The Eighth Note is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians. A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music. Up next is Sam from ALL I SEEK.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
We’re ALL I SEEK, a 5 piece Hard Rock/Metal band from Wellington. Our lineup is Sam (Guitar/production), Alex (Guitar/production), Finn (Bass), James (Vocals) and Jordan (Drums).
The project began in 2016 when Alex and I first got 7 string guitars and started listening to a lot of new wave progressive metal. A few members of our predecessor band ‘Unstable Ground’ had recently moved away, so we took it as an opportunity to explore a more modern and dynamic sound. We grew up on Metallica, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Avenged Sevenfold, but around this time we became inspired by the way these new metal bands weren’t afraid to pack their arrangements full of synths, ambience and electronic percussion to build a fuller sonic atmosphere in their music. The contrast of ethereal ambience with heavy, groove based riffs has always been at the heart of our music. We had written the instrumentals in their entirety for our self-titled debut EP before James joined the band in 2018. His story telling, vocal style and energy miraculously fit the material naturally- we released the EP in 2022.
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
We have been working on our second EP in the studio with our engineer Jake Stokes. It has been our first collaborative writing experience as a full band, and it comes through in the material. The new songs have the DNA of ALL I SEEK, but the process of writing instrumentals and vocals alongside each other seems to have given each track a more cohesive vision. We’re looking forward to performing these new tunes.
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
Our music is on all your usual online platforms – Spotify, Apple music, Bandcamp etc. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook for gig announcements and new music updates. Subscribe to the Youtube channel for music videos, instrument playthroughs and more too.
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Sam – Children of Bodom: Hatebreeder
Alexi Laiho was my guitar hero as a teenager, and before this album I hadn’t heard any music that was so heavy but still primarily melody driven. Me and two of my best high school friends jammed these songs in the school music rooms and ripped off their riffs for our first Garageband demos.
Alex – Lamb of God: Sacrament
I don’t know what it was about his album that grabbed me so much, but whilst in high school this ticked all my boxes. It had these groovy heavy riffs, yet had a feeling of space which can get lost in some metal tracks. The breakdowns were tight and tidy with the perfect complimentary ambient layer. The production on the album just felt correct. The technicality was inspiring for my playing at the time and I learnt a number of songs off the album. While it may not have as much influence on me now it played a big part in my progression as a guitarist and will always have a place in my mind and memory.
Finn – Nickelback: All the Right Reasons
This album was one of the first CDs I ever bought. It bridged the gap between pop music and metal for me. I distinctly remember loving the more commercial sounding songs so much on the album that I forced myself to listen to the heavier ones (which I couldn’t stand initially) and sure enough, after a few listens I’d fallen in love with it. This led me to Linkin Park, System of a Down and eventually Parkway Drive, which is where I really fell in love with metal.
James – All Time Low: Nothing Personal
I was in my first year of college and had never sung or played an instrument and I saw their “Weightless” music video on MTV. After that I was completely hooked on pop/punk/rock and the idea of being in a band and playing music.
Jordan – Lamb of God: Ashes of the Wake
I got into this album while I was first getting into metal. I loved the way Adler would use splashes and stacks in fills and found his style of playing to be interesting technically, while still offering appropriate groove to fit the songs (all bangers). I ended up learning every track from this album largely through listening to it on repeat for so long and 100% can be caught throwing a cheeky stack hit in the middle of a fill.
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
Isaac Lundy for a guest solo! Joe from Ovus for a guest solo too! Shehatesjacob or DELIRIUM would be insane for a verse.
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
Meow is a favourite- we had a great show there opening for Banks Arcade. It’s spacious, has a vibey atmosphere and good beer. Valhalla is home though- we have countless fond memories of playing shows and seeing goated international metal bands perform there.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
The process has been very different between the first EP and the second EP (which is still in the works). A lot of the original songs were born from writing sessions with 2 or 3 of us at a time. We all used Logic Pro at the time, so our ‘jam’ sessions were mostly by the laptop, not in a rehearsal space. We’d start with a riff idea, program in a silly kick drum pattern to write a breakdown to, or sometimes start from building up layers of ambience. We hung out a lot as friends, and it was usually the case that we wanted to work on music, so the material organically came together over time.
As I mentioned in response to the second question, we’ve taken a more collaborative approach in writing the second EP. I first came up with 15 or so ideas on the guitar one night- riffs, melodies and chord progressions, and recorded them unamped in the voice memo app on my phone, just seeds of ideas. Alex and I then had 3 or 4 demoing sessions to develop our favourites into full instrumental sections, and shared them with the band. A few of those really resonated with all of us and we took them to the studio to work on together. It was a great challenge to juggle everyone’s taste and work towards the best collective vision. Composition often gets quite technical, keeping things interesting harmonically, rhythmically and in the arrangement. But writing with vocals and instrumentals together gave us a clearer direction in serving the story of the song, and focussing on the feeling of the music as a whole.
Where/when is your next gig?
Our next gig is on April 28th at Valhalla, opening for Crooked Royals. We’re hyped to play our new material and support one of New Zealand’s finest metal bands!