My Ransomed Soul discusses with me how they're band got
their name, their debut album "The Chains That Bind Us" what their
songs are all about and what are their upcoming plans for this year. Vocalist
Brendan even adds more detail in regards to these matters.
1. So My Ransomed Soul why go with naming yourselves that?
Brendan: Our bands name reflects our faith. We believe that
sin has made us impure. We believe that when Jesus Christ died on the cross he
paid the ransom for our sin. This is the concept that inspired our name.
2. Tell me about your debut album "The Chains That Bind
Us".
Brendan: “The Chains That Bind Us” is an album idea that has
been in my head for almost a year. A couple songs came from past EP’s but most
of the writing came together in August of 2011. The album has been classified
as metalcore, but I would hope that listeners find it to be more than just a
generic genre title.
3. How does it feel to have released a debut album would you
say it's a dream come true?
Brendan: There is a sense of accomplishment that is like no
other. Not every band has the chance to release an album independently without
backing from a record label. Anyone who has gone through this process knows how
hard it can be to put everything together on your own. I’m just glad to say we
have at least one full length under our belt.
4. Did you all get a chance to celebrate in any way or never
thought about it?
Brendan: We never really thought about it. We did have a CD
release show with bands from our area that we are good friends with. A lot of
our close friends and family were there so that was our way of
celebrating.
5. What's the music scene like in Maryland any band
recommendations?
Brendan: There are many talented bands in the area, but not
many places to play. There are a handful of bands that I would recommend.
Stillglow, In Dying Arms, My Maker and I, I The Breather, Vandalia, and What We
Call Victory are just a few of our good friends
from the area that I recommend. There are of course many more, but it
would be way to long of a list to name them all.
6. Your genre is Christian, Metal, and Hardcore, do you
think talking about spirituality in music is becoming more popular and accepted
in mainstream music?
Brendan: I think it is far less popular than it was a few
years ago. There are still a handful of bands that are popular that have a Christian
message, but their numbers are decreasing. I think there is a growing demand
for bands with a negative message. I have seen people reject us and our music
in the past just because we have a certain set of ideals. This is okay though,
at least we can say we stand for what we believe in.
7. Does the band ever get criticized for not being Christian
enough?
Brendan: Every once in a while a church venue will not let
us play because we are not what they would consider the “appropriate genre” for
their congregation. I do not think we have ever had complaints about not being
“Christian enough”, but then again we are not perfect. We are just five normal guys making music,
trying to spread a message of hope and salvation.
8. How do you respond to those people?
Brendan: Being in a band, there are greater things to worry
about. There will always be critics; we kind of just go along with it.
9. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they
cover?)
Brendan: A lot of the lyrics come from my own perspective on
how I see life and the issues that surround me. One theme that is constant
throughout our lyrics is my relationship with Jesus Christ. The lyrics on this
new album convey a story based off my own life, going from confusion to finding
purpose.
10. Do you write your own songs? (Can you discuss the
songwriting process in detail?)
Brendan: All of our songs are original; we have yet to cover
any other artist. Most of the music from our album was first thought up by our
guitarist (Garrison) and the rest of the band added their thoughts. A couple of
songs were thought up by our other guitarist (Michael) and our bassist
(Taylor). After a lot of trial and error
we put together what we thought sounded best. After this we entered the studio
and tracked out all of our ideas. When the first run of tracking was completed
we decided to go back for second round of tracking and editing. That’s how we
received our final product which is what you hear on our new album.
11. Who are your musical influences?
Brendan: We have a variety of different influences. It is
hard to say exactly what bands have influenced us the most. Obviously there are
a lot of metal and hardcore influences in our music, but we have also pulled
from punk and pop music at times. I know for me personally Mike Hranica of The
Devil Wears Prada and Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath has been huge influences
for me vocally.
12. What image do you think your music conveys?
Brendan: I would like to think that our music conveys the
passion we have for what we do and the faith we have. I want to portray a
message of hope. Everyone will pull different images from our album, but I
really want listeners to try meditating on our message if nothing else.
13. What are the upcoming plans you have laid out for 2012?
Brendan: We would like to tour as much as we can. This is
becoming harder to do with the current state of the music industry. We are
always thinking of new ideas for future music, but right now our focus will
mainly be on playing as many places as possible to promote our new album.
14. Do you want to say or add anything else?
Brendan: I would like to encourage people to at least listen
through our new album. Even if you don’t like the music at least read through
our lyrics. Our new album can be found on iTunes and various other digital
retailers.
