DEATH TO THE WITNESS formed in 2009 under the name PLAGUE OF DECEPTION. Aleckson responds to why they decided to change the band name. “That’s an interesting one. All of us had our own reasons for not liking the name. From it not suiting our music, to not liking its anagram. It was a mutual decision to change the name to something that we all liked and that was right for us.”

Aleckson mentions songs written under the name PLAGUE OF DECEPTION were originally carried over to DEATH TO THE WITNESS. The majority of these songs did not make the cut for the EP, with the exception of Break Away.”

DEATH TO THE WITNESS was founded by vocalist, Casey Gargener. At the time he was playing bass for DOWN ROYALE while wanting to start a new band as the vocalist. “He (Gargener) then asked ‘Coop’ (Daniel Cooper, guitarist) to join him. Todd, the original guitarist was found on MySpace after a friend referred his video. I auditioned after a mutual friend of mine and Todd’s told me about the gig. Nick’s (Shaw, bassist) father owns the studio where we jam, which is how he found out about the band.”

After six months of jamming one to two times a week, in this period DEATH TO THE WITNESS wrote their debut EP, A Day in the Light. “As we were a new band, we took our time to write the material for the EP. We then spent two weeks in the studio to record.”

A Day in the Lightwas produced by Andy Marsh at Studio 454 in Brisbane. “We are extremely happy with the direction he gave us during the recording. We definitely wouldn’t have the finished product we have today without him,” says Aleckson.

Aleckson comments on A Day in the Light’s response by the public. “The response so far has been quite good, we are getting a lot of positive comments from fans, which always makes the time and effort spent worth it.”

The track to listen out for on the EP is Til Death. “My favourite track by far, I really enjoy the fast pace of the song, and its overall feel. It’s also my favourite to play!”

The cover design and concept for A Day in the Light was done by graphic designer Elton Fernandes. Searching for the right graphic designer for the EP cover took a lot of time on the internet. Aleckson explains. “Looking at other bands artwork and really just looking for something that fitted what we were looking for. Eventually we found Elton on deviant art. The collaboration was quite interesting because of the language barrier, so most of our conversations were done over email with heavy use of Google translate! But we are extremely happy with Elton’s work and the feedback on the artwork has been amazing!”

Aleckson confirms DEATH TO THE WITNESS will tour the A Day in the Light outside of Brisbane. “Most definitely! Touring is number one on our list of things to do. We really want to get out and show Australia what we have to offer. We are actually planning a tour early next year. Details will be released as soon as they are confirmed.”

DEATH TO THE WITNESS pride themselves on their music translating well to a live setting. “Our live show is what we play for, we all enjoy playing live. I believe this enjoyment transfers to our set. The music has a lot of energy which always manages to get people on their feet.”

The Bloodline Festival is soon approaching. Aleckson explains how DEATH TO THE WITNESS manage to be a part of the billing. “We actually managed to get on the bill by taking part in a competition on Facebook; in which the band with the most ‘Likes’ on their link, on the event wall, would get one of the remaining spots on the Festival.”

For those getting down to The Bloodline Festival and itching to catch DEATH TO THE WITNESS, the band will be playing a thirty minute set from 10-10.30pm on the Saturday night.”

DEATH TO THE WITNESS also made the billing for Monstrothic third year anniversary. “We have never had the opportunity to play at a Monstrothic show before. This one is a special one as we finally get to play alongside our great friends and Casey’s former band DOWN ROYALE.”

DEATH TO THE WITNESS will be showcasing Todd’s replacement, newest member, guitarist Jesse Stevens at Monstrothic. “This will be Jesse’s first show and we are extremely happy to have him on board, he’s settling in very well and has brought a lot to the band.”

Aleckson further adds how they gained their new recruit. “Jesse contacted us after we put an ad in Rave magazine looking for a guitarist. He then tried out, we knew straight away he was what we were looking for. He jammed with us for a month, and then was officially welcomed into the band.”

There will be a lot more to come from DEATH TO THE WITNESS. “We have been writing a lot of new material since Jesse joined, so we are really keen play these while promoting our EP in Australia. We, like most bands, have the recording of a ‘full length’ on our agenda.” Says Aleckson.

Jarryd Aleckson’s shout out to DEATH TO THE WITNESS’ fan base. “I would wholeheartedly like to thank every single one of our fans for supporting us this far. Whether that’s buying merch, coming to a show or just listening to our music, without our fans, we wouldn’t have got this far.”


Source : http://www.sludgefactory.com.au