Ben - Band Interview

What first drew you to metal, and which bands had the biggest influence on your sound?

The simple answer to what drew me to metal is…Slayer and Sepultura!

That punk-infused pace and aggression of their earlier material hooked me in from the first time I heard them and was unlike anything I’d heard as an early teen.

I always liked Megadeth over Metallica -  Megadeth, to me, carved their own identity and just struck a “chord” with me…
*groans*

It was mainly during the “grunge” explosion that I sought out increasingly extreme music, searching for bands that pushed speed, brutality and musicianship further than anything I'd heard before, embracing the early death metal scene with bands like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Nocturnus and Death via tape trading and magazines.

I felt each of those bands brought a difference to what metal could be, and I still adore the cavernous production, skewed riffing and overwhelming sense of unease that those late-'80s and early-'90s Morbid Angel records exude.
(They definitely still influence my joy of just cocking about on my 7-string guitar!)

Trey’s riffs and Pete’s drumming fundamentally reshaped how I think about heavy music.

As much as I did enjoy a lot of those “grunge” bands, I just craved things that were heavier, punishing, more technical and without compromise.

The Scandinavian assault of Black Metal also interested me, especially bands like Dark Funeral, Marduk and early Immortal, because again, they played stupidly fast and had a lot of attitude…plus, it was kinda edgy for its time. hahaha

Then came the melodic/more poetic lyrical charge of “Dodsmetal” of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Opeth and At The Gates, which changed everything for me once more!

Oh, and not forgetting the incomparable Swedish band, Entombed, who, to me, pioneered that “death and roll” style that I think you can, inadvertently, hear a little of in VEIL PEIRCER’s music.

In the mid-90s-ish, I hadn’t tape-traded in a while and decided to become pen pals with some people via the excellent (and sadly missed) Terrorizer magazine, and a Scottish lass introduced me to Cryptopsy and Meshuggah…and that was it!

GAME OVER, MAN! GAME OVER!

‘None So Vile’ became my favourite Death Metal album (and still is), while Meshuggah became my favourite band.

I managed to get that Cryptopsy record on tape from an import company I found in Terrorizer magazine, and it didn’t leave my Walkman throughout the end of school and into my college years!

Meanwhile, ‘Destroy, Erase, Improve’ by Meshuggah completely rewired the way I thought about rhythm. Their music wasn't just heavy—it felt architectural, with grooves built from tension rather than convention.

It significantly changed my approach to rhythm, drumming/metal songwriting and pushed me to take a deep dive into music theory, which has subsequently shaped my entire career as a professional sound designer and composer for games, TV and film.

Frederick Throdendal’s solos opened up that world of jazz-trained players and introduced me to the likes of Alan Holdsworth, etc.

Tool became a massive part of my younger musical DNA with their ‘AEnima’ record, and that album still holds a lot of weight for me, even amongst their other records.

I do have to give credit to my Canadian lord and master, Devin Townsend, too.
His output coloured my own songwriting, production and work ethic, and I was massively inspired by his incredible output.

Before I forget again, I have a special place in my collection for Faith No More, because they taught me to play keyboards!

Oh, and my full embrace of bands like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Radiohead and such along the way has clearly been a positive too.

My old band, ENOCHIAN THEORY, were clearly pushed forward by my obsession with Devin, Tool, Meshuggah, and Swedish melodo-death, but I brought my own quintessential British misery to those songs…haha

I think most people my age went through the nu-metal phase, because there were some great songs amongst the baggy jeans and other nonsense!

The slower, gloomier but as heavy bands like Cult of Luna, Isis and Pelican are part of my vocabulary.

I went through a huge phase of the utterly mesmerising chaos of bands like Dillinger Escape Plan, Drowningman, Coalesce, Converge, Luddite Clone, Discordance Axis and Burnt By The Sun…whom I still listen to because they’re just next level.

That tangential journey into more “mathematical music” led me to listen to bands that have, I feel, their own sound like Ulcerate, The Ocean, Methwitch, Humanity’s Last Breath, etc.

Despite listing all those “metal” bands, I am also very much steered by what I deem to be “heavy” acts that are not metal, whether it’s the brooding gloom of 16 Horse Power/WovenHand, the shrieking oddness of Diamanda Galas, the wall of noise/textures of Lightning Blot, Swans, Merzbow, Masonna, Explosions In The Sky, the prestine voice of Dallas Green, the layered depth of  Heilung, the crossover collision of Dalek, clipping., Death Grips, the “comedy” rap of Eminem and so many others.

I have a special place in my heart for psy-trance and drum & bass too, definitely taking some of the heavier production ideas from the latter.

I feel a lot of my teen years enjoyment of music, especially in metal, was my desire to have a faster pace of music in my life, so after death metal, drum & bass/dance was easy for me to latch onto with records like ‘Project Human’ by Dieselboy, ‘BP Empire’ by Infected Mushroom and ‘New Forms’ by Reprazent/Roni Size.

I have huge admiration for classical music, scoring and arranging that style; I enjoy minimalist drone music; I’m drawn to the lonely nature of the acoustic singer-songwriter genre and so much more!
It’s all left its mark on me as a composer and songwriter.

My contribution to VEIL PIERCER is often instinctive rather than calculated. We know where we want to end up, but the route there is usually found through experimentation, failure and eventually recognising the moment when everything clicks.

We know what we want to sound like and how to achieve that, but so much comes from trying things as a band, failing and then finding the right route to where we say “Yeah, that’s what we want!”.

