The Afterimage Interview

We had the opportunity to talk to Kyle Anderson, vocalist of the band The Afterimage. He told us about the new album, how the band survived from hiatus and playing in Japan. Here is what he had to say:

Info

Genre: Progressive Metalcore/Metalcore

Years Active: 2012-2019

Hometown: Barrie, Ontario
Record Label: Tragic Hero Records

1) What's your name and role in the band?

My name is Kyle Anderson and I am the singer and lyricist of the band.

2) What made you want to be in a progressive metal band?

Honestly, just going to local shows and at the time I was very much into the genre and wanted to be a part of it.

3) Your band is from Barrie, How is the scene doing up there?

The band originated in Barrie, however, the majority of us are located in Toronto now with the exception of Rob (drums) being in Ajax, and Leo our second guitarist lives in Manhattan.

4 a) How does The Afterimage differ from Centuries Apart and The Memphis West?

Both Centuries Apart and The Memphis West were a lot simpler.  The music was written quite a long time ago before progressive metalcore evolved more.

4 b) Why do you think this project has caught on and gained the success the other incarnations didn’t?

Most likely due to the fact that we weren’t afraid to incorporate many different influences from the previous endeavors and the writers were also different and came from a different headspace.

5 a) What was the recording process like for the new album “Eve”?

Was interesting to say the least.  We started tracking vocal first, actually.  I worked with producer Sam Guaiana in Toronto and we developed the vocals to the point they are on EVE.  We really “got” each other, and came from a very similar mindset, where the vocal is very important and should be the center of the band.

5 b) How does Eve differ from “Lumiere” and “Formless”?

First of all, Eve was written by guitarist Asher Ally.  Lumiere was written by Alex Lappano, Michael Leo Valeri and a song was written by Sam Jacobs.  So Asher and I spent quite a long time developing these songs into something that would undoubtedly sound like The Afterimage, but be more digestible to a wider audience.

6) The band had some complications between albums, what was it like to go two years of not playing?

It was quite depressing actually, but also useful in a sense.  It allowed me to mentally reset and be able to hone in on my creative mindset again.

7) The band has two shows coming up in Japan. Any thoughts or expectations on these shows?

We are honestly still at a loss about these shows.  We don’t know what to expect but we are absolutely stoked to be doing them.

8) What are the plans for the band after Japan?

We will be playing a few one off dates with our friends in Falsifier, The Parallel & Lungless.  After that we will most likely have to see.  Nothing is set in stone.

9) What’s the response been like for the band since you came back in December?

The response has been incredibly positive, I think many thought the band had died.  Which it almost did, but many are siked to have new TAI tunes.

10) Are there any bands in the Barrie scene you recommend people give a listen to?

The Parallel.  Hands down, gonna be the next big thing out of Ontario.

Watch The Afterimage's single for their new album "Eve" below

Published 5/23/2018