One of the keys to making a band successful is not only quality, but also a clear vision. This is also the philosophy of the American metalcore act, Cause for Conflict, which only released its first songs this year, but has been building its pyramid for some time. So what’s the way up to the top? That’s one of the things you can find out from the interview!
Cause for Conflict
Scotty Bush - guitars
Chris Casper - vocals
Alex Winter - guitars
David Six - bass
Michael Sherman - drums
You guys are a pretty fresh band on the American metalcore scene. How challenging is it to prove yourselves in such a big country? Obviously there are advantages to having a larger population, but it also comes with a significantly stronger roster. Is it worth following the formula of the popular bands or do you believe that a unique, innovative approach can leadyou to the top?
First, we’d thank you for reaching out and having us. We are a new band publicly. Behind the scenes, we have been working on our launch since 2021. We’ve known from the start that the scene is crowded and everyone is fighting to be heard. We concluded that the game plan of “posting and praying” isn’t going to work. Desmond Tutu famously said:
“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”
Keeping that in mind, it’s setting a plan, remaining consistent in the long-term vision, and adjusting accordingly. We are lucky to have mentors who are already immersed in the scene to aid us in the journey. Between their guidance, our drive, and our dreams we are optimistic about the future of the band.
Who has been a big influence on you? What bands or musicians are you currently listening to? Who do you think would be considered as a hidden gem (just like you) in 2024?
Scotty – Influences: Killswitch Engage, A Day to Remember, Attack Attack!, Asking Alexandria. Currently listening to: Bad Omens, Electric Callboy, Bilmuri, and Woe, is Me.
Chris – Influences: Linkin Park, Bullet for My Valentine, Coheed & Cambria, Sevendust. Currently listening to: The Midnight, Bad Poets Society, RL Grime, All But 6.
Alex – Influences: Haken, Caligula’s Horse, Merrow, and Symphony X. Currently listening to: Inferi, Periphery, Caligula’s Horse, Haunted Shores.
David – Influences and currently listening to: Microwave, Dead Poet Society, Petey, and Fireworks.
Michael – Influences: Invent Animate, Leprous, Memphis May Fire, Slipknot. Currently listening to: Invent Animate, Imminence, Allt, and Currents.
Bands to watch out for and hidden gems, we have to plug our friends in Renesans, Gore., Uncured, Nailed Shut MA, Amoura, Vestigial and Honey Revenge.
In late January you released your first single, Guilt. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the lyrics and how you write a song? What topics do you think are absolutely must- haves for the future?
The lyrics to Guilt are based on my (Chris, vocalist) early to mid-20s. I was stuck in a cycle of self-destruction, aware of it, and too complacent with it. The line “I’m still loving to hate me” is my favorite lyric because it summarizes that entire era of my life; I was in love with hating myself. Getting out of that was the best thing I ever did. As far as topics that are must-haves for the future, the only need is that it has to “connect”.
There’s also a cool music video for the song! How was the filming? Which new experiences did you gain from it? How did people react to the track and the video?
Filming was a learning process and resulted in one of the best possible outcomes; new friends. Paul, Porsche and Spencer at Full Send Studios have become some of the most important people in our journey. They have not only supported us during the filming but stepped up as mentors in other aspects. We are currently scheduled to film three more music videos and truly cannot speak highly enough about them. The reaction to the video was overwhelmingly positive. We attribute that to the quality and professionalism of Full Send.
Your second single has just been released, which has a different style than its predecessor. How much do you seek to diversify your songs? Or do you aim to create a typical “Cause for Conflict” song feel? What is the story behind Eviscerator?
Eviscerator was a mixed and mastered song that found itself in the trash bin. Originally written by Scotty (guitars), it was the second song we had completed and it didn’t align with where we thought the quality of the release needed to be. Alex (guitars) heard it during one of our writing sessions and fiddled around. The result completely changed the lyric delivery and feel of the track. The rest of the story is what is now available to stream. On how much we seek to diversify ourselves – one of our mentors, Dave Dunsire, asked us a simple question that opened the floodgates, “What is our vision for the band”? On the surface, we thought we had an idea but after peeling back the layers it became clear there’s much to be honed in. Branding, imagery, tone, messaging, style, what is the “Cause for Conflict sound”? This is something we are laser-focused on with our second wave of singles.
Who are those people you would like to mention because they contributed a lot to your work so far? Giving a more complete picture of Cause for Conflict beyond the songs you’ve released, how would you describe the essence of your band? How does it feel to be part of this team?
Directly involved with the music/production – David Benites, Rilee Dubilo, Dave Dunsire, Ernie Slenkovich, Taylor Larson, Porsche Aremia, Paul Raymond, Spencer Burkhart. David and Rilee of Extreme Vocal Institute (EVI) have been our largest inspirations and put the ball in our court to make things happen. If you’re interested in music, EVI is a must-have resource. Also, many friends have consistently supported us by sharing our music, Reels, and TikToks.Those things are the small steps that play into the “one bite at a time” approach. We reach out directly frequently to thank them, and would like to again now.
What are your plans for this year? Where can your followers see on the stage? In the longer term, how realistic do you feel about performing in Europe? With whom would a tour be the most fun?
This year, we’re scheduled back in the studio and filming videos for our second wave of singles. Song number three and number four are set to be released on May 17th and July 5th. Expect a new song every eight weeks leading through 2025. We do not plan to play live until there’s a demand and a catalog of music released to support it. While we are early in our journey as a band, we have the best team any artist can hope for. We write songs we enjoy and hope others like them too. It would be an honor to have an audience in Europe that resonates with our music and wants a live performance. For that to be a reality, it’s up to us to remain consistent and deliver the best product we can.
Thank you again for having us and we look forward to updating you along our journey. To keep up with all things, find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or wherever you stream your favorite music.
Thank you for your answers!
Cause for Conflict
Band photos: Porsche Aremia
by: Wolfy
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