Our Last Enemy

VOLTAGE MEDIA .COM
Article by Anna 26/10/2009

"...Leaving for six weeks to tour North America, The Amenta announced two farewell shows with Sydney auspicious to hold their company for the first night at the Bald Faced Stag.Subtract, Daemon Foetal Harvest and Our Last Enemy were the support bands for a night that truly surpassed all expectations.
With the start of the show running late, any resonance coming from inside made one assume the first band was coming on. Rushing into the venue, I was greeted with a sound check, waiting it out the lights were finally dimmed as Sydney’s Our Last Enemy hit the stage. From the opening notes, this five-piece holds huge energy onstage; the reality that they did not have many people watching them truly did not undermine their live performance, however those that came to see them were not easy to miss.
Opening their set with “Carrion”, Our Last Enemy fuses industrial elements with heavy guitar riffs creating synthetic sounds finished with Oli’s powerful, screeching vocal delivery. On stage the band overtly enjoys themselves, with a strong presence from John, keys and vocals, and the domineering Oli engaging with all members. With remembrance to a friend,Our Last Enemy gave a great opening set, finishing with “Pariah”, the five-piece left the stage with the crowd now ready for the insanity that is known as Daemon Foetal Harvest..."
- Voltage Media

10000 HEADLESS HORSES: Filled with aggression, this track is tight and heavy with an almost futuristic ambience. In some respects, I find the vocals are like a hardcore version of Marilyn Manson. Awesome drumming toward the end. This track is also the basis for the final three tracks on the EP.


DECOY: I’ve a feeling this track would go down really well at a live gig. It’s got a good edge to it and again Our Last Enemy have got it down pat! They’ve managed to record this entire EP really well; it’s got good levelling and structure. Interesting vocals in this track, reminds me of the movie ‘Predator’! Very cool!


GOLD AND ALONE: Good guitar effects in here, creates an interesting atmosphere for the track, as do the vocals. A lot of local bands tend to create a throat wrenching gargle in their voice, but the way this has been performed it is quite tasteful and doesn’t make you think the vocalist is dry reaching or vomiting blood! Not that that wouldn’t be a cool stage act but as a listening thing sometimes that type of vocal can be hard to tolerate. But the vocals here, as hardcore as they are, are still quite smooth and that will prove a good asset long term.


10000 DEAD HORSES: This one’s a club mix, so any club goers out there, get this track requested to enlighten your evening! You won’t be disappointed. It’s ambient, it’s heavy and it’s got that old goth club feel with that new age splash to it, nicely done!


HEKTABOT 5000: Another club mix. A little more intense than the previous track, yet presents more ambience. It makes a good ‘space out’ track toward the end of the evening or perhaps even during your ‘peak’ moments. I can see these tracks making an impact in the underground club scenes.


HEADLESS HORSES: Final track on the EP and another club mix. This one is a tad messier and perhaps even bland in comparison with the other two mixes but still a good effort. Our Last Enemy come across as a well rehearsed band; they are heavy, yet ambient, aggressive, yet tranquil somehow which can only be admired.


You can get yourself a copy of the EP from the following places:

OLE Website

OLE Myspace


I am a bit disappointed that there are no lyrics in the sleeve and the layout could use some improvement. Though as an EP it shows both sides of their music; the electro and the metal, and that in itself is a good effort as it shows their diversity. In essence, I really think tracks '10000 Dead Horses' and 'Hektabot 5000' have the best marketing potential and can really take a hold in the underground club scenes all over the world. But as a live act those first three tracks are awesome and if you get a chance to see Our Last Enemy play, then I recommend you do so. The band themselves are also very professional with their correspondence and presentation and that is the sign of an 'easy to work with' band, so any labels looking for some earning potential, you may want to give these guys a call!
- Mystic Metal

posted on Jun.07, 2011
Review by: Billy Geary

Industrial metal is somewhat a non-event in Australia; something not surprising considering the genre’s tiny market. Sydney five-piece Our Last Enemy are one of the few industrially minded bands that have been somewhat successful at their craft. Fallen Empires is the band’s debut and while it suffers from a lack of originality, it is the promising serving of industrial metal that the Australian scene is severely lacking.
Infusing their sound with much more metal than industrial, it is obvious throughout the album thatOur Last Enemy listen to a lot of Fear Factory and the like.

