It's
been a long time since I interviewed an upcoming band that I think a
lot of people should know about. Today's guests – Legend Has It –
is one such band. Legend Has It is a Doom/Stoner Metal Band from
Coral Springs, Florida and who have just released their superb debut
EP – From Time Before Light.
What
makes Legend Has It standout from the crowd is their heavy style of
thrashy low down dirty riffs that had me on edge.
I
described the EP as:
“Legend
Has It is a band who came to my attention recently as they play some
impressive hard-rocking Sludge/Stoner Metal with an added menace of
Doom Metal. Their debut EP – From Time Before Light – even
ventures into Thrash Metal territory. So this band covers a lot of
bases for the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal crowd. Shades of Black Sabbath,
Red Fang, The Sword and even Metallica can be heard with Legend Has
It's music.
OK
so originality might be out of the window for their first EP but you
can't deny what a blast this EP is from start to finish..”
To
get the word out about these guys they have kindly agreed an
interview with myself. So lets see what they have to say to us at
Sludgelord HQ.
Q:
Hi guys, Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today?
A:
“Pretty well. I’d say besides being the most tired group of guys
in their 20’s around, we are feeling pretty solid.”
Q:
Can you give a brief history of how the band came about and where it
is today?
A:
“For sure. It’s actually been quite a strange process really.
Justin (guitar), Jay (drums), and I (Emilio; vocals) have all been
close friends for quite some time now. It was in late 2012 that we
started what was then the “original” Legend
Has It. Each
of us could play some sort of instrument and to us that meant we
could start a band and that’s exactly what we did. At first it was
all about jamming and not associating ourselves with a genre because
that would be lame and no fun and let me tell you, we SUCKED! It took
us six months to put forth an original song and the song wasn’t
very good. So with the lack of moral we called it quits for a while
and it wasn’t until we set a proper foundation and established
roles that we found our sound and started hammering out songs more
and more often. After going through a few bassists, Joey (current
bassist) kind of came to us out of nowhere and the band has been
one-hundred times tighter ever since. And here we are now, ready to
record an eight to ten song LP; we are extremely happy with what’s
come of the band.”
Q:
Where did the name Legend Has It come from?
A:
“Our drummer, Jay and guitarist Justin, came up with the name quite
some time ago. It was the name of a duo guitar project they had
formed together one late night in a hazy garage.”
Q:
How would you describe your own sound as I think its best coming from
the band?
A:
“Most of what we do is all about fun. We take a great amount of
inspiration from bands that lead the genres current generation
(Mastodon,
The Sword, Red Fang, Sleep,
Etc.) but at this current moment, we are not looking to push the
threshold of what people think about stoner metal, we are saving that
for a developing project (stay tuned, it’s going to be immense). A
lot of what we play is heavy and hard hitting and for what we are
playing now that is all that matters. A lot of people get lost in
trying to do something that’s never been done before; instead
sometimes simplicity is the best solution.”
Q:
You have just released your debut EP a few weeks back. Was that an
easy or hard EP to write and record for?
A:
“Somewhere between the two, really. The process itself was easy; it
was the preparation for recording which took some time. For each of
us, besides Joey (bassist), this was a very new experience and
mapping out songs and making sure everything was tightly packed to a
set metronome was definitely something completely alien to us. In the
end we learned a lot form it and now each song is given a set tempo
directly after completing it.”
Q:
I dig the whole vibe of the EP. It’s a great EP full of many
different sounds. Do you think the EP represents you fully as a band?
A:
“I would say so, yeah. Though much of what we play is still in
development. We are a young band still and I think with so many
different inspirations it is hard to choose a direction which we
should follow. Trust me in this though, it will only get heavier from
here!”
Q:
You’re from Florida. What is the scene like down there? Are there
opportunities for a new band like your own to perform on a regular
basis? Or do you travel further afield to perform regularly.
A:
“That’s definitely a funny question for us to answer. In short,
the scene down here is tight and very much works like a family all of
whom support one another with friendship and equality. With that in
mind think of us as the odd cousins that no one really cares for; we
have a very hard time fitting in with the sound of south Florida.
Fortunately, we gig a fair amount and because of which have made our
way into a small underground scene accompanied by bands that share
very similar interests and sounds.”
Q:
Is it harder to get gigs in today’s climate especially with you
being a very new band with a particular heavy sound?
A:
“It very much can be, especially since we can’t go and play any
random bar because of the heaviness. But if you know the right people
and make it an active effort to search and approach others with
respect gigs will pop up in every which direction.”
Q:
You’re currently recording your debut full length record. How is it
that going? Will you be releasing that record yourselves and when
will that be released by.
A:
“It goes well! We are practically done with the writing process at
this point (mind a few tweaks and adjustments) and now it is a matter
of making sure everything is studio ready. As for the release, we
will once more release it ourselves and record with someone local, I
would say it could very well be done by mid-summer of this year if we
are persistent and find time away from our hectic work schedules,
which in the end is our absolute biggest setback.”
Q:
What is the song-writing dynamic in the band? Is it down to one
individual or a group process?
A:
“It is a bit of both. Guitar work is usually done between me
(Emilio) and Justin. I write a good portion of the guitar work but
cannot play it at a level of cleanness like Justin can. Then
thereafter, Joey helps with organization as he has the most seasoned
knowledge of music and its composition. Finally, drums are entirely
up to Jay and lyrics and vocal range are entirely up to me. It can be
tedious but with time it has gotten more and more refined, hopefully
this continues.”
Q:
I discovered you guys on Facebook as you posted your EP to one of the
groups we both visit often. How important is Social Media to a new
band like your own?
A:
“Social media has become entirely too important for not only us,
but to so many other bands a like. It is an awesome way to expose
yourself, and is almost now a necessity but groups are judged based
on how many “Likes” they receive on Facebook and it makes it hard
for the newer bands to earn fair judgement. So while social media can
be a great service (Like the EP review and this interview and the
exposure you guys provide for others) it can also be a crushing
factor. It’s easy to put your stuff out there, getting people to
listen is a different challenge all together. “
Q:
Which bands or musicians influence you to become a musician? Any
particular albums that stand out.
A:
“The list is long and beautiful. Always, always, ALWAYS Mastodon.
And
just as important is Black
Sabbath,
The
Sword, Red Fang, Opeth, Sleep, Kylesa, Dozer, Bison BC, and
even Metallica
in
some cases. We each have very different tastes in music ranging from
Between
the Buried and Me
to Behold
theArctopus
and it makes for a very cool product. I will say that the newer
unreleased songs have a heavy influence from Remission
and
Leviathan
by
Mastodon
and
it is making for some pain inducing riffs and rhythms, we can’t
wait to unveil those ones!”
Q:
Well guys thanks for doing this interview. Hope to hear more from you
in the future. Do you have any words of wisdom for your growing
fanbase?
A:
“It was our pleasure, thank you, Steve. And for the fans, make sure
to spread the word and keep in contact as we have way more stuff on
the way. The more fans we have in all areas, the more likely it will
be for us to go on tour and bring the heaviness to you, in your home
town.”
Well
guys thanks for this. All the best with your new EP.
Words by Steve Howe and Legend Has It.
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