REND are a new band out of Adelaide who dropped an awesome two track EP last year off the back of a very impressive demo. If you like your hardcore with a heavy influence of crossover thrash, then give REND a listen.
We caught up with frontman Josh for a chat...
Photos by Shaun Wilkinson
At what point did REND form and how did it all come together?
Rend was in the works for a long time prior to the demo. After a couple failed attempts at starting a new band I got talking with Ronnie about starting a Power Trip style band so we decided to get this project going! Jake, Ronnie and I were already playing in bands together and had done previously so I guess it just made sense to start with. Ronnie on guitar as always, Jake decided he wanted to give drums a shot, and me on vocals. Jake knew Dee through December and asked him to jump on bass which I think we are all grateful he did.
Would readers recognize the members from any other bands?
I couldn’t say whether they’d recognise us haha but we’ve all played in a few bands. I guess Brainfreeze, Tunnel Vision and December would be the few that we have most in common with each other.
In your own words how would you describe the sound of REND?
Down stroke brutality.
What bands are influencing the sound of REND?
Josh: The list is long and varied but for me personally and lyrically I appreciate Have Heart (or anything Pat Flynn has done), early Rise Against, Bitter End, Iron Age, The Rival Mob, Living in Fear, Wrong Answer, Early Hatebreed, Metallica, Alice in Chains, xRepentancex, Asidhara, At The Gates, Blood Incantation, Slayer and of course Parkway Drive. Ive tried to slim this list down. I ran this list past the guys and they agreed haha. We have a playlist up on Spotify which covers most of our bases.
What would be a dream line up of bands to play with?
Ronnie: Metallica
Dee: Power Trip
Josh: Have Heart
Jake: Blood Incantation
Where does REND fit in to the Adelaide scene? What sort of shows are you playing? Any SA bands people really need to check out?
We play a lot of hardcore shows I think mostly because of our association in that crowd. A couple mixed bills here and there. We try to play to a varied audience and not to get too comfortable!
I would definitely say Success, Culture Shock, City of Churches, Bolt Cutter in terms of hc. Also, Charnal Altar, Endless Loss for metal/death. Rannán Fola if you fuck with noise.
How does a REND song come together? Who is the driving force behind the song-writing or is it more of a collaborative effort?
For the Demo, riff wise it was all Ronnie. We were all still working out our places in the band, I was new to vocals, Jake was new to playing drums. I wrote the lyrics, I had some input from my girlfriend, Isabel, and the guys for placement. Dee is especially skilled with pre-production/reaper and that sort of thing so he really applied himself with great passion to that side of it. I think as we’ve progressed it has become a more collaborative effort and I certainly feel we are a strong unit with a shared vision for the band which is a fucking great feeling I won't lie. It’s a lot of fun, and I feel that we are each involved in every aspect of the band now.
In 2024 you released two new tracks “Cold Steel / Life Denied” that were a big step up from the demo of 2023. Lyrically what are the songs about?
Both songs are more or less two sides of the same coin. I can’t say I wrote them intentionally this way, but the more I sit with them I find this to be the case. I wrote Life Denied after reading Hannah Arendt’s (titled: The Banality of Evil) account of Adolf Eichmanns trial - the nazi and war criminal responsible for the ‘logistics' of the Holocaust. Just incomprehensible evil. I took a lot of inspiration from her observations detailing the huge disconnect between someone who might dictate policy and the real-world effect it has. This is a seriously extreme example, but it had a pretty profound effect on me. So, between the person or organisation issuing a directive and the people carrying out its orders, what lies between is a bureaucracy which at its most extreme can filter the humane (or inhumane) reality - effectively shielding those individuals issuing orders from any real remorse or feeling. So I guess what I was trying to say is that those in that position live in a different world - and they couldn’t possibly face reality with any real strength. Cold Steel is the other side of that. Maybe you’re the one on the ground - most of the time not by choice. Maybe you’re the one at home watching atrocities being committed a world away on your phone. Regardless of this, it’s in our DNA to care for one another and to ignore or subdue that is to succumb to apathy and surrender your humanity - so this song is about becoming disconnected from that humanity. In an ideal world and if I could write them again, I would have made these ideas clearer, but i guess that's just the process and Im always learning.
What else is in store in the foreseeable future for REND?
A whole lot of writing which we’re already well into, and some touring. We were lucky enough to head interstate a number of times last year so we’re keen to do more touring once we have some new material!
How can people get in touch or keep up with what’s happening in the band?
We are most active on Instagram @rendhc
Email for bookings: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Final words?
Free Palestine. Free Sudan. Free Congo. Cheers.