This is particularly true in the first half of the record, where the songs seem to meld together to form a thrashy mess. There are some great moments, such as the great guitar work on ‘Carrion'.
The second half of the album is much better, with the band branching out from their roots into some more melodic moments. This works much better in respect to the aesthetics of the tracks. This is particularly true on album highlights such as ‘Into the Light’ and ‘Pariah BC’, both of which feature prominent keyboards and off kilter rhythms. In what are easily the most memorable tracks on the album, Our Last Enemy have shown that they do indeed possess the chops to create some outstanding music. Most notably, it is ‘Into The Light’ that stands out the most, featuring a brilliant build up and climax and most importantly benefiting from a more eclectic song structure. In fact, the triple hit of ‘Pariah BC,’ ‘Into the Light’ and ‘Pariah AD’.
The spasmodic ‘Ants in the Palm’ is again something different, coming across as a more industrialDillinger Escape Plan, which is by no means a bad thing. Vocalist Oliver Fogwell excels here; giving him a chance explores his range showing he is easily the band’s greatest asset. Enlisting producerChristian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory, Mnemic) was invaluable to the sound of the album. While the band can’t be faulted technically, Wolbers’ influence has given rise to a highly polished sound that the record benefits from immensely.
While Fallen Empires – Our Last Enemy has its faults, Our Last Enemy have still succeeded in creating a very solid debut. Featuring a couple of ripping tracks and excellent production, there is definitely potential throughout. If Our Last Enemy can improve their song writing ability, one can envisage that by their next release, the band will be one of the better metal bands in the country. They definitely have what it takes to do it.
- life.music.media

Our Last Enemy
Fallen Empires
Riot! Entertainment/Warner Music
Release date: out now
Review by Craig McGuinness
OUR LAST ENEMY is a young Industrial Metal band from Sydney, known locally for their recent high profile supports of STATIC- X and HANZEL UND GRETYL. Fallen Empires is their debut album. Take note because these guys mean to impress and that they do.
Interestingly, OUR LAST ENEMY travelled to the US and engaged Christian Olde Wolbers to produce Fallen Empires. Famous for his involvement with FEAR FACTORY and GOD FORBID (among others) his enlistment was a savvy choice for an aspirant Industrial Metal band. Olde Wolbers’ presence adds a professionalism and sheen that really benefits the album. On a purely technical level, Fallen Empires is a highly polished extremely proficient debut. It's impressive to encounter a new Australian band achieving an undeniably world standard level of quality straight off the bat; in a locally sparse genre to boot. Quite an accomplishment.
As an Industrial Metal band OUR LAST ENEMY steer more towards the Metal than the Industrial. In so doing their approach favours FEAR FACTORY rather than, say, MINISTRY. Furthermore it's a very American type of Metal that's in evidence. Mosh-pit friendly, it's a bit Metal Core, a bit modern Death Metal, without totally embracing the conventions of either. As far as the Industrial content, it takes a very secondary role. Pretty much relegated to keyboard accompaniments', the odd atmospheric aside and some minor peculiarities in the song structures. The lyrics aren't particularly Industrial either.
The heavier songs such as 10,000 Headless Horses and Carrion seem to hit the mark most accurately while the comparatively slower songs fail to retain interest and seem (whether they were or not) to have been the product of extended jams rather than deliberate song writing.
There's a peculiar carnivalesque quality to proceedings at times. For example, Ants in the Palm,
So is Fallen Empires a good investment? Certainly. When OUR LAST ENEMY get their Metal groove on things really rock. Besides that, this band has big things ahead of them and it's a cool thing to get on board early and follow a band's progression. Mark my words; it'll be a great ride. - Sludge Factory

