Evangel is a metalcore four-piece, originally hailing from Hamilton. They are determined to make their mark on the New Zealand music-scene one guitar riff at a time. Evangel balances their dynamic sound with raw lyrical honesty that’s full of life. This year they took on the mammoth task of recording, producing and mixing their 6 track debut offering, Sea of the Dead, which was released on 24 June. They originally formed in 2007, “We played a couple of shows but then life took hold and we all moved around. A few years later a promoter, who we’d played a show for, got a hold of us asking if we could fill in at a gig. We threw together a practice and played the show. We were all like, “Why did we stop doing this?” Now we’re back on track. We’ve finally recorded our debut album and are steam-rolling forward.” says James Dean (lead vocals/guitar). James answered the following questions for Muzic.net.nz:

How did you become involved in music?

Josh, Jared and me all jammed together throughout high school. Our guitarist, Josh, turned up at a sports day with a dubbed copy of Master of Puppets and I was like, “I need to play this. We need to play this.” Since then we’ve always had a soft spot for Metallica. A few years after we left school Jared and I started jamming again and asked Josh if he wanted to play guitar. We wrote a few things started looking for a bassist. We didn’t find anyone that clicked so we commandeered Josh’s younger brother, Seth. He played guitar already so we just handed him a bass and told him to play one string at a time. ·

If you could perform with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Metallica followed up by Killswitch Engage. Both amazing live bands.

Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?

Sea of the Dead is probably the one I’m most proud of. It’s fast, has a big chorus, unusual time signatures and still manages to be cohesive. It’s also great fun to play live. ·

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?

Metalcore with a progressive twist. We like to keep it interesting to listen to, aggressive and progressing. I think our songs all feel like they are developing and taking you somewhere as you listen to them.

What can we expect to see from you in the next year?

We will be supporting our album release with a bunch of live shows and we’ve already started pre-production on the next release.

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

Lead Us Forth have a new album that I would love to see live. Saving Grace - I can’t get enough of them. Mothra - hanging out to see them live.

What local albums have you been enjoying recently?

I’ve been listening to Lead Us Forth’s new album, Innoculator. I’ve just dusted off Cold By Winter’s album, We The Living. That thing is a gem and still sounds great. I’ve also somehow only just got on to Beastwars.

What is your favourite NZ venue, and why?

I have soft spot for The Kings Arms. It’s small enough that you can interact with the crowd and still sounds great.

Have you got any tips for dealing with nerves before a gig?

Being prepared goes without being said. Don’t forget to have fun. When you start out I think you focus so much on making an impression you forget what it’s all about. I mean, music’s fun right?

How do you balance your music with other obligations; family, job etc.?

It definitely helps that we’re all friends. Our families all hang together and they’re incredibly supportive.

Where do you get your inspiration to create music from?

I’ve always loved music. I’d listen to my Mum’s classical collection as a kid and be blown away at how music can take you places. Then listening to my sister playing through Fur Elise on piano I thought, people can play this stuff? I can learn to play this stuff and write stuff that takes people places?

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

Get out of the bedroom. There are too many bedroom virtuoso’s that never get out and play. Nothing make you practice harder than screwing up in front of a bunch of people. You’ll soon see your weak spots and you’ll get used to playing in front of people.

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