2016 was a massive year for Norwegian metalcore band, Aerial. After the release of their debut EP, Foresight, the band went on to continue building their fanbase by playing multiple shows around Norway along with the country’s largest music festival, Skjærgårds. Already, Aerial is starting the new year off strong with the release of their stunning music video for “Foreign Coast” and plans to hit the road for a European tour in April! Get to know Aerial before they hit the road and watch the music video for “Foreign Coast” below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Aerial for any readers who might not be familiar?
Aerial is a progressive metalcore quartet from Norway. We started our journey in January 2015. We’ve been trying to breathe life into our genre, while simultaneously scalp our sound towards the new and refreshing sound of metalcore. We grew up together, playing in all kinds of different rock-bands. We really love to play heavy music. Our music is dynamic and balanced, inspired and produced by some of the greatest people in the industry.
You guys had a pretty big 2016 with the release of your debut EP, Foresight. Looking back on it now that it has been out for a little bit, what is your favorite thing about the EP?
The positive feedback we’ve received from people all over the world is definitely our favorite thing about the EP. We sacrificed a lot during the time of writing, recording and release of the EP, so getting the response we have means everything. Some of our favorites things about this EP are the real emotions and passion that you find listening through the songs, and the lyrics where you find topics going through the deeper things in life. After throwing away a fully written EP to get the songs to where we wanted them to be, we’re glad to say that we’re very proud of the end product.
It being your debut release, did you have any big goals in mind when you were working on Foresight?
Indeed. We set the bar really high, and made some crazy goals. We had goals as to how we wanted our sound, and to specific booking agency’s and labels. We wanted our music to be up to par with our favorite bands, and we wanted our EP to get us out to play. It’s been very hard for us living in Norway and still reach out to labels and being able to tour, but this EP has definitely helped on the way.
What was the most rewarding part about working on the EP? The most challenging?
We had been working with material for months with a producer that just didn’t get us where we wanted. He shut down our ideas, and made a lot of shortcuts. It just wasn’t an option for us, it was rather embarrassing.
And so we started to re-write riffs, and we wrote a lot of new material. When it started to take shape we hit up Keaton from Invent, Animate. He was the absolute most rewarding part in the process of working on the “Foresight” EP. We can’t thank him enough really.
You’re already starting 2017 off strong with the release of the music video for “Foreign Coast”! What makes this song special to you?
“Foreign Coast” is about dealing with self-acceptance, and the beauty of all the realizations that are being revealed as life unfolds. As the title suggests its purpose is to unlock the unknown dimensions of life, and it’s definitely a powerful and inspiring song for us personally.
We really want to make the world a better place in some way, shape or form. “Foreign Coast” is a reminder of hope when life’s wearing thin, and an appreciation when it’s going great.
The video features some really beautiful locations and scenery. How was filming?
We had a really great time with the guys in TreFilm. Latvia is an amazing place to be.
We actually went down a couple days prior of the shoot just to get a better look at the country. On the first day of shooting we went straight ahead and started out filming all the band shots. It was a really cool place to film. From what seems like an abandoned building is actually a functional studio, which was really cool.
We drove around to a lot of different locations throughout the days of filming. And in addition to the “Foreign Coast” video we also filmed a lot of extra content that will hopefully be released in the future.
Now that you’ve got your first EP under your belts, what’s next for Aerial? Could fans expect a full-length in the future?
We’re really excited to announce that we´re going on a European tour in April which is really exciting for us. We’ll be posting regularly on social media and show our fans more of ourselves and for them to get to know us better.
Will there be a full-length? Of course there will. We’ve already started writing, and can’t wait to take our band to the next level. This will however not be in the nearest future, but hopefully we’ll be of interest to labels, which might fasten the process.
Do you have any plans or goals for future music? How would you like to see yourselves continue to grow?
We would really like to be signed with a good label and a booking agency that can put us on tours on a regular basis. We’re currently taking care of everything ourselves, so being signed with a management, label or booking agency would definitely be a relief to the band, that can make us focus more on writing new material and performance.
We would also like to see more tours coming and to get more financial support, so that we can reach out to more fans efficiently.
Are there any other big plans in the works for 2017? What are you most excited for this year?
There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and the results will speak for themselves. As we mentioned earlier we’ll be going on a European Tour in April, so that’s definitely one of the things we look forward to in 2017.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Definitely. Thanks for having us! We just released pre-orders for our merch, so for anyone that wan’t to support our band head over to:
http://merchnow.com/catalogs/aerial
We get some really cool stuff coming up, so stay updated!
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