YOUR CHANCE TO DIE will he hitting the road on the "Defeating the Weak" tour in support of their third album Ex Nihilo, which includes an appearance at Louisville Deathfest. Ex Nihilo was released on EMP LABEL GROUP’s EMP UNDERGROUND imprint. The critically-acclaimed album was recorded by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me), mixed by Zack Ohren (Machine Head), and with album art by Pierre-Alain D. Ex Nihilo shows the band completely reinvented with deep symphonic atmospheres, inhuman precision and brutality, and a dual-female vocal onslaught.
2016 saw the addition of Som Pluijmers (ex-Cerebral Bore) on vocals, making her debut on Ex-Nihilo, alongside revered death metal vocalist Missi Avila. The dual-female front offers a tandem dose of sheer vocal brutality backed up by the soaring leads and rhythmic precision of Coca Avila and Ron Dalton on guitars. This package is rounded out by the inhuman speed and accuracy of drummer Thomas White.
The "Defeating the Weak" tour moves through the U.S. and Canada, and begins at the end of September. Booked by Satellite Touring, the run includes stops at Louisville Deathfest and a night sponsored by the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh Metal Club.
TOUR DATES:
9/27 - West Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
9/29 – Louisville, KY @ Louisville Deathfest
10/1 - Kent, OH @ The Outpost
10/2 - Tonawanda, NY @ Stamps
10/3 - Toronto, ON @ The Coalition
10/4 - Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
10/5 - Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
10/6 - Montreal, QC @ Piranha Bar
10/7 - Plattsburgh, NY @ Retro Live
10/8 - Providence, RI @ Alchemy
10/11 - Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds
10/12 - Trenton, NJ @ Champs
10/14 - Richmond, VA @ McCormacks
10/19 - Barrington, IL @ Penny Road Pub
10/20 - Oshkosh, WI @ Titan Underground
10/21 – Greenville, SC @ Radio Room
YOUR CHANCE TO DIE, who re-emerged into the death metal world with their 2013 Red Cord Records sophomore effort, The American Dream, are to release their third album, Ex Nihilo on April 21st via EMP LABEL GROUP’s extreme Metal imprint EMP UNDERGROUND. Recorded by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me), mixed by Zack Ohren (Machine Head), and with album art by French digital artist / illustrator & graphic designer Pierre-Alain D., Ex Nihilo shows the band completely reinvented with deep symphonic atmospheres, inhuman precision and brutality, and a dual-female vocal onslaught.
2015/16 saw the addition of Som Pluijmers (ex-Cerebral Bore) on vocals, making her debut on Ex-Nihilo, alongside revered death metal vocalist Missi Avila. The dual-female front offers a tandem dose of sheer vocal brutality backed up by the soaring leads and rhythmic precision of Coca Avila and Ron Dalton on guitars. This package is rounded out by the inhuman speed and accuracy of drummer Thomas White.
In late 2016, the band began talking to Grammy-Award-winning (Megadeth bassist) David Ellefson and Thom Hazaert of EMP LABEL GROUP. Through these talks, the band found themselves inking a new deal with EMP for the new direction in 2017.
On signing to EMP, frontpersons Missi Avila and Som Pluijmers said, “YOUR CHANCE TO DIE is honored to be a part of the EMP label group family. We are very excited about our future with EMP, the new record that we have written, and are very thankful for this amazing team we now have behind us. We have worked very hard on our new songs…to become a new band…with different, new, music…and now a great label. We are very excited to have finally have a team that believes in us to release the new album.”
EMP’s A&R Director and Operations Manager Thom Hazaert says, “We are beyond thrilled to welcome YCTD into the EMP Family. They truly are bringing something new and interesting to the Extreme-Metal table, and we’re very excited that we’re able to partner with them to bring it to the World. Obviously, many in the extreme Metal World are familiar with Som’s amazing work in Cerebral Bore, and I am confident soon YCTD will be a household name in that regard as well.”
Since their Red Cord Records debut Suscitacio Somnus in 2011, and follow up, The American Dream in 2013, the band has toured with the likes of Origin, Wednesday 13, King Parrot, Arsonists Get all The Girls, Beyond Creation, and more. In late 2016, the band was direct support to Cryptopsy through Central America prior to hitting to the studio to record 'Ex Nihilo.' From that session, the band released the track 'Shadow and Flame' as part of the EMP Underground Sampler Vol. 1 in late 2016
Formed in 2015, EMP has quickly become one of the go-to labels in the Worlds of Metal and Rock. Distributed by AMPED in North America, and SPV in Europe, EMP boasts a diverse roster including Cage9, Doyle, Mark Slaughter, Broken Teeth, Ancient, Doll Skin, Another Lost Year, Helstar and more.
