Invidia Band

When perusing the lineup of Invidia and recognizing the names of current and former members of In This Moment, Five Finger Death Punch and Skinlab you might think you have the band figured out. You don’t. While the ten-legged Las Vegas based wrecking crew certainly bring elements of their other bands to Invidia’s sound this is a beast that stands apart, and their debut As The Sun Sleeps makes this very fucking clear. “While what we’re doing is still ‘metal’ there were no rules when we started this band,” says vocalist Travis Johnson, who formerly fronted Flatline and currently handles bass duties for In This Moment. “The mixing of ideas and styles worked for us because we let it, and every song is different from the last. Not having to ‘stay in the box and write the same stuff everyone already likes’ was pure gold, and an exhilarating opportunity for us all.” While a core sound unites the tracks across the record under the watchful eye of producer/manager Logan Mader (Once Human, Machine Head), the band gleefully crash through sub-genre walls, embracing everything from industrial sludge to Bay Area thrash, a boot placed firmly up the ass of everything they do. “Of course we set out to make a killer record, but what made it so unique was the way everyone worked together. We all trust Logan without question, we all knew him or had worked with him previously. It was a really positive, comfortable environment to create in, so the music just evolved really fast but at the same time smoothly, and it was a fun, exciting experience.” The band’s origins date back to December 2015, though long relationships exist between the majority of the members. Conversations between Johnson and guitarist Brian Jackson (formerly of Skinlab) got the ball rolling, and soon afterward Jackson entered the studio with Mader to start “hashing out” some music. Getting wind of this, bassist Matt Snell (formerly of Five Finger Death Punch) – a long time friend and often tour mate of Jackson and Johnson – enthusiastically offered his services. Drummer Darren Badorine who had previously collaborated with Johnson was soon drafted into the fold, the final piece of the puzzle coming with ex-Skinlab guitarist Marcos Medina. “When we were looking for a second guitarist Brian said ‘dude, why didn’t I think of this sooner – I’ve got the perfect guy! Hang on lemme call him!’ That was it, super smooth and easy and the band was going. It was like it was ‘meant to be’.” The various personalities and styles of the members soon gelled, and bonded and driven by a common goal they worked quickly and passionately. The result is a collection of songs that not only land with phenomenal force but skewer the listener with ruthless hooks. “That was our goal, what we wanted to do with these songs, but at the same time we didn’t want every track to be the same, so we firmly stuck to the idea of always doing what was right for the individual song. Logan was instrumental in this department. He really seems to inspire confidence while recording, and pulls music out of people they maybe didn’t know they had in them.” Listen to lead off track “Making My Amends” and you will get the full on Invidia effect: tighter than hell, built around monstrous grooves and armed with a truly scathing chorus that makes you want to punch whatever is in your vicinity at the time. Blast your eardrums with “Now Or Never” and you will be no less pummelled, but its industrial-infused thunder, propulsive rhythms and cinematic grandiosity will take you to a wholly different place. Or crank up “Feed The Fire” and embrace the southern grooves woven into its titanic riffing, its chorus and climax almost impossibly huge. Producer, Logan Mader says "I loved working on this album! Inivia's sound has huge balls while maintaining a great sense mass appeal with big hooks and heavy grooves. The guys are dead serious about making it all happen and very self sufficient. Producing records like this are the ones that make my job fun and inspiring." In tandem with constantly switching things up musically, Johnson covers a variety of subjects in his lyrics, adding to the emotional resonance of the record. “There are songs like “Making My Amends”, which is about getting sober. Then there’s “Smell The Kill”, which is about being a sniper, and “Marching Dead”, which is about the dead rising and taking over the world, and “Truth In The Sky” is about being a liar and being outed for it. Like with the music there were no rules.” While Johnson never fails to deliver when it comes to unleashing his mighty larynx, adding a further element to the record the band drafted in Gemini Syndrome frontman Aaron Nordstrom to lend his tones to “The Other Side”. “He was in Vegas over at Brian’s pad, and he and I were bouncing ideas around on the tune and it just had to happen! Aaron is an amazing artist, his ideas on that song were so good, and his contributions are amazing.” With the album primed to drop, those coming into contact with the band’s music will likely Google the definition of Invidia, and learn that the latin phrase refers to a sense of envy, conjuring a sense of spite and resentment at the success of others. It is not unreasonable to suggest that a great many bands currently operating in the active-rock/metal sphere will feel just that when confronted by the songs on As The Sun Sleeps, the album title also connected to this concept. “We’re a Vegas based band, we’re out at night, and that’s also when the ‘demons come out to play’, as the last track on the record says. You see a lot of envy and judgment in the world, even more so if you’re an ‘out every night’ sort of guy.” Of course, eliciting such feelings was not the band’s intent when they wrote and recorded the album, focused on making great songs and having fun with it. “When the fun is gone it becomes work, so a goal for us is to find a way to maintain a positive influence in what we do, and avoid it ever becoming something that seems like a chore. That’s how we make the music we make.” While Johnson remains committed to In This Moment he has every intent on touring hard with As The Sun Sleeps, not wanting Invidia to ever be considered a side project. “Who knows, maybe we’ll tour with In This Moment and I’ll get to pull a double every night!” he laughs. “Stranger things have happened!” Evan Seidlitz- Vocals Brian Jackson - Guitars/Vocals Matt Snell- Bass Logan Mader - Producer Marcos Medina - Guitars