EMQ’s With Beyond Salvation
EMQ’s With Beyond Salvation
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Heavy/ Thrash Metal band, Beyond Salvation. Huge thanks to Their Drummer, Jon, and Guitarist, Arun, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Arun Kamath – Lead guitar.
Jon Pedley – Vocals, rhythm guitar.
Jon: The band started nearly ten years ago and with a very different line up… its changed over time but the general theme and vibe has stayed the same to play heavy music rooted in Thrash metal inspired by bands like early Sepultura, Sylosis and Machine Head.
How did you come up with your band name?
Jon: It was our original drummer Sim who came up with it just before I joined…. Has been mentioned that it might have come from the Deicide song title…. But Sim never struck me as the guy who listened to Deicide, so maybe a bit of a mystery…
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
Arun: We are from Manchester, in the north west of England. The scene here is very healthy – there are loads of bands and lots of gigs for people to go to. We get a lot of visiting and touring bands coming to Manchester as well, so if you’re a music fan then Manchester is the perfect place to be!
What is your latest release?
Arun: Our latest EP is called “A Line In The Sand”. This was released on 10th May 2024. We also have a brand new video for the first track called ‘Ghost Machine’, which is available on our YouTube channel. Link to the video below:
Who have been your greatest influences?
Jon: Machine Head, Sepultura and Sylosis….. I’ll probably use those 3 bands a lot as answers 😉
Arun: While we each have individual influences, the band’s overall sound has definitely been shaped by the likes of Machine Head, Metallica, Sepultura, Sylosis, Lamb of God to name a few…. But we draw inspiration from all over the place.
What first got you into music?
Jon: Oasis’ first two albums – as soon as I heard them as a kid I was absolutely obsessed… After that I was always hooked on finding new music whatever the genre was I might have been mainly into at the time.
Arun: For me it was just whatever my parents had playing around the house and in the car. It was often Indian music, but it had a good groove and melody to it. Weirdly, those melodies actually kind of led me on to rock music, starting with grunge and punk and then onto metal.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Jon: I think Arun has covered the big names that I would agree with. Never done any collabs with anyone outside of the band yet. Would be cool to work on some music with some of the local bands so people like Nips from 40k or Jacob from Tortured Demon would be really cool to see how that would turn out.
Arun: In terms of guitar playing, I’d love to do something with Rabea Massaad, or Josh Middleton – I’m nowhere near as good as either of those two, but they inspire me daily so I think it’d push me to get better. In terms of riffing and song writing, probably Robb Flynn from Machine Head. So many of my riffs are inspired by him, so it would be nice to go back to where they came from!
There’s so many players I love and have loved over the years, so it’s hard to pick one or two.
That said, I also love watching drummers – often more than guitar players – and my favourite drummers right now are Ali Richardson, Eloy Casagrande, El Estepario Siberiano, Ash Pearson, Mike Portnoy…. I also really like Sugarfoot…. So maybe collaborating with one of them would be really cool!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Jon: I want to see Beyond on the next stage up at Bloodstock so the Sophie stage (ideally with my little lad Charlie watching side stage).
Arun: I’ll use a loop-hole and say it would be the European Festival Run, which basically includes places like Download, Bloodstock, Wacken, Graspop, Rock Am Ring, Resurrection fest, Hellfest… I’ve seen bands do it on their tour documentaries, and I’ve even had a couple of friends do it in their bands. That’s a bucket list experience for sure!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Jon: Artist drawing us in his sketchbook whilst in the middle of the moth pit. Or the guy head banging the stage at my feet until his head started pouring with blood….. Let me put it this way….he wasn’t sober.
Arun: I was once given a rubber duck after a gig. Definitely an unconventional gift….!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Jon: The best is yet to come and it’s coming soon.
Arun: Thank you so much for all your support over the years! Please share our music and socials, merch, and spread the word!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Jon: Seeing as Arun went Dimebag, I’ll go Paul Gray as I know that would be Luke’s answer in a heartbeat.
Arun: Easy, that would be Dimebag Darrell.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Jon: Creating new music… nothing better than when you come up with a new riff or song that you think is fire and it’s just stuck in your head for days. Worst – waiting around at gigs.
Arun: I enjoy 3 things the most. Writing music, releasing it, and playing it live. Playing live is definitely my most favourite thing to do, I love seeing people vibing off our music.
Things I hate? It’s less to do with the music and more to do with the business end of the music industry, and how much we have to think about things other than music and getting our message out there. Stuff like the admin, the social media content creation etc… Some of it is fun and has taught me valuable skills I’ve used elsewhere, but it’s definitely not my favourite part of being a musician. I’d much rather spend the time creating and playing music
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Arun: I would change the reliance on social media and particularly short form content. I quite liked it when bands could be a little mysterious about what they were doing. Now it seems that unless you are massive and have an enormous following, bands have to be constantly churning out short form – often pointless – social media content. Which to me devalues the music and / or band.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Jon: Machine Head “The Blackening”, Sepultura “Chaos AD” or “Arise” and Sylosis “Edge Of the Earth” … bonus album… Deftones “Diamond Eyes”.
Arun: There’s so many, so just picking one I’ll say Machine Head – “Burn My Eyes”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Jon: Vinyl for artwork but I’ve got to confess I’m a sucker for no glitter and ease of use so I do love having my whole music collection up in the cloud being able to access it from any of my computers / devices.
Arun: My absolute favourite is CD’s. There’s something about a tactile collection of music, and for me growing up it was cassettes and CD’s. I never really got into the Vinyl thing. That said, I don’t really listen to CDs as CD’s that much these days, I tend to burn them on to my computer and then put them on my phone. So perhaps the practical answer is Downloads.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Jon: Bloodstock 2021 or when playing with Tortured Demon and the barrier nearly got pulled of its hinges due to the head banging front row. That was pretty satisfying.
Arun: As a part of Beyond Salvation, I’d say either Bloodstock 2021, or the two times we have played the Bank Top Tavern in Oldham – including the gig where we filmed the ‘Ghost Machine’ video. Quite different gigs to choose from, but they were all great for different reasons. I’m not sure I can answer what the best gig I’ve ever played as a musician is…. There’s far too many!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Jon: Illustrator / graphic designer ideally just for metal bands and events…. check out my work under the name of Pedley Art
Arun: We’re not full time musicians so we do have other day jobs. I’m currently a scientist in medicine development.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Jon: Dave Grohl, Noel Gallagher, Rob Flynn, Nolly & Snoop Dog
Arun: Assuming this means musicians / metal people… My answer right now is actually the whole band of Bleed From Within. I’ve met one or two of them, and I see their behind the scenes type videos online, and they just seem like completely down to earth amazing people, who love a drink and a laugh. I have a real soft spot for Scottish people too!
What’s next for the band?
Arun: We’ve got a few gigs coming up in 2023, all around Manchester. We’re also recording an album that we’re aiming to release in 2024. That’s all I’ll say for now…..
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsalvationthrash
Instagram: @beyond_salvation_thrash
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@BeyondSalvation
We have other links to places like our merch store, upcoming gig tickets etc available at our LinkTree: www.linktree.com/beyondsalvation
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
Jon: Bap or barm is fine with me everything else is noise
Arun: Barm
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Arun: To everyone out there, please check us out! Like, follow, subscribe etc, tell your friends about us and spread the word. We really appreciate it!
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