Miles From Exile

It seems like every time someone hears Miles From Exile for the first time, they’re at a loss to describe the band’s sound. I, however, think I’ve come up with a good description. Imagine taking the guitarists from Iron Maiden, combining them with the rhythm section of Between The Buried And Me, then bringing in Daryl Palumbo and asking him to sing death metal vocals on top of everything. That, my friends, is what Miles From Exile sound like.

Kind of.

What makes it so difficult to pin down the band’s sound is that there are so many sounds to the band. There are elements of thrash, progressive, and death metal, sure, but there are also moments of epic glory, pristine serenity, and violent mayhem. One would expect this boundless approach to be too overwhelming, but the Chicago-based five-piece always manage to craft their songs in a way that is undeniably listenable. Miles From Exile’s music is both original and accessible – which is a rare combination in metal these days. - Scene But Not Herd

Satisfaction comes easy for far too many bands today. Many bands are sated by writing two-and-a-half to four-minute songs, polishing them slightly, recording them, and then moving on to the next song, with very little looking back. Miles From Exile will have none of that. Members Justin Lesko (guitars and backing vocals), Tony Notardonato (guitars), Edirin Ibru (drums), Mike Ludwig (bass), and D’Andre Payne (vocals) do not want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to their music. “I think we’re not ever really satisfied with it,” says Justin. “I agree,” adds Mike, “we always try to challenge ourselves, and always make sure that we don’t think it’s the best it can be. You’ve got to keep working on it.” Miles From Exile leaves nothing on the table with their songwriting, nor with their recording. To these five metal-heads, diversity is the key. “We don’t have any limitations. Nothing is off the table. We’ll never be like, ‘Oh, that’s not metal enough,’ or, ‘Oh, that’s not ‘this’ enough’. It’s kind of cool to have an open book, and because of that, hopefully attract a wider audience, too,” says Tony, and attract a wider audience, they have. With many epic songs that incorporate incredibly heavy, blast-beaten riffs along with almost salsa-like rhythms at times, MFE has had no problem attracting new fans where ever they play, and they are never afraid to experiment, as long as the song is tight for the time-being and the groove is right.

Consequently, Miles From Exile’s experimental streak runs deepest in their studio time. While most bands are concerned with getting in, getting the tracks laid down, getting it mixed, and getting the hell out of there, MFE feels that studio time is the time to stretch out and use the studio to the song’s advantage. “When we go the studio, we’re not limited by what we can do at a show, or by what we can do while playing live, like we can put fucking 10 guitar tracks down if we want. Even though it’s an album, it’s about trying to make it good on its own, and then seeing how much of it we can do live,” says Justin, and adds, “We get to expand in the studio while we’re recording. We like to expand it sonically by maybe incorporating instruments we don’t normally use; we never rule that out. On the first E.P. (2011’s self-titled “Miles From Exile”), we used some effects and samples, and on the new E.P. (2012’s “Malcontents and Machinations”), we threw in two extra boosting [guitar] tracks, keyboards, and more clean vocals, but obviously we’re not going to be able to bust out six guitars during our live set. But it’s fun to put that on the CD and just have a good vibe, and then reproduce it the best we can during a show.” This approach to their studio time results in a depth to the music; a depth that is intentional says Tony, “To really get a feel for it, you’ve got to get down and dirty with the songs. I think great music is music that rewards you for going back to it. You discover something new every time you go back. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” Achieving this kind of percipience requires effort, hard work, and passion. “Just be passionate about it [your music]. Enjoy what you’re doing. If you have that attitude, something good is going to come out of it,” says Mike, and Tony adds, “We put a lot of passion, thought, and time into writing the music, and we hope that is comes through.”

When devotion is a key ingredient of the music, it comes through in a big way, but chemistry is just as important, and, unfortunately, Miles From Exile’s is about to take a big hit, as Edirin has life opportunities available to him in New York, and must soon leave the band. “We’ve probably been stronger than ever with Ed. But, we’re open to new ideas in certain spots, but with the rest, we’re not really going to change much in terms of our songwriting,” opines Tony, “but yeah, obviously we need a [new] drummer with chops, and, we just started to search, and we’re hoping to find somebody who brings something killer.” However, while MFE’s search for a new skin-beater commences, the show still goes on. The band still has scheduled shows for both before and after Ed’s departure, and while the future is now uncharted territory, this is nothing new to these experimental, “never-satisfied” visionaries of metal. “We write intelligent music. We don’t write stupid shit that you can figure out and have as your ‘sonic wallpaper.’ You’ve got to listen to it,” says Tony. With that being said, any new drummer hoping to add their name to the Miles From Exile ranks had better bring it with intensity, passion, and integrity. As I asked Ed about what he thinks is the essence of great music, he gave one of the simplest, most poignant answers one can ever give: “Honesty.” As long as Miles From Exile continues to bring values like these to their approaches to song-writing and recording, there is no question that they will go very far in the music business, because values like intensity, passion, integrity, and honesty breed respect…and respect MFE’s approach, we all should. - Rock in Chicago Magazine