Aussie act plant the flag for Sydney metal
Starting off with the pounding, face ripping 10,000 Headless Horses, Sydney based Our Last Enemy sure start off with promise. Though the band have only been around for a few short years, there is no denying that they are a tight unit, who know their instruments well, especially when it comes to time changes. It's overall a little hard to pigeonhole the music - as we reviewers often tend to do - but the best attempt would be to say they're a cross of melodic and nu-metal, the latter being evident on tracks like Don't Look Now, which reminds this listener a little of Korn, if one may be bold enough to say. Though the band has also often been described as industrial, it is harder to find traces of this on Fallen Empires, although it is no secret that the band are avid followers of Fear Factory. Nowhere is this clearer than having FF vocalist Christian Olde Wolbers record Fallen Empires. The production is solid, with each instrument standing out, including the bass. Another enjoyable aspect of the production is the vocals, often lost in the mix of many bands. Our Last Enemy seem to have a large local following, already selling out several pressings of their debut EP. Being signed to Australian label Riot!, Australia's number one metal distributor, will definitely help their cause, and hopefully with luck they will also find proper overseas distribution. Though Fallen Empires may not be everyone's cup of tea, including those who prefer their music of the most extreme variety, it is still a worthy enough album to purchase, especially for those who like to support our home grown talent. - Metal as Fuck Zine

Churning atypical industrial groove metal

When one thinks of 'industrial metal’, they think tons of samples, dancy beats, and electrified and distorted vocals. However, Our Last Enemy's debut, 'Fallen Empires’, is far from such stereotypes. In fact, one could consider them more modern metal if anything else. The album opens with "10,000 Headless Horsemen" which is full of fast, chugging guitars are harsh, yet cleanly produced vocals that seem like it borders more along the lines of Chimaira with a haunting synth in the background. As the album progresses, the industrial elements start to shine through a lot more. "Carrion" makes more use of the keyboards for gothic overtones to the slow, almost melancholic atmosphere from the guitars. This is a huge contrast tho the machine gun fire bursts of "Horsemen”, which can also be seen as similar to Fear Factory. "In Vain" throws in some clean, watery sounding vocals, which is another sign of electronic distortion while also adding in some great groove metal line that can be seen as influenced through Prong's mid-era work.

"Don't Look Now" really slows things down on the gothic side with lots of quiet, ambient pauses and agonizing singing vocals mixed with the bellowing harsh ones, also distorted before leading into the eerily quiet "Charon”, which serves as an interlude between the chaos. "Pariah BC" jumps more into a modern metal style with the aggressive vocal style and heavy chugs. Often it may seem odd because the vocals seem to overshadow everything, but overall the music is pretty catchy and invigorating. "Into the Light" goes for a more beat oriented slow moving track while featuring more clean vocals, again heavily distorted, which draws on a Marylin Manson influence for the depressive overtones of the notes. "Pariah AD”, "BC's" component sounds pretty similar to its counterpart, but goes for more segmented chugs that add a lot more groove to the music. "Ants in the Palm" has a fantastic opening, with the riffs muddled together for a thick, industrial crash that will appeal to fans of Static X. At some point the track quiets down for a bit of funky guitar interlude with whispered vocals before raging up again, which is a bit more experimentation to vary the music.

The album seems to close on "Ashtray Idol”, which dips into the nu metal side of life with a slow pace and gritty atmosphere that just chugs along. Lyrically, the band tends to get a bit repetitive than their other tracks, but overall the hypnotic tone of the guitars work for the band's style. Merged with the heavy riffs, some industrial sampling can be heard; the thicker the better. After this there are several tracks of silence until going for a short closer which seems a bit wasted; it just features some beautiful piano before fading out. The band could have easily stuck it as closing to "Ashtray Idol" or done without the untitled tracks of silence; it just becomes more annoying than artistic. Again, though, the closer "Outro" is much needed for a final note of experimentation with Our Last Enemy's sound. By merging nu metal/modern metal/ industrial/ and gothic altogether for one very powerful album, it stands out as a debut amongst so many other bands who end up going the same route. 'Fallen Empires' is far from typical industrial metal and as long as they continue throwing in a mix of diverse styles in the future, fans will continue to gravitate to their quirky, yet violent nature.

