iLLUSTR8ORS debut ep release



October the 14th sees the release of the debut ep by Bristol band illustr8ors.

It may be the bands debut ep but these guys were known to us all as Black Wolf who have toured with The Temperance Movement,The Answer and the Von Hertzen Brothers and also received a nomination from Classic Rock Magazine for Best New Band.

While writing songs for their second cd the band realised alongside producer Toby Jepson(Little Angels) that the music they were writing was completely different to what they had written before which was similar to the music that had inspired them.

So what came next was the rebirth of the band and illustr8ors were born with a change in sound from the blues rock AC/DC style leanings to a slicker more hooks and melody based rock with a new fresher feel but still with plenty of balls.

The band have this to say about the new ep track by track.

Your Animal
‘Your Animal’ is about sacrifice. The song speaks about a relationship in full destructive mode, where blame is being lashed around and greedily scoffing down it's pound of flesh. It's about sacrificing your own comfort, views and hurt for the sake of the other person’s suffering, simply because you love them. If you have to become their monster, their animal in order for them to move on, then that's just what you do.
 
Something Biblical
This song is about daring. Daring to dream big despite all the pitfalls sanity presents. Daring to love someone or something even though everything points to failure, pain and heart-ache. Daring that against all odds you will somehow make it through, and that because of these struggles you would have built something stronger, something better, something truly great. A love that can be tested but never broken. A creation which is so huge and all-encompassing it's simply: something biblical. This song is our statement. It says: “This is what we intend to do and we have every intention of pulling it off.”


Swimming With Anchors
It’s about finding strength when there is none. When looking at something like depression which is something I've lived with most my life, strength is the most important thing you have. Depression isn’t about weakness. It's like some unwelcome stranger standing in the corner at a party, you recognise the face but you can't quite put a name to it, but you know it's about to kick off and start causing all kinds of serious trouble. I have met a lot of people in my life that have been affected by it, and not one of them were weak. Whether it’s been something they’ve lived with a long time, or whether it’s the result of suddenly losing someone close to them, they’ve all had strength. Everyone deals with it differently and this song is for them as much as it is for me. The stories all have the same theme. Hope. Hope is a really powerful thing and something that should never be underestimated.

Shush Shush
Shush Shush is all about being yourself and doing what you believe in, despite what people may think of you. In a society where it’s now so easy to be ridiculed and pulled apart by keyboard warriors and judged, quantified and evaluated by critics and strangers alike; it becomes very easy to second guess your gut instincts, your self-worth and underestimate your own ability. One thing that has always really got under our skin is how easily people pull others down for daring to make something of themselves. This song is a simple funked-up fuck you to everyone that's ever challenged you for being different, or for reaching for something bigger than yourself. We say go ahead and be
lieve, reach for the moon because if you miss that bad boy your sweet ass is only going to land on stars.



Your Animal kicks it off with a big heavy guitar riff and drum rhythm that soon changes to a more groove laden slightly funky riff with Scott Sharp on vocals impressing with some huge held notes in the chorus as the band crash back in.Some of my beloved light and shade after the guitar solo as the band take it down before building it all back in for the chorus.

The frenetic riff and drum rhythm kick off Something Biblical which hammers along at break neck speed with Sharp again showing us his full vocal range and melodic tone.
Going to go down a storm on the upcoming dates with Toseland.

Swimming With Anchors starts on a big stop start guitar riff before it drops to a whisper as guitar melodies abound with Sharp at his melodic best before the chorus takes it all up 3 notches with more kick ass guitar riffs thrown in for good measure.
The mid song chorus is designed to be sang back at them on tour with plenty of influences visible but this is illustr8ors music pure and simple.

Shush Shush wraps up the quickest 12 minutes I can remember with an immediate re press of play to start it all again.A groove laden bass line with guitars jutting in and out as the song builds up to the chorus with Sharp's falsetto vocal all over it.

All 4 songs show a new leaner band with enough balls to keep any rock fan happy.

Get their early when they support Toseland next month you won't regret it.










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