Known for its lighter, folk-style music, Canada’s east coast is a difficult place for an alternative metal band to cut it. But that is the path New Brunswick’s Verse the Sun is trying to navigate.
“We kind of write for ourselves and not for other people so our singles are a little harder for radio,” said Cody Hicks, guitarist and back-up vocalist. “The amount of people out here that are in to alt-metal, isn’t as large as it is in other places, so we have to move around a lot more to get to a fan base that would be into that style.”
The Saint John based band is setting out across Canada this summer, to promote its new album, Drowning in a Distant Ocean, which will be released on July 4th. The concept album is the second of a trilogy, and will bring a heavier sound than the bands previous works, similar to that of the Deftones or Tool.
“Every time we write an album we actually write a storyboard first, just to give ourselves characters to work with,” said Hicks. “This one, each song tells the story of this person who was a slave of a Viking ship that sank, and then it’s him drowning through the whole album. Each song is about a different feeling and a different part of that experience.”
Part of the merchandise sold alongside the album will be a comic book, drawn by a friend of Hicks, that helps explain what each song represents.
Hicks, formed the group, originally releasing a solo EP under the band’s current name. The group has been playing together for over two years and currently features, Pat Spears, Jack Leonard, Brad Small and John Morrison.
The band’s first album together titled And Moon was released last year. It helped the band gain some local notoriety, including winning the best new artist at the 2013 Best of Saint John Music Awards.
Verse the Sun has toured in Ottawa twice before, playing the Avant-Garde and the Atomic Rooster. For those who have never seen a show, Hicks says it is worth the price of admission.
“It’s not like pure metal where if you went to a show it would just be head-banging and mosh pits. It’s mostly like if you went to a high energy rock show. You are taking in everything that is happening musically but you still feel a lot of the energy at the same time.”
Verse the Sun will be playing Ottawa’s Café Dekcuf on July 19th alongside Monsun, The Ven Dreddies and Black Market Candy.
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