Do you remember the moment you decided music was something you wanted to dedicate your life to?

I guess it was hitting my parents' best saucepans and pots with wooden spatulas when I was a child that started it all!

Rhythm has always been king to me.
I’m an absolute sucker for a killer groove, timing signature or polyrhythm, no matter what genre or style.

Listening to my Dad’s record collection with artists like Prince, Boston, Floyd, Tina Turner and such hit me in my formative years, but ‘Graceland’ by Paul Simon remains a treasured moment for me to this day.
I wore out 2 tapes of that album in my tape player before I got a CD!

I believe that working incredibly hard to get ENOCHIAN THEORY out there in the late 00’s was pivotal too, as it taught me so much about the industry pitfalls, business acumen and what is expected of being a professional musician in a professional band…as well as what to avoid, who to avoid and how not to act.

I’ve sort of segued through many music-based jobs in the industry to where I am today, and I am thankful for all those attempts, perceived failures and learning experiences because I now have a veritable wealth of experience to call on to work with new bands, help other bands and generally offer a lot of support if needed.

Who has been the biggest influence on you as a musician, both on and off the stage?

I have a few people close to me that have influenced me, namely my cousin, Benjamin, who gave me that first Megadeth tape to take to a Christian youth club because I thought I was edgy when I was a scratty little beanpole of a teen…hahaha

My cousin got me into acts like Devin Townsend, Fear Factory and Alice In Chains, who are bands I utterly adore…but I thankfully avoided his love of glam bands…haha

My old ‘jazz guitar’ teacher/friend, Paul, who used to “force” me to learn things simply by coming over to my place, picking up a guitar and uttering the now immortal lines, “So, Benny…I’ve been learning this recently…” which I would then sigh at, feign attention but eventually start playing about with in my own time…and I’m thankful for his persistence!

My old music teacher, Mr Laurence, in school opened my eyes to playing music for the sheer enjoyment of it, forgetting the need for theory and just feeling things out.

I’ve listed my favoured musician perspectives, but so many people have come in and out of my life that have made an impact on me over the years.

What's one song you've written that means the most to you personally, and why?

I have a few that still hit me hard, so choosing one is very difficult.

I write so much music across so many different genres, projects and styles that it can get a little difficult to recall…but I’ll choose a few that I definitely know affect me.

‘Distances’, which I wrote for ENOCHIAN THEORY in 2011, holds a lot of weight in my memory, as it was me admitting a lot of guilt and saying goodbye to someone I hurt a lot by being a stupid little boy…and yet through that self-healing, sheer determination to gain reprieve, paying a huge penance and eventual absolution, that person became my wife, and I am a much better man for going through that journey.

‘Singularities’ is another ENOCHIAN THEORY song I wrote, and it was based around the death by suicide of a friend of mine in 2010, and singing that song every night on tours helped me so much in dealing with my grief and confusion around how someone could get into such a position that they would want to take their own life…and yet, I very much understand how that feeling/situation can happen now after my own suicidal ideation problems and attempt to take my own life in 2019.
Nothing is ever black and white.

More recent songs that have affected me personally are the 23-minute track, ‘Try Not To Dwell On It’ by OCEANICA, which is a pure dedication to my mother and my vocalist friend, Angie, who both passed away in preceding months/year.

That record was a heck of an undertaking for one person/me, but I’m proud to have completed it, and the sound I achieved, and it was a very cathartic experience for a grieving man.

And, I’d say, rediscovering a liquid drum & bass track I started with the aforementioned deceased friend called ‘With Love’, is another I really like from my MASS!VE DYNAM!C project.

I have found the determination to complete it, but revisiting that has been a real heartbreaking moment as it’s a heck of a vocal performance by her and states the last time we properly did anything together.

The lyrics/vocals I wrote for her to sing have a strange new meaning to them…yet, her memory and vibrant vitality live on in the song as a result of these things.

How has being in a metal band changed you as a person?

I’m not sure being in a “metal” band changed me, per se…however, it’s definitely left me emotionally scarred, financially destitute and made me reconsider my life choices!
hahaha

I am definitely aware that various factors and events surrounding my lengthy musical journey to be in VEIL PIERCER have shaped me and reshaped me multiple times, but my core belief of trying to be a good person and doing the best you can with what you have has never changed.

If you’re going to do something, give it your all or what is the point?

The universe owes you nothing, so get out there and try because regret for not trying is a huge weight for anyone to bear, and I refuse to bear that weight if I can at least try my best.

When you're not making music, what do you do to unwind or find inspiration?

Unsurprisingly, still doing music! Hahaha
I genuinely find writing music across many styles and genres to be my way to relax.

I struggle to do nothing because I find that boring and would rather be creative!

Thusly, I love creating videos by filming, editing, grading and all that fun stuff.

Doing coding and software creation is also a bit of a passion and has definitely helped me to solve several technical problems over the years.

I’m a big computer game nerd and have been since I first got my Nintendo NES in 1987.

There is something so engaging about a well-conceived story, sublime execution and enjoyable interactions within a game that capture my interest.
Equally, pretending to blow up your friends in a PvP shooter is also fun!

I’m a huge reader and always have 3 books on rotation at one time, with a fiction, non-fiction and instruction book on the go, which I dip into depending on what mood I am in.

I love cooking food, and I’m grateful to have had that sense of culinary exploration drilled into me by my parents.

I love travelling and have visited/lived in many places I never thought I would, such as Japan, China, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and many more.