8/10

(Riot! Entertainment/Warner Music Australia) - The Metal Forge

Fallen Empires, the debut album from Sydney hardcore rockers Our Last Enemy, is a definite listen for fans of the heavier side of the music industry. I will admit straight tup that I am not a big hardcore metal fan, but on first listen, the instrumentation and arrangement of the songs is what first sparks my ear. On the opening track ’10,000 Headless Horses’ the synth playing is eerie in the background as the drums thunder and the guitar line hammers at the foreground of the track. Oliver’s vocals come over the top to create a fresh and innovative sound. The double kick drums of Jeff behind the kit on ‘Carrion’ and ‘Decoy’, show that Our Last Enemy are here for the long run and not just one hit wonders. Hearing second hand from my metal drummer friends, I know how hard it is to keep up playing double kicks throughout a whole song and the drumming on this album is exceptional. Clocking in at just over 56 minutes, the album is a great debut and only time will tell if Our Last Enemy can produce the goods on following releases. Track 6 on the album ‘Charon’ is an instrumental that interludes into the second half of the album. Edgy bass lines with quiet synth accompanying it making this track a nice comparison to some of the heavier tracks on the album. The highlight of the album for me is the song ‘Into The Light’, where quiet and heavy elements work together to create a stellar song. The guitar solo about five minutes through the song compliments the rest of the band to end the song. If you’re a heavy music enthusiast, I suggest you track down this album because these guys are about to explode big time on the Australian music scene.

By TEX MILLER - Tsunami Mag and Forte Mag

Over the last few years Our Last Enemy have really been rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous – especially when it came to recording their album. They lived with and had the album produced by Christian Olde Wolbers of Fear Factory fame, recorded it at B-Real’s (of Cyprus Hill) studio and spent time hanging out with God Forbid. All that stardom must have inspired them when it came to writing Fallen Empires. By the sounds of it Our Last Enemy really took some inspiration from Christian Olde Wolbers because it sounds like there is a bit of Fear Factory on this album. A lot of the riffs chug along and the speed is very quick – one thing that they do that sets them apart is they use breakdowns really effectively. As most of the album is quick when there is a slow, heavy breakdown it feels even bigger because of the massive change. The problem with using a big and successful producer on your first foray into the market is the question of whether the quality is you or the producer making you sound good. In this case I don’t think it really matters – the album sounds great and is guaranteed to win fans, but the follow-up will be even more interesting, though. I think we can rest easy knowing there is no way that they could have got all the recognition in the first place without being good. - Rip It Up Magazine

Track listing – 10,000 Headless Horses, Carrion, Decoy, In Pain, Don’t Look Now,

Charon (instrumental), Pariah BC, Into the Light, Pariah AD, Ants in the Palm,

Ashtray Idol


This debut offering from Australian-based Our Last Enemy, is a pleasant surprise – especially

considering it is a new-school heavy metal album. Produced by Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear

Factory, God Forbid, Threat Signal, Mnemic), Fallen Empires is a positive sign that there is

still some life and originality in the Australian Heavy Metal Scene. From the opening track

until the final hidden track (17 – tracks 13-16 are decoy blank tracks), this album barely

allows the listener a chance to rest their ears.


To call this album progressive is to do it a disservice – because it is not true to that particular

genre. Rather, in this reviewer’s humble opinion this is New School doing old school damn

well. If only all new school metal bands could go back to the roots of metal and do the same!

With Fallen Empires it is clear that Our Last Enemy have taken inspiration from the true

gods of true metal – there are elements of Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Dio, Slayer and even

Sepultura on this album, but you have listen carefully and many times to hear them.


Do not think that Fallen Empires is non-stop ear-punishment from start to finish, however.

There are moments of (relative) tranquillity – especially the deliberately haunting

instrumental Charon where the bass guitarist is allowed some room to show that he has the

chops to stand on his own rather than simply mimicking the guitarists. The hidden track (#17)

is another track where the keyboardist shows some classical influence in his playing. Even

some of the heavier tracks have their moments of tranquillity that blend seamlessly with the

heavier aspects – ala old school Metallica (dare I compare? I do).


The only gripe (if any can be had) this reviewer has with this album is that the guitar solos

are minimal and when they do appear not all are the greatest – they seem slightly rushed.

