NAME: The Rifle Volunteer
GENRE: Catchy, melancholic Pop Noir
SOUNDS LIKE: Dark, melodic poetry and folk tales in verse form
LOCATION: London and Hertfordshire
LINE UP: Adam Symonds (vocals/guitar), Tim Roddis (guitar), Neal Sydney (piano/organ/backing vocals), Nicholas Brown (bass guitar), Iggy Murray (drums)
WHAT’S THE STORY?: Since enlisting in the music cause as young cadets, comrades Adam Symonds and Nicholas Brown have been allies in various Hardcore Metal troupes. Under the guise of the now fallen Eden Maine they campaigned Europe, providing ground support for Lostprophets and Metal heroes Sepultura. Having won their stripes in explosive riffing, Eden Maine disbanded and Symonds felt compelled to sing rather than shout. They recruited Tim Roddis, who had impressed with his guitar virtuosity during a mutual tour of duty whilst fighting for Sparks Lights and Flames. Neal Sydney later signed up for service on Piano and Organ. They remained occupied manufacturing an arsenal of compositions from early 2006, till Iggy Murray formed the drum core late in 2008. Fully uniformed, the unit marched into less hostile musical territory.
RELEASES: Recorded in Islington at the London School of Sound’s Britannia Row Studios (famous for being built by Pink Floyd and for ‘The Wall’ recordings), the ‘End Season’ single was released on Monday. Featuring B-side ‘No Home Behind The Trees’, it was co-produced by Andrew Wood and released under label Too Pure for the November edition of their singles club. They are polishing new material and plan a follow up single for February 2010.
GIGS: The band play London venues such as 93 Feet East on Brick Lane and Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush. Scheduled to play Upstairs at the Garage in Highbury Corner on Tuesday 15th Dec, tickets are available via ticketweb.co.uk. Currently they are preparing for a tour of Germany and Europe following their next single release.
THEY SAY: “The Rifle Volunteer create dark, epic textures, and capture listeners using organic layers of guitars, pianos and organs. Our observational anecdotes are simple to identify with and our evocative, melodic folk tales stir the imagination.”
WE SAY: Enigmatic masters of the obscure arts, The Rifle Volunteer are legends to be, who conjure grandiose yet intimate soundscapes with a sense of wonder. Their offerings are a hallucinogenic brew of spacious, textural enchantment with intimate, breathy vocals providing a sermon of folklore. The medley conjures a narcotic, fantastical illusion of ambient magic. Piano hammers invoke tinkering tones, which dissipate in the haze of arpaeggiated guitar incantations and reverberate in the depths of the soul. Drums and bass are sympathetic; dimming subtle shades over soft verses with wizardry before illuminating energetic crescendos. The concoction is spellbinding and blurs the disciple in a subdued dream. The Rifle Volunteer are destined to live timelessly in the lore of mythology.
YOU’LL LIKE THIS IF YOU LIKE: Removing yourself from the scene on a park bench on an autumn day to observe the Hell-bent pass by, before waking up on a Sunday morning, realising you’re not in today and drifting back to your blissful dream. Zzz…. Zzz… Zzz
- Stevie Yang Lim
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