Interview

Reign Of Fury Discusses Latest Album "Death Be Thy Shepard"

For thrash fans, last year's "Death Be Thy Shepherd" was a serious high point, released via Static Tension Recordings back at the beginning of 2015.

This U.K. outfit isn't stopping there though, as the band recently recruited a new guitarist and is now in the process of working on the follow-up album.

Recently vocalist Bison Steed and new guitarist Ross "Lenny" McLennan checked in with Metalunderground.com to talk everything from tats to the perfect album artwork to putting out quality material by working under pressure. Check out the full interview below, along with a stream of a standout track from "Death Be Thy Shephard."

xFiruath: Do any of the Reign Of Fury guys have ink, and if so what tattoos are you sporting now or planning on getting soon?

Bison: I have a bunch of tattoos, mostly done by friends training so none are finished haha. I have a few ideas on what to get next. I have one planned to cover my forearm that's an abstract interpretation of my son's name.

Lenny: I have no tattoo's and no piercings - if I walked passed you in the street you'd probably have no idea that I'm into metal. Which I kind of like.

xFiruath: You've got your new album out (which I guess is actually coming up on a year old now!) and a new guitarist. Other than that, what has Reign Of Fury been up to in the last few months?

Bison: We have been continuing our “Death Be Thy Shepherd” tour to support the album and right now we are gearing up to spend some time working on an album.

Lenny: It's been kind of crazy for me as the guys had quite a large back catalogue for me to learn and I leaped into this with only 4-5 days before the first show. So when I'm not getting to grips with the songs from previous releases I'm writing for the next one - I don't sleep much.

xFiruath: From initial writing to having the actual pressed CD in your hands, how long did the creation of “Death Be Thy Shepherd” take, and what was the biggest hurdle or most difficult obstacle to overcome during that process?

Bison: It took ages, at least a year. We had a massive gap during the year where we focused on the Headbanger's Balls tour and other gigs, leaving us hardly any time to finish writing. When it finally came time to record our deadlines were so ridiculously short. We went into the studio on the first of January and by the last week of the month everything had been recorded, mixed, mastered and was in the hands of the pressing company. We seem to thrive on pressure and stress lol.

xFiruath: That is some killer and very iconic cover artwork, but I can't place the artist. The style (although not the subject matter) reminds me a bit of that White Wizzard album from a few years back. Who handled the artwork and how closely did you work with the artist?

Bison: It's by Matt Dixon. He also did the White Wizzard artwork. We work very closely with him and will continue for as long as we can, we love his artwork. He has such great vision and creates exactly what we want every time, can't praise him enough.

xFiruath: How does the art connect to the music, and what are the overall lyrical themes going on with the album?

Bison: The artwork actually serves as a visual muse for me. I tend to write about things that I know, personal situations, books or pieces of art that I like. The artwork help me form these into a lose concept for the album. Both “World Detonation” and “Death Be Thy Shepherd” have a concept behind them linking the songs in a story type narrative. Each song has two or three meanings so as to what the story is is up to the listener.

xFiruath: Where is Reign Of Fury headed next for one-off live shows or more extensive touring?

Bison: We have a few more gigs on the Dbts tour and a few one offs like Hammerfest and Thrasersaurus.

Lenny: Also we have a few European dates in Belgium and Holland so make sure you checkthe Facebook page out for those. That should be a fun weekender tour. Playing with some really good bands who we haven't played with before.

xFiruath: What's going on in your local metal scene and how active is Reign Of Fury with the local venues and bands?

Lenny: We are a bit scattered around the U.K/ so the band has no real “local” scene but I'd say there is quite a difference in the south where I live compared to say the Midlands. The south of the U.K. seems to be a lot more into technical/death metal. We have all been doing this for a long time so I'd like think we're fairly embedded in our respective metal communities. Brighton (20 mins from me) has an amazing metal scene its almost impossible to keep up to date with who's got new releases etc.

xFiruath: What's the best show you've played lately, and why?

Lenny: My fave was probably my first show - I was full of nerves about song structures etc. but everything came off without a hitch. The Sepultura show was killer and getting to hang out with Evile is always a plus.

Bison: Ivory blacks in Glasgow was great. We love Scotland and any chance to go back we take it. The last gig at Ivory blacks was our first headlining show in Glasgow and it was incredible! The weather was terrible, snow everywhere but people still turned out to fill the place and have a good time. Such a fun gig.

xFiruath: I see you guys have a Bandcamp page, and it seems like that service has been a huge boon for underground metal bands. What's your experience been like using the site, and do you actually get a decent amount of traffic and album buys through Bandcamp?

Bison: We get a lot of digital sales and Bandcamp has always been good for us. I think any digital distribution platform is good if utilized properly though. You can't expect to create a page and just get traffic.

xFiruath: How did you guys get hooked up with Static Tensions Recordings and will you still be with the label for the new album?

Bison: We had been messed around in the past by American labels and we wanted a solid contact to work with. We were put in touch with Kyle at Static Tension, he saw things in the same way we did and more importantly believes in the band. Great guy and his knowledge or the record industry is second to none. I would love to put the next record out with him.