But this is a debut album, so that can be forgiven. Or is that I am simply a guitarist myself

wanting more licks out of guys that clearly have the skills to provide? Either way, it doesn’t

matter because Fallen Empires is a brilliant debut offering from an up and coming young

Heavy Metal outfit. It is just a shame that the general Australian Media does not give Heavy

Metal anywhere near the recognition it deserves – otherwise this album would be among the

best Australian Heavy Metal releases of all time. Personally, I think it is.
- Phage Music

This Sydney five-piece have a pretty interesting and distinct sound, injecting some tasteful and downright scary atmosphere and moodiness into their industrial/alternative metal on this, their debut long player.

Some pretty big names in heavy music assisted to make Fallen Empires what it is. Firstly, recently added guitar player Bizz was a member of Florida Cult band Genitorturers, and has apparently brought with him some innovative new approaches and a new sense of professionalism to the band since joining. Plus, the album was recorded and produced by no less than Christian Olde Wolbers(of Fear Factory fame), and as you might expect, the sound on this album is absolutely dead on the money.

The Album itself is a real journey across some powerful and diverse soundscapes. An industrial and gothic metal vibe dominates proceedings, but the aforementioned atmospherics really expand Our Last Enemy’s sound and provide very welcome dynamics, assisting mightily to set them apart from the crowd. Check Into The Light and the gloomy but highly effective instrumental track Charon for just two examples. The Latter fairly sends shivers down your spine with its menacing ambience.

Elsewhere, the industrial style the band are championing works a treat and is never anything less than very convincing. It’s cold and calculating, but with real character, just like good industrial heavy music should be. In this manner it’s not dissimilar to Wolbers’ old band, really. You can hear a touch of ‘The Factory in Our Last Enemy’s sound, as well as bands such as Korn (see In Vain for proof of this). But it’s just an influence.

Our Last Enemy are definitely their own band.

Fallen Empires is an excellent first effort from Our Last Enemy; we can expect even bigger and better things from them on their sophomore release.

Rod Whitfield. - Beat Magazine

Nearing the completion of an extensive national tour in support of their long-awaited, debut album release, Fallen Empires, industrial metallers OUR LAST ENEMY have rightly become one of the leading metal bands in Sydney. Having seen the quintet live on a multitude of occasions prior to their Sydney album launch, this night wholly blew me away, and if you believe that they had a lot to offer before, you must see them now - this band is a force throwing normality into absolute chaos.

As Dawn Heist wrapped up their set, the protracted wait for headliners Our Last Enemy began… and continued, on and on. As the room packed itself to the rim, the blood began to splatter across the plastic sheet hanging between the stage and the audience. The aesthetic created was reminiscent to that of a B-grade movie scene set in a morgue – smoke blinding the way, and lingering shadows dancing before you in the near distance; as a sole figure waits, tranquil, and finally creeping closer as the plastic is slowly torn open to reveal… Oliver Fogwell, rather than a maniac wielding a knife or chainsaw waiting to rip your guts out.

And so it began - a ride of insanity known as Our Last Enemy’s live show. The blood and the smoke, the attitudes and the fervor on stage were remarkable. As they erupt they duly become another entity. Playing live whilst stuck in what seems to be their own world, as they invite you into their personal darkness.

From "Decoy", to "Don’t Look Now", the talent of this band is palpable. With new additions to the outfit featuring guitarist Bizz and Craig Byrnes on keys and samples, their music has taken a tighter turn with intricacies not heard before, and a stage show that takes Our Last Enemy to a new intensity.

The stage presence of Our Last Enemy is beyond dominant, their proficiency live is on an international level, begging the question as to why they are not playing bigger shows to bigger crowds.

It is always mesmerizing seeing the emotion and talent produced from vocalist Oliver Fogwell whose strength is hard to avoid as these defiled creatures, rounded off by bass guitarist Matt Heywood and drummer Jeff Ritchie, tear through each song with consistent endurance and dexterity.

