EPK – Heterochrome – From The Ashes (2022)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
For fans of Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Gojira, Draconian, Lacuna Coil
“This album has been an opportunity for us to form our unique sound and experiment with new aspects of songwriting. This is the first time we are trying to introduce Farsi lyrics in a couple of our songs, opening up more space for us to connect with our audience. Trying to add layers of atmospheric and electronic sound design, in addition to the utilization of more acoustic instruments, enabled us to execute a more dramatic performance and listening experience.” – Heterochrome
Album Title: From The Ashes
Release Date: May 13, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby
Heterochrome.com – Heterochrome.bandcamp.com – Instagram.com/heterochromeband Facebook.com/heterochromeband – YouTube
Spotify – Apple Music – Soundcloud.com/heterochrome-band
“A diamond in the rough? A buried treasure in the deserts? Call it what you want, but overall, this album (Melancholia) is a statement which puts Heterochrome on the musical map.”- Trebuchet Magazine
“I don’t know for sure how dangerous it is for a band like Heterochrome to craft their music in Iran, but it seems that they’re more than ready to take all possible risks in the name of Heavy Metal.” – The Headbanging Moose
“It’s (Melancholia) a Fantastic Album. The songs with Angelic voices and simple Progressive composition.” – Metal4092
BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. The writing and production of this album took 4 years to complete, and it was recorded in multiple countries: Iran, Finland, Canada, Spain, and South Korea, while the Mastering took place in Russia. Unlike the first album, this album features a lot of recorded acoustic instruments including live acoustic Drums and Cello.
2. After Arash and Mida left Iran in 2018 there was a period of uncertainty about the future of the band and the songs they have made. But after taking a break and doing their own work they eventually figured out a remote setup to write their songs and eventually started writing and recording again.
3. In 2020, Mida wrote, directed, produced, and performed an independent short movie called “Of Doubt and Hope” which featured the song “Through Evil Within”, enacting the experience of a panic attack on camera, which was showcased at the Cultch Theatre’s “Ignite Youth Festival”.
Album Title: From The Ashes
Release Date: May 13, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby
Track Listing:
1. برای فردا (Baraye Farda, For Tomorrow) – 3:39
2. بادبادک (Badbadak, The Flight) – 3:28
3. Rage Against The People – 4:34
4. WOTB – 4:10
5. The Bearing – 4:29
6. Transition – 2:22
7. Time’s Up – 3:06
8. Through Evil Within – 5:03
9. سرگردان (Sargardan, Wanderer) – 3:20
10. The Outlaw – 7:20
Album length: 41:21
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Heterochrome
• All songs written by: Heterochrome
• Recorded by: Arash Rezaei, Amir Taghavi, Reza Sadeghi
• Produced by: Arash Rezaei
• Mixed by: Arash Rezaei
• Mastered by: Danny Klaven
• Album Artwork by: Banafshe Najafi
• Graphic Design by: Ghazal Jenab
Album Band Line Up:
– Mohammadreza (Arash) Rezaei – Guitars, Vocals, Synthesizer
– Mida Malek – Vocals
– Mohammad Mirboland – Drums
– Ville Veihola – Electric Bass
– Lisa Yihwan Lim (BigViolinPlayer) – Cello
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The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
This album has been an opportunity for us to form our unique sound and experiment with new aspects of songwriting. This is the first time we are trying to introduce Farsi lyrics in a couple of our songs, opening up more space for us to connect with our audience. Trying to add layers of atmospheric and electronic sound design, in addition to the utilization of more acoustic instruments, enabled us to execute a more dramatic performance and listening experience.
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
– Baraye Farda, For Tomorrow
One of the last songs we put on the album, this track started as Arash was pondering on Climate Change, Global Warming, and the general state of danger our world and home planet is in. After writing the first verse and chorus he sent it to Mida, who instantly fell in love with it even before hearing what it meant to Arash. Mida immediately got to writing the second verse, drawing from the sociopolitical environment of Iran and letting Arash know they need the song in their album. This is one of all their favorite tracks, coming from different backgrounds, it can be interpreted differently for any individual listener.
– Badbadak, The Flight
January of 2020 marked the tragedy of the Iranian Government shutting down the Ukrainian Passenger Airplane killing many of our loved ones including one of Mida’s old schoolmates. In the grief following that loss, Mida drew from an old school song called Badbadak (The Kite) and wrote this song. The music video represents the same suffering.
