Earthside: Progressive Transcendence

Progressive metal band Earthside release Let the Truth Speak, their first studio album in eight years. The group spoke to the editorial staff about the richness and various layers of meaning and sounds that make up this multiple work.

Find this interview withEarthside in full in WECB weekly n°138, available via our online store.

How come it took you eight years to release your second album?

Jamie van Dyck : This was not the original intention when we embarked on this adventure. We had a vision for this album which could have corresponded to a seventh, but less to a second. We actually thought about putting it aside to make another one by starting everything from the beginning, it would have been quicker. But we knew that if we did that, we would never come back. We talk about current topics, which would have been outdated in ten years. The topics have been relevant for eight years, although the reasons have changed, since unforeseen events in the world have occurred, such as the pandemic. This increased the sense of urgency to talk about it.

Frank Sacramone : We are very happy with our first album, A Dream in Static, but it didn’t sound exactly like we wanted it to. We were therefore very meticulous about Let the Truth Speak. Each track has its own orchestrations and vision, as well as different guest vocalists. This takes time to set up.

Despite this great variety between the pieces, the whole remains coherent. How do you find this balance?

Ben Shandrom : This album has an epic aspect to it as a whole. There is a sense of urgency for humanity, which is a theme that runs through Let the Truth Speak. We use different colors and instrumentations, but they are there to energize the story. But since the dramatic and solemn aspects are omnipresent, even in a subtle way, the whole remains coherent.

Let the Truth Speak is available