Track after track is coupled with shock and awe, as this creature feature show stomps through a set that flies by and is closed with "10 000 Headless Horses", leaving a sweat laden crowd wanting more. Our Last Enemy delivered an immense show – underlining that they are too big for this stage. What they brought forth tonight, makes one wonder as to what level they will take their live set when headlining bigger venues, which must come soon – as they are now firmly planted in the “why are they not huge yet?” category. - Voltage Media

Our Last Enemy
Fallen Empires
(Independent)

This Sydney five-piece have a pretty interesting and distinct sound, injecting some tasteful and downright scary atmosphere and moodiness into their industrial/alternative metal on this, their debut long player.

Some pretty big names in heavy music assisted to make Fallen Empires what it is. Firstly, recently added guitar player Bizz was a member of Florida Cult band Genitorturers, and has apparently brought with him some innovative new approaches and a new sense of professionalism to the band since joining. Plus, the album was recorded and produced by no less than Christian Olde Wolbers (of Fear Factory fame), and as you might expect, the sound on this album is absolutely dead on the money.

The Album itself is a real journey across some powerful and diverse soundscapes. An industrial and gothic metal vibe dominates proceedings, but the aforementioned atmospherics really expand Our Last Enemy’s sound and provide very welcome dynamics, assisting mightily to set them apart from the crowd. Check Into The Light and the gloomy but highly effective instrumental track Charon for just two examples. The Latter fairly sends shivers down your spine with its menacing ambience.

Elsewhere, the industrial style the band are championing works a treat and is never anything less than very convincing. It’s cold and calculating, but with real character, just like good industrial heavy music should be. In this manner it’s not dissimilar to Wolbers’ old band, really. You can hear a touch of ‘The Factory in Our Last Enemy’s sound, as well as bands such as Korn (see In Vain for proof of this). But it’s just an influence.

Our Last Enemy are definitely their own band.

Fallen Empires is an excellent first effort from Our Last Enemy; we can expect even bigger and better things from them on their sophomore release.

Rod Whitfield. - Beat Magazine

THE ENEMY ADVANCES

Talia Shipmann has a chat with Sydney Industrial Metal quintet Our Last Enemy and discovers you can actually move forward by looking back.

Forming late last year from the ashes of previous bands Oli (vox/guitar), Matt (bass/vox), Paul (guitar), Jeff (drums), and John (keys/samples/vox) came together nourished in the rather rich soil of the Sydney Industrial and Metal community. It didnt take long for the guys to bundle up some songs and lay them to tape, culminating in there debut E.P "...Is Death" and they're coming to Brisbane this week to play it to you!

Talia Shipmann: Oliver, you're previous band Anxiety Whispers effectively dissolved setting you on the course of finding new members to work with. What did it feel like when all the missing pieces of the puzzle came together to form Our Last Enemy?

Oliver: A combination of relief (it had been almost a year of holding auditions for new members) and a feeling of fate. After looking for individual members for so long, almost a complete band fell in my lap, The guys had been gigging in a successful metal band Souljah and had just broken up, but wanted to continue down a darker path as a new unit, it was almost the same situation i was in, just they needed a singer and i needed a band.

T.S: How are your creative objectives sated in Our Last Enemy?

Oliver: Musically and thematically OLE steps everything up to 11. It has all the good things i liked in A.W, and adds a whole new dynamic. The music is much heavier and the themes deeper and darker. The guys are all willing to experiment which is always liberating. There are five distinct characters in the band, all from different backgrounds and tastes, and it seems to come together perfectly. The band as entity by definition seems to fulfil our theme of turning negative into positive. There is a fresh new energy that you can literally feel in the music and especially live. It has taken everything to another level.

T.S: A fair portion of gothic and metal bands tend to draw from supernatural and fantastical themes. You take your name from a biblical quote, but also align yourself and your imagery with that of Tarot cards. When was the last time anyone in the band had a reading done, and wat was the outcome?

Matt: I had a reading done a couple of months back, i take it with a grain of salt, she told me i had issues, but anyone could tell me that, we did have a close friend who had a reading done and the woman told him he wouldnt have a long life, he died a couple of months later - our E.P is dedicated to him. We do Like to draw some sort of inspiration from the supernatural and the occult, but not fantasy, thats not us, we're about here and now.

