Dan talked with Matt from Sydney-based Metal Outfit Our Last Enemy about their new upcoming EP “As Within So Without” their latest single “Hex Design” upcoming shows and more…
Metal-Roos: The band released a new single, “Hex Design” a week ago. I really enjoyed the intro (got stuck in my head for a while \m/), the groove, and the energy of the song. It still has that “Our Last Enemy” DNA inside that song for me personally.
Have you been happy with the response from fans who have heard Hex Design?
Matt: Thanks for the props! You pretty much nailed how we felt about it as well. It still has that main vain OLE industrial groove, but it just has that western element to it as well. We’ve been really happy with the response we’ve received so far, but in saying that we knew early on that this was a real toe-tapper of a song really early on, so we’re glad it’s out there, and we’re looking forward to playing it live.
Metal-Roos: Not long till we see the music video for Hex Design on the band’s YouTube channel, which will be dropped this Sunday. The previews showed us a Western type of theme. Will there be any spaghetti involved to resemble the Western spaghetti era?
All jokes aside, how excited are you to drop it to share it with the world?
Matt: Hah! No, unfortunately, there is no spaghetti involved in this music video, but it is a Western themed video.
We’re excited for people to see it… I think we’re showing a slightly different side of ourselves. A funnier side, I guess? We wanted to do something different. We hope that people understand that we’re poking fun at ourselves.
Metal-Roos: With “Hex Design” added with other singles “Still Breathing” and “Slay For Me” to the lead up of the coming EP “As Within So Without” on September 22nd, 2023.
Can you explain the concept of this EP and its partner to 2021’s “As Above so Below”?
Matt: Yeah, so they are part 1 and part 2 of the same chapter in the band’s existence.
‘As Above, So Below’ had a lot more to do with us contemplating the bands existence. (See “Never Coming Back”, and “Long Time Coming”) and “As Within, So Without” is us more or less us accepting who we are and what we do as a group, with a “return to power” feel. (See “Still Breathing”, “Slay for Me” and “Hex Design”).
Metal-Roos: Your last EP “As Above So Below” was produced by DW Norton (Superheist) and John Sankey(Fear Factory, Divine Heresy) was also the Session Drummer. What was it like to have these two legends back involved with “As Within So Without” EP?
Matt: It was great, they’re both utter professionals… which can be hard to find in this industry. We loved what John had to say and his input around how different beats would fit with the rest of the song. And DW always goes to the next level for us and really puts his soul into it. I accidentally texted him the other day, then we ended up having a quick chat. He mentioned that he was proud of us and what we did with this album. So that was nice to hear.
Metal-Roos: The song “Still Breathing” also features CJ McMahon from Thy Art Is Murder. What was the experience like to have someone like CJ involved with Our Last Enemy Song?
Matt: It was great having him appear on the song. We’ve known CJ a long time. In fact Oli and I both knew CJ before OLE started and before he was in TAIM. Oli and CJ go back a long way. So it was great having him jump on board to do Still Breathing with us. We knew he’d do a great job.
Metal-Roos: What I enjoy and love about Our Last Enemy is when I listen to the band’s older songs over the years. Is that you guys seem to try and push yourself musically with your craft. I feel your music is not in one direction, it always evolves like an Industrial Metal band.
Do you guys put a lot of thought into the songwriting process with each song over the years and with the coming EP?
Matt: That’s very perceptive of you and thank you. We really push ourselves in songwriting and in the studio. We put a tonne of work into our songwriting process… Everything is thought about, discussed, and re-arranged 28 times before we settle on what we’re releasing.
Metal-Roos: Besides bands like Rammstein, Fear Factory, and Korn that drew inspiration for the band. Are there any other influences that have drawn inspiration for the band in recent years that have shaped the evolving sound of the band’s music?
Matt: I guess it would be a slightly different answer on who you asked in the band. But I generally try and not be influenced by modern trends in heavy music, and really pull a lot of my songwriting energy from what I grew up on and try to evolve it from where it was 20-odd years ago. There are some real talented bands out there that are making great music at the moment, but I wouldn’t say we take influence from them.
Metal-Roos: From the band’s website, Our Last Enemy has some shows coming in Newcastle on October 13th, followed by October 14th in Wollongong and finally, November 3rd in Sydney.
What is the band looking forward to with the coming shows?
Matt: We’re looking forward to playing these new songs and seeing what the crowds react to. We’re also just looking forward to getting on the road and seeing some of our friends in other cities that we haven’t seen in a while. The simple things, really.
Metal-Roos: What’s been the major highlights of the band’s journey over the years that you can look back on and were proud to be involved in?
Matt: I still think that our greatest highlight is yet to come. But I’m most proud of the fact that we’re still here. A lot of our contemporaries from when we first started are no longer around. So in a lot of ways, we’re one of the last few bands still standing from the late 00’s.
Metal-Roos: What can we expect in the next 12 months for Our Last Enemy? Does the band have more shows coming to build the hype to support the new EP, or any more material in the pipeline to follow up after the gigging cycle?
Yeah definitely. We’ll be doing a tour that will include Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and hopefully Perth. We also hope to also get to Europe in the next 12-18 months. And we’ve also started writing the follow up to “As Within, So Without”. So we hope to see as many people as we can soon.
