record. This record truly is the grace of God. It is God raining down creativity and He opened the heavens over us and said "Here you go. There are a lot of accolades that are being used regarding this album. Yet it's so much more than just the music. There are a lot of talented artists within the Christian industry. Bands from top to bottom. Talent really doesn't have a lot to do with it. It's about divine ability and grace coming on you. There was a grace that came upon us to write this album. I felt like I was riding a huge tsunami wave as we were asking for inspiration, and that goes beyond talent. Did we put in the time? Absolutely! But the level of the strength of the songs and the quality of the album I have to attribute to the Holy Spirit. I've never had a writing experience like this. It was like a soundtrack in my head downloading like a prolific writing experience. I've never experienced anything like this in my music career."
The ultimate goal of this record is not to create a fanbase as most bands would be accustomed to, but rather building community. Johnson stated: "If we can develop a community of people. If we can inspire these people to come together and pray for one another and to get to know each other, that's been the most exciting part of the process other than the music for me. The music becomes the dinner bell for people to come together. So rather than fans, we want to develop friends. It's going to be impossible as we grow because I'd love to communicate with everyone that communicates with us. That is our heart. We relish those relationships because we are all part of the same family."
Lineup
Rey Parra (Sacred Warrior, Worldview) - Lead VocalsJonathan Johnson (Zeal, Sacred Warrior, Godman) - Lead Guitars/Vocals
Harbor Horton - Rhythm Guitars
Erik Kyr (Zeal) - Bass/Background Vocals
Josh Johnson - Drums
Guest Artists
Dale Thompson (Bride, The World Will Burn, Perpetual Paranoia, N.O.G.) - VocalsBruce Swift (Sacred Warrior) - Guitars
Oz Fox (Stryper, Sin Dizzy, Bloodgood) - Guitars
Dylan Parra - Background Vocals
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