Oliver: First off we would like to point out that dont align ourselves exclusively with either of those schools of belief, but use them as more of a creative springboard for our ideas and what we personally believe. These two beliefs work with and fit into our concept of duality, and extremes, or a type of ying yang of extremes, Paganism and Christianity. They are two completly opposed systems that have undeniable similarties and themes. We are always toying with the ideas of extremes, Both positive and negative.



30/10/07 Issue 814
- Rave Magazine

BMA MAG 308 21 August 2008 – Canberra
Live Review


“…Our Last Enemy from Sydney produced a more melodic, layered approach with considerable depth made possible by the introduction of keyboards into the mix.

The vocalist displayed an impressive ability to drag out the powerful screams that were a feature of every song – his frequently employed technique of shaking the mic produced a unique quavering tone. Another remarkable skill involved rapid chops to his throat with the side of his hand, producing further extraordinary vocal effects.

The band gave an awesome show of extreme metal that wowed the audience and they finished strongly with the closing song Headless…”
- BMA MAG

This week I somehow struck it lucky and scored the first ever interview for rapidly rising young local band Our Last Enemy. I chatted with Matt, the band's bassist.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Our Last Enemy, the band was formed in 2006, and plays a thrashy, groovy, industrial style of metal with gothic overtones. As happens in many cases, the formation came about after the disintegration of other bands. Matt, Jeff and John were in a band whose singer departed; and Oliver's band had just split as well, so they asked him to come on board. Jake joined a couple of years later, and the unit has been constant ever since.

With five members, each with big personalities, Our Last Enemy maintains a particular style of working that ensures creative input from each member. Because of this, their method of writing is a fairly long process because of two elements: the first is that they never rush things; the second is that each band member comes up with ideas for tracks on his own instrument.

'We have a system where we'll give it a try no matter what it is, but if it doesn't work, we'll go back to the original idea,' Matt explained. 'But we also work democratically, in that if the majority rules we go with it. We try to make sure everyone feels like they're getting their creative juices out and try to accommodate everyone. It's a big democracy, really.'

Our Last Enemy's first recording - their EP ...Is Death - was released on the internet for free download. It's a reasonably bold move, particularly given the fact that most bands still try to sell their early releases as much as they can, and get the word out via sales and reviews. The decision to do this came from a fairly hard-headed and realistic view of bands' debut releases, and the realistic notion that kids are already downloading music for free anyway.

'Well, we put it up there because a lot of kids download music for free anyway on different programs, and as a local band you don't make any money anyway,' Matt told me. 'We thought that it would be a good idea because, having toured up and down Australia a couple of times, it's a good way for people to hear our music without having to pay for it. It's not about making money or trying to get sales but just about people hearing the music.'

When I spoke to Matt the band was recovering from a blistering three-states tour of Australia, down the east coast. 'Recovering' is quite literally the word: because they go so hard on stage, none of them got out of the tour without injuries.

'Oh dude, all of us have injuries at the moment!' he laughed. 'Jeff fractured one of his fingers, Ollie cut his head open on my bass, I cut my fingers open on my strings and have to go to a chiro because I twisted my pelvis, and John's keyboard fell on his foot. We put on a big show physically, but by the nd of it we're all pretty hurt; we've all been to chiropractors and massage therapists to get the knots out!'

While it might seem a bit gratuitous for a band to go to such lengths to put on a series of shows, for Our Last Enemy it's more about physically expressing the music.

'If we're playing this heavy music, we wanna be showing that, theatrically, we're as brutal as our music,' Matt explained about the process. 'We don't like seeing bands that play this brutal music that doesn't seem to affect them - but when we play, we mean it.' After he said this, he came up with an analogy for the way it is. 'Some bands look like sheep in wolves' clothing; we're the wolves in wolves' clothing'.

I wondered aloud to Matt if that could get out of hand, when they go so hard from a tour they are injured to the point of needing intervention.

'We're young, we can handle it,' Matt laughed. 'It's cool. The best thing is that people who come and watch the show, they kinda like it when you hurt yourself.'

