Categorizing what Dana Point, CA band Seizures is musically about isn't an easy task. The group's songwriting (and production choices) carry sonic attributes from a host of musical styles, including hardcore, shoegaze, and mathcore. According to their publicist, some Seizure fans have even lovingly dubbed the quintet "beach math" and "surf core" in their pursuit to tag what they're doing in the studio and on stage.
Later this week, Seizures will be releasing their third studio offering, Reverie of the Revolving Diamond. The sessions were recorded and mixed by Erol “Rollie” Ulug (Teeth, Graf Orlock), and features guest appearances from Keith Barney (Eighteen Visions, Throwdown) and Vernon Porter (Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald). Listen to the entire LP below:
In the press release for the new album, Reverie of the Revolving Diamond was explained like this: "In essence, this record is a musical narrative of a fictitious place created by band member Albert Navarro." When No Echo saw that, we figured it would be interesting to ask the guitarist what books helped inspire the new Seizures album. We'll late Albert take it from here!
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The Silmarillion, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin, by J.R.R. Tolkien
These three books were some of the progenitors of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm in love with the J.R.R. Tolkien legendarium and was/am inspired by its intricate detail, descriptive beauty and unparalleled eloquence book to book. I was drawn to the creation of a detailed realm with various areas—each with a purpose, history and individual stories. Tolkien excelled at this and in essence, this record is a musical mimicry of such.
UBIK, by Philip K. Dick
Overall unsettling, this science fiction narrative left me with residual feelings of paranoia and uncertainty. (FFO: mistrust, psionic espionage tactics in the corporate world and the deterioration of reality.) PKD's general diction and bleak outlook on future humanity have been a continuing source of inspiration. The idea, in any event, is to transmute feelings and thoughts that may arise when reading into songs or musical subject matter.
Redwall, by Brian Jacques
The story in its entirety features unique tales of sorrow and triumph, not to mention the moving descriptions of landscapes, seasons and food. The meticulous attention to vernacular and detail in these thought up worlds has set a precedent for our song writing and creative approach in general.
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Reverie of the Revolving Diamond is out on Oct. 4 and can be pre-oredered on Seizures' Bandcamp page.
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