– Rage Against The People
One of the more aggressive songs on the album, dealing with heartbreak and trust issues and the inner struggle caused by these feelings.
– WOTB
The only instrumental track in the album which Arash started writing a short while after he left Iran and was faced with a plethora of new challenges coming his way.
– The Bearing
One of the few tracks remaining from the original line up of this album, The bearing was written by Mida in trying to process all that is growing up in Iran as a queer non-binary lesbian. Bearing the weight of oppression and ignorance for years, fighting for their right to love and live as who they are, all that pent up anger came out in the lyrics. Years later, as it’s released, this song still rings true for them.
– Transition
As the title suggests, this is an intro for the B-side of the album. Trying to set the mood for the next track Time’s up.
– Time’s Up
This song consists of two stories about the difficulties of love and the emotional devastation that comes from it. The first part deals with a deep sorrow from the mentioned devastation in Arash’s life, and the second part recalls a memory from Mida. Arash wrote this song shortly after a life-changing period of time and brought it forward, even though it sounded different than their previous work, sounding a lot more simple and raw.
Mida’s life story sounds like something out of a telenovela! A very progressive one, but a telenovela all the same. Over the years that this album was made, Mida had to say goodbye to their fiancé many times, sending them off to the US alone, because of the travel ban. The second verse of this song was written on one of these “goodbye nights”. And the pain of saying goodbye, feeling your soul catching fire, and burning with love is reflected in the lyrics. The inevitability of heartbreak in love is a universal language that almost everyone can speak.
– Through Evil Within
This is probably the most revised track on the album! What a wild journey it’s been! Almost everyone has those “talks” with themselves. Sitting down with your inner demons, your darker side, name it what you want. That battle of trying to gain back control over your brain and dealing with your mental health. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, PTSD, almost everyone has to deal with at least one of these, and yet, they rarely get talked about. This is our way of trying to make sense of our version of mental health.
– Sargardan, Wanderer
One of the first and most fun songs Mida and Arash wrote for this album! They both wanted to play with more classical Persian themes and you can hear those elements in both the lyrics and the tunes. This song tries to capture the essence of Alternative metal in the band’s sound.
– Outlaw
The year is 2017. Mida has been planning on joining their fiancé in the US but the Travel Ban is ordered by Donald Trump and once again, Mida finds their life up in the air because of ignorant decisions by ignorant politicians who never have to pay the price for their choices. What is that old song? “The gods will roll the dice, their hearts as cold as ice, and someone way down here loses someone dear!”
The news hit them hard and the lyrics basically wrote themselves! Possibly one of the band’s longest songs, you can hear the anger and frustration in every line.
Heterochrome started when Arash Rezaei, and Mida Malek met and collaborated as the lead guitarist and vocalist in 2014. The band started recording their first album (Melancholia) at Chaotic Waves studio in Tehran, Iran when Mohammad Mirboland joined as drummer in 2016 followed by Armin Afzali on bass and Amir Taghavi on rhythm guitar who joined later on during the band rehearsals. Melancholia, which was a concept album based on Dante`s Divine Comedy turned dark, was officially released and distributed in 2017, followed by a one-night exclusive live performance of the album in Tehran in January of 2018. The band now consisting of guitarist Arash, vocalist Mida, and drummer Mohammad has developed a different sound for their second album “From The Ashes”, with lyrics and music pointing out social and political issues of both their home country Iran, such as incarceration and criminalization of the metal genre, sexual identity and female singing, and on a larger scale, the world, such as the climate change dilemma.
Album Band Line Up:
– Mohammadreza (Arash) Rezaei – Guitars, Vocals, Synthesizer
– Mida Malek – Vocals
– Mohammad Mirboland – Drums
– Ville Veihola – Electric Bass
– Lisa Yihwan Lim (BigViolinPlayer) – Cello
Live Band Line Up:
– Arash Rezaei – Guitars, Vocals
– Mida Malek – Vocals
– Mohammad Mirboland – Drums
– Ville Veihola – Electric Bass
Discography:
2022 – From The Ashes (Album)
2017 – Melancholia (Album)
Tours and Festivals:
2017 – Shab Shanbeha (Music festival in Tehran)
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