Brisbane prog-rockers Guards Of May are set to release their debut album, 'Future Eyes'.
The five-piece spent the majority of June and July on tour, supporting New Zealand's Shihad on the east-coast run of their national tour, and supporting Dead Letter Circus at their sold-out show in Brisbane.
Guitarist Keita Neralic couldn't contain himself when he found out they'd be supporting one of his influences. “I've never been more excited – Shihad is one of my favourite bands of all time. They just put on such a good show and I was really excited to see what goes on, and learn – I was trying to learn as much as I could.”
The guys have formed a pretty close-knit relationship with fellow Brisbanites Dead Letter Circus. “We've been rehearsing next door to them for a few years, so we've been good mates for a while. I've been a fan of them since they started … one of their first shows [I saw] just blew my mind. We'd never played to a sold-out Zoo show before, so that was pretty awesome.”
The DLC show signalled the release of first single 'The Observer' from the impending album. Having gained support from some heavier radio programmes, and receiving a review from Dom Alessio on Triple J Unearthed, Keita is not certain whether their style of music should have a place in the Top 40. “I'm not sure that for heavy bands, people think about it that much. When I was at school, you could hear Korn in the Top 40, but you don't really see that anymore; hopefully we can bring that around.”
'Future Eyes' was recorded at Loose Stone Studios with Matt Bartlem, the same producer of their EP 'Control' and, coincidently, a producer who has worked with DLC. Keita says they developed an easy 'back-and-forth' artistic relationship, which helped hone the album's direction. “We focus on giving the best shows we possibly can, so with the album itself, we're trying to capture our live vibe – playing live is the pinnacle.”
'Future Eyes' is available 14 August.
Written by Leisa Howlett
Guards Of May Tour Dates
Sat 15 Aug - The Zoo (Brisbane)Fri 21 Aug - Bald Faced Stag (Sydney)
Sat 29 Aug - Enigma Bar (Adelaide)
Sat 5 Sep - The Toff In Town (Melbourne)
