FORGED IN BLACK INTERVIEW

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Andy (lead guitar) and Kieron (bass & growled vocals) started the band with friends at school in 2009 and Kev (drums) joined soon after. Back then, we were called Merciless Fail. After a line-up change in 2011, Stoz (lead vocals) joined and we set about writing more and were lucky enough to win “Metal to the Masses Essex” and played the mighty “Bloodstock” festival as a result. The four of us have been together since then – we have always had two guitar players, to which we have had several, then Chris Bone (guitar & growls) joined us in 2016 & has been with us since.

2.What’s the origin of the band’s name?
We felt that the name Merciless Fail wasn’t strong enough to reflect our developing sound, so we decided to change it to Forged In Black. This was the eponymous title from the original first album & was a track from that, which had developed into our anthemic closing number. Kieron had originally come up with that title for the track & it encompassed the style of our band as we moved forward

3.Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? 
We all live in Southend, Essex – there is a music scene here, mostly at a venue named “Chinnerys” on Southend seafront. If we play at our home town, this is the main venue we play at, it is the main hub for live music, catering for all types of live bands. Metal is well represented here, but not in many other venues – a lot of different pubs seem to be putting on live music again, some quite well.

4.How would you describe your style?
We’re a heavy metal band that incorporates a variety of different sub genres. We have tried to blend the speed and energy of thrash, the harmonic melody of NWOBHM, the grandeur of doom and the brutality of groove metal. We believe we’re a sum of our many influences.


5.What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
Our first release was our album “Forged in Black” in 2011. We then released an E.P. named “The Tide,” followed by a single, “The Exodus.” We then released our two E.P’s with Chris Tsangarides, “Fear Reflecting Fear” & “Sinner Sanctorum,” the latter released in 2017.  We call ourselves a heavy metal band & want people to expect the impulse to head bang, have well played & composed metal music, with all the twists, turns & nuances we provide – in other words, we want to rock you to hell & make you stay there!!


6.Do you have any new music in the works?
Indeed, we have – we have just finished the recording of a new album with Romesh Dodangoda (Motorhead, Sylosis, Bullet for my Valentine, Phil Campbell) – the rough mixes we have at the moment are brilliant, we are very confident with this album & can’t wait for everyone to hear this. It will be a few months before it’s out, due to production, artwork & other details, but we will make sure this hits hard when it’s released. 


7.How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We played the 2nd stage at Hammerfest X this year, which was a great experience for us – we have had to spend most of this year dealing with the writing/recording of the album, which we will be promoting/gigging on release.  We have a couple of gigs coming up, we will be headlining Cerberfest on Sat 7th July – great all-day gig, fantastic crowd, we are looking forward to going back! Then we will be supporting “Demon” at the Underworld on Sat 29th September – always excellent to play the prestigious Underworld & supporting “Demon” a NWOBHM band, is awesome!

8.What plans do you have for the future as a band?
In the short term, we just want as many people to hear our sound and see our live show. We really feel we have something fresh and exciting to show the metal world and we want to connect with as many metal heads out there. From this we want to play bigger shows and hopefully gain an expansive fan base. Long term we of course want global domination, private jets and our own metal-based family sitcom!  


9.Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen on Google Play, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer with the option of downloading from many of these sites. C.Ds & T-shirts can be ordered from www.forgedinblack.com which takes you to our merchandise services. 


10.What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
To have the effect you had when you were younger, being blown away by any of the metal greats & to remember us for those feelings.  


It was as recently as 2013 that the band Merciless Fail ditched their name and adopted the stronger and infinitely more metallic moniker, Forged In Black – and in four short years they have taken huge strides musically, perfecting a form of metal they can call their own. The Forged In Black sound is pure, unashamed heavy metal, spun from steel threads drawn from across the metal tapestry. The pride and passion of traditional metal beats at the heart of Forged In Black and the guitar melodies speak of unbreakable bonds with the genre’s greats. Yet entwined around that traditional metal heart you will also find the power and fury of thrash, the atmosphere, grandeur and emotion of doom and the epic scope and boundless energy of power metal, all combined into a war hammer of pure, untarnished metal might.

The Forged In Black self-titled, debut album appeared in early 2013, drawing a definite line in the sand between their past and their future. A new four track EP entitled The Tide followed later in the year, showing the first signs of just how potent a force Forged In Black would soon become. Indeed, this EP attracted the attention of producer Romesh Dodangoda, noted for his work with Motörhead, Sylosis and Bullet For My Valentine, who joined them to record single ‘The Exodus’. For the next three years the band honed their skills with relentless live performance, playing with the likes of Breed 77, Savage Messiah, Praying Mantis and Beholder. Finally, in 2016, they felt they had written the finest set of songs since the band had begun and headed into the studio with legendary producer Chris Tsangarides, a man who helped to craft some of the greatest albums ever recorded, by bands such as Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and King Diamond. They emerged with the Fear Reflecting Fear EP, a release which gained them more critical acclaim than ever before.

"More electric live shows followed the EPs release, with Forged In Black crossing swords with Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Neverworld , Alwaid and The Deep amongst others, before they returned to the studio, again with Chris Tsangarides. Another EP was the result of this second collaboration between Forged In Black and the renowned producer, the stunning Sinner Sanctorum. Fear Reflecting Fear may have set new standards for Forged In Black, but Sinner Sanctorum shattered them into a million pieces, and took the band rocketing to unprecedented heights. Sharper, more focussed, more accomplished and infinitely more powerful than anything they had released before, Sinner Sanctorum dared to stand tall beside the illustrious releases of Chris Tsangarides past work. Now a new chapter is about to begin for one of British metal's brightest rising stars..."

“...stuning molten metal...”
Powerplay Magazine
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Judas Priest | Candlemass | Grand Magus

Line-up:
Chris Stoz Storozynski - Lead Vocals
Andy Songhurst - Guitars
Kieron Rochester - Bass and Vocals
Chris Bone – Guitars
Kev Rochester - Drums