Your Chance to Die is a melodic death metal band from South Carolina. They have developed an unique sound which blends traditional death metal with beautiful melodic interludes. YCTD sports a group of talented musicians coming from a range of influences from power metal to southern thrash metal. Missi Avila (vocals) leads the band, proving that female death metal vocals can be just as brutal as the opposite gender. With that she was the one to talk to us again since we last spoke a few years back, this time around she talks of the band's latest album "The American Dream" plans for shows ans other activity.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Your Chance To Die, and how long the band has been together.
Missi: I'm Missi, vocalist of YCTD. We have been together now for 6 years.
2. What has the band been up too since we last spoke?
Missi: We are just releasing our second full length album via Red Cord Records June 4th and gearing up for a busy summer of touring and promoting the new record.
3. Is there any story or concept behind the The American Dream title?
Missi: All of the songs in 'The American Dream' have great meaning and all tie in together to this idea of 'the American dream' that we use as a standard in this culture. It is a rather sarcastic representation of the things we spend our lives chasing, that in the end amount to nothing. It's a very passionate and telling album.
4. Who produced The American Dream and what was it like working with them?
Missi: Joey Mathews, president of Red Cord Records. This was our first time getting to meet the RCR guys face to face and it was well worth the trip to Chicago. We share a lot of the same passions and it was a real pleasure sharing our vision with him and seeing how it has turned out.
5. Who did the cover art for The American Dream and how much input did you have on it?
Missi: Cypher Visual did the cover art. We gave a basic concept and he ran with it. We suggested some touch-ups here and there but he did an amazing job with the ideas we sent over.
6. Select two songs from The American Dream and what inspired the lyrics.
Missi: That's tough. I supposed we can use the two singles from the album. First, "Conscience", for which the lyric video has been released already. This is a song about ego and how it drives our mindset here in the US to strive only for our own selves and forget the rest of the world. We can been such a selfish people, with no concern other than that of our own rights, while we step over everyone else to try and get what we want.
The second single is a song called "Oscuridad" which will have a music video to be release along with the album on June 4th. This is a very personal song with deals with suicide and how many times we look over what people are really feeling and the seriousness of this disease which has trapped so many people in our country.
7. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?
Missi: We really wanted to out-do ourselves this time. We wanted to drop the 'core' from our genre and focus on a more technical sound. As the band has matured, so has our music and I believe this album shows this. We are very proud of each and every one of the songs. We wanted this to be an album that fans would hit repeat over; that there wouldn't be a single song that someone would want to skip.
8. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?
Missi: We have added more orchestra parts that we have written. It has added variety to the music and some cleverly haunting melodies.
9. When did you start writing for this album? How was the songwriting process different/similar to previous Your Chance To Die albums?
Missi: We wrote the first songs about a year ago. In the last album there was a huge gap between the first songs written and when the album was finally released, hence a clear split in the album where the newer songs sounded more technical and the older songs sounded more 'core'. In 'The American Dream' all of the songs were written in the same year, so we feel this album has a much better flow to it.
10. Did you feel any pressure to follow it up?
Missi: We knew we had some amazing songs brewing up in us, so we didn't feel any pressure, just excitement to get this album released and show our fans where YCTD is now.
11. Tell me about the new single "Conscience".
Missi: I talked a little about it before, but it is a heavy hitting, in your face song. The music is great, the transitions are heavy and I love the lyrics that I have been privileged to have penned.
12. How did the vibe in the studio go?
Missi: We had a lot of fun. We flew from South Carolina to Chicago, each band member getting his own studio time. We get along really well as a band so it was great to have each other to encourage the other along when the nights got long. The studio was laid back and casual, it couldn't have been better.
13. When can we expect the new album to be released?
Missi: June 4th. You can get pre-orders now off of Red Cord Record's online merch store!
14. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Missi: Lots more touring, national and international; so they can definitely expect to finally meet us face to face!
15. Any final words of wisdom?
Missi: I am now 32 years old. Can't believe I wasn't doing this ten years ago, but the biggest thing I've learned is it's never too soon, and it's especially never too late. I hope to be an inspiration and role model to anyone trying to make it in the music industry. I've been through a lot of crap in my life, but have always held on to the one Truth which gives me my only hope in this world. Life doesn't have to be a roller coaster, and my faith has always steadied me in my darkest days. Thanks again for the opportunity to share with you guys!
Melodic death metallers Your Chance To Die who've been together since 2007, have released a follow-up video to their previous release "Annuit Coeptis". "Requiem For The Blessed Damned" was released via Red Cord Records and received 2,000 views within it's first week on YouTube. The band's debut full-length "Suscitacio Somnus" has been pushing the band's population gaining such momentum so much that their fan base is growing ever so further that it has expanded in several showcases and an intertional tour taking place in 2012.