It's been a huge year of firsts for Our Last Enemy; not only have they released their debut EP, but they also brought a publicist on board; they have been signed to local metal label Riot!Entertainment very recently - like, within the last couple of weeks; they are heading to Los Angeles to record their debut release with Christian Olde Wolbers, of Fear Factory fame, in the next month or so; and will be the first band to write an exclusive tour diary for the little-heard-about, but soon to be released, online metal zine, Metal As Fuck.

All of this means that those of us who aren't on the east coast are going to have to wait a little bit longer to see these guys hit our stages.

Their signing to Riot! happened very soon after Our Last Enemy started working with their publicist, and the rate at which things have been happening for the band has blown these guys away.

'Someone must've been listening!' laughed Matt. 'We've been looking for a label here in Australia to put the album out. The way it happened was that our publicist presented our stuff to the guys at Riot! and not long after that John rang her and said he'd like us on board.'

Being signed to Riot! hasn't really changed the way that the band perceives things for themselves, but this is primarily because everything has been moving so quickly for them. They haven't even really had a chance just to get together and debrief over a drink.

'We've tried to organise a band night to go out and celebrate, but we haven't had time,' Matt reflected. 'We've got four weeks until we go to LA; we have thirteen songs demoed, with pre-production done, and have another five on the burner that we want to get ready for LA as well. So we really haven't had time to reflect on anything. It'll hit us soon; but it hasn't really changed the way we think about ourselves or the industry.'

It's a big deal in anybody's book to score an invitation from Christian to head over to LA to record a debut album. Being curious as to how this came about, I asked Matt for the story. It turns out that this one exciting event comes down to an email that Matt sent to Christian one night.

'I sent Christian an email and didn't think anything of it. In the email, from what I can remember, I did the whole self-promotion thing, that I'm in a band from Australia called Our Last Enemy, and wondering if you'd be interested in having a look at our stuff,' Matt recalled. 'We didn't hear anything for months, and thought that he probably didn't even read it. Until one night Oliver rang me and said, "guess who just wrote back to us saying do you guys wanna come over and record an album or a demo". We went "whoa!"' he laughed. 'He gave us his manager's email and told us to talk with her. So in talking with her we found out the budget for what it would be and realised that it was something we could do.'

The band is totally pumped that Christian was interested in them enough to check out their material, but are also humbled by it at the same time.

'He's quite a busy guy - we're just really humbled that he took time to check us out.'

Which is really only half the story. For the four weeks that Our Last Enemy will be in Los Angeles, they'll be living at Christian's house: something he offered them in order to save them money.

In the interim, through talking with Christian's manager, Christy Priske of Archetype Management, the band have also discovered that she is keen to take their material and shop it around in the US. This is more of a big deal than it seems, because Archetype deal with bands like Fear Factory and God Forbid, and it's a great doorway into the US market.

It's during the time that these guys will be overseas that they'll be writing their exclusive diary for Australia's newest metal mag, the upcoming Metal as Fuck online zine. Even though the zine isn't up yet - it won't appear until early 2009 - I asked Matt for a sneak-peek into what we can expect when the diary does go live.

'We're just going to write it as it happens,' he said. 'But we're going to try and aim it to two types of people: people who don't really understand the production side of music but who want to know what's going on, and people who are into production and recording. We're going to try and keep people involved.'

Given that the band has done so much, and that they've had such a positive run, I asked Matt before he had to go whether there were many benefits stemming from the fact that they've had a publicist on board.

'Yeah, one of the benefits is that they just specialise in their field,' he enthused. 'That's one thing. I mean, as a band we're concentrating on writing these songs and getting them ready, and doing shows, and it's hard for a band to be doing everything at once. It's hard enough to find all the contacts and to find the time to do that,' he explained. 'Getting a publicist was high on our agenda. We knew we had a big product coming through and knew we had to hit it the right way. I recommend that if there any local band that's going to do something big - if you don't have something big to publicise, they won't do it - then get someone who knows what they're talking about to do it for you.'

To check out Our Last Enemy, you can download their debut EP, ...Is Death, at MySpace. - FasterLouder.com.au