Melodic death metallers Your Chance To Die from Columbia, South Carolina have been at it since 2007. By creating a sound all their own blending the use of death metal with melodic melodies that truly make a unique source of musical magic. Their brutalizing sound comes at a price of their live intense show that with all shows leads to music build hence their first full-length album and self release. Following this was more writing and music making that forth to their second full-length album "Suscitatio Somnus". Frontwomen Missi Avila gives us her time in discussing the band's latest triumph and where the band will be spotted next.
1. So who is Your Chance To Die?
Missi: We are Missi Avila (vocals), Coca Avila (guitar), Daniel Todd (drums), Chase Crouch (guitar), and Josh Crawley (bass).
2. If you had Your Chance To Die would you? If so, how would you do it?
Missi: Only if it was for a good cause like my kids or something to help fight for the helpless. Oh… whatever way it came to me I suppose. If I were dying for someone then it wouldn’t really matter… but I do really hate the idea of drowning.
3. Where did the band name come from is there a story to tell?
Missi: It is a modification of a book title ‘A Chance to Die’ by one of my favorite authors. This book is the autobiography of a missionary to India who rescued little girls and boys from temple prostitution. She really gave her entire life to service and that is our challenge to all.‘Your chance to die’ to yourself and live for a greater cause.
4. Let's talk music you've releaed a demo, EP, and 2 LP's out of all of that material which do you think is your best work?
Missi: It would definitely be the new album ‘Suscitatio Somnus’. It is a culmination of 4 years of hard work, maturation and dedication to becoming better musicians.
5. Tell me the differences between "Verdict for the Gods" and "Suscitatio Smnus".
Missi: When we wrote Verdict we were more of a metalcore band with some deathcore elements. We have grown and matured since that album and now have more of a deathcore/melodic death sound. What’s interesting is now our newer music (which will go on the 3rd full length) reflects more melodic death and technical death metal.
6. What do the lyrics consist of?
Missi: Every song has a different feel and was written for a different group of people. There are songs written for a complacent and dying generation, hypocritical church members, etc. and there is one song that is about child prostitution.
7. What was it like working with producer Jamie King on the new record?
Missi: It was just simply amazing. He made us feel comfortable, and he being a perfectionist really gave us a very clean sound. He had lots of good advice for an up and coming band and was all around a great producer to work with.
8. How do you think he's helped you guys musically?
Missi: Honestly, he didn’t change our sound any on the record. That is 100% us, but he gave us that clean sound that really brought out each instrument. He helped us a lot with his knowledge of the music industry though.
9. You signed with Red Cord Records over the summer, what was running through your mind when it happened?
Missi: That it was going to be our big break. We knew we had reached with limits of what we could do for ourselves and needed someone to help us take another step up. It was a great move for us.
10. Which way do you think you liked better self-releasing your first full-length or having it be released through a record label?
Missi: It was easier. Distribution happened without us having to do anything. We are now out in Hot Topic and FYE stores as well as on all online sites. They got it where it needed to go and our job has been to sell copies at shows. It has been so much easier than when we tried to self release the first album.
11. What about shows will you be hitting the road during the remainder of this year or saving it for the New Year?
Missi: We’ve got a couple of mini tours planned through the end of the year and we always stay busy on the weekends hitting SC, NC, TN and GA. We are hoping to get down to Florida right after Christmas and have a 2 week tour planned in February for Mexico and Central America.
12. Tell me about the music video for "Annuit Coeptis".
Missi: This was our first music video ever so it was kind of strange performing in front of a camera. We had a lot of fun and when we recorded our second video for ‘Requiem for the Blessed Damned’ it was a lot easier bc we already knew what to expect. Also, the video for annuit was filmed outside in the freezing cold. And I really hate the cold!
13. What do you think sets your female fronted version of a metal band, in comparison to all the others out there?
Missi: Well, I don’t want to get in trouble with any other bands, but to be honest I don’t like the image that most females in metal are setting for their fans. I have been laughed at for looking like a guy, but I have enough self confidence that I don’t need the fishnet and corsets to make me feel good about myself. I consider myself to be a blue jeans and t-shirt kind of girl and a lot of guys are surprised at that. I want to show the other ladies out there that you don’t have to make a sexual image out of yourself just because you play metal. We can be just as good as the guys, just the way we are. I think a great example of this is ‘Light this City’ who always had a down to earth kind of appearance to her.
14. Your Chance To Die means what to you?
Missi: It is everything. It is my mission and my goal, my fate and my destiny, whatever you want to call it. It is why I was created and it is so much more than just music. It is a lifestyle.
15. Is that all you got to say?
Missi: Thanks for giving me a chance to share and let us know what you guys think of the new record!
