Interview with Fatal Ben Reigns of ZEN REVOLT
What is the intended meaning of the band’s name, in relation to your music and lyrics?
Zen Revolt means strength and success. When it comes to our music, we mean to get stronger and more successful doing upcoming events in the future. We are looking at going far and looking forward to it. We have so much planned to do, and all we need to do now is work on it but were taking it step by step rather than all at once.
Were you in any other bands before Zen Revolt?
I have been in bands all my life, I started playing bass guitar when I was fifteen or sixteen. Since then I have been in cover bands and bands who write their own material. With the bands I have been in in the past, I have done gigs in a lot of places, played a festival (Metal To The Masses) and been on the radio multiple times. When it comes to Zen Revolt I am so happy and I joined a band who are not only amazing guys and musicians but willing to put in the hard work and time with the energy, passion and drive to go extremely far. I would do anything and everything I can to help or make that happen.
Were you always in rock bands or did you also play metal? Is material from your former bands available?
Before Zen Revolt I was always in rock bands and probably one or two metal bands. There is no more material because once I left and the band finished they took their songs, band pages, and links down from the internet. Unfortunately too, because it was really good material. It was a mixture of covers and our own stuff.
Which cover bands did you play in? Do you think there is a need for tribute bands or would you prefer bands playing their own material?
My first cover band was my very first band, Mojo Filters. After that, I was in Carpe Diem, and Dantony. They are the only cover bands I have been in. The rest wrote their own stuff. Everyone has their own preferred thing which is fair enough. I have nothing against cover bands; I just think it would be more fun and challenging for bands to write and play their own stuff.
Which of your previous bands appeared at Metal To The Masses, and in what year? Do you remember who else played and how enthusiastic the audience was?
The band I was in that played Metal To The Masses in Leeds (2015) was a four-piece rock band called Fatal Sacrament. There were a lot of bands at that festival so I can’t remember each one. The crowd was very enthusiastic when we played, and we got an encore which was amazing.
At what local and out of state venues did Fatal Sacrament perform? Can people watch live videos of those shows on streaming sites?
When I was with Fatal Sacrament, we played the Krazyhouse, the Zanzibar in Liverpool City Centre, Hotel California in Birkenhead, Diamonds in St Helens (can’t remember what it was called beforehand but that’s what it’s called now) and a pub in Weymouth. They used to have live shows to watch but when the band ended they took their vids down.
How many songs do you have for possible inclusion on the EP so far? What are the lyrics to the songs about, and how are the lyrics relevant to your genre?
Zen Revolt has four songs for the EP, but if we have time we’re going to make it five songs. Each song has the lyrics that go really well with the tune, so each song will get stuck in your mind. This is great for us and for the people who are and will be listening. The lyrics are relevant we have a hard rock/blues sound we want to bring to people, and the lyrics and the sound fit perfectly.
Were you in bands with the current members of Zen Revolt before Zen Revolt started? How long have the band members known one another?
When Fatal Sacrament finished I went onto the internet and put an ad out for a bass player available. A guy in a band messaged me, we got together and the birth of Zen Revolt happened. The lead singer and guitarist have known each other for a while, the drummer and I are recently coming into it and getting to know them. The more we are the more we're getting to be like brothers.
What material do you currently have available for streaming on your band pages?
We are currently working on a few songs so it’s basically fixing what needs to be fixed. Then we will have our songs done for our EP. Once they are done we’ll move on to do the rest.
Name each of the songs you have completed and describe what they were written about.
Bleed Beneath My Skin is about a past couple who were in love, and one day the spark went out on their love together. Lead is about a lonely man walking the streets with painful memories of his life. Gypsy Rose Rollercoaster is about a guy finding the love of his life; one day they split and he turned to drink and knew he could never get a girl like her again. Heartbreak Woman is about a normal person who wants a woman to be loyal and not break his heart. Live In Your Time is about a confused life between two people, karma finding one of them and they have to live with what they have done.
Tell the readers about the EP you are recording. Are you working on it in a personal studio or a professional studio with engineers and producers? How soon do you expect it to be released and how do you plan to promote it?
We pick up songs pretty quick. We are rehearsing every week and we decided it was a good time to do an EP. Anything we do we do as a band, or make suggestions and decide. Together we talked about either doing the EP in a personal or professional studio and decided to do it this professionally with engineers, etc. We currently have it planned to do at the end of August and the start of September. We plan to promote it not only on our band pages (Youtube, Soundcloud, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reverbnation) but to send it to multiple radio stations and make copies if people want to hear it.
By the way, music has been my life and without the guys, I wouldn’t be doing it anymore. They are amazing and like brothers to me so thank you Tony, Diz, and Arran.
Who in the band wrote the lyrics to the songs to appear on your EP? Were they based on real-life experiences or where did the inspiration come from?
The lead singer wrote all the songs for the EP and also the album too that’s coming later on either in the year or early next year and they are amazing lyrics and songs also in each of their own ways. Not too sure if they are based on real-life experiences or not and the inspiration came from legendary rock bands to get the sound and also to inspire us as we go and to give a different but amazing sound to the music scene.
Who does the band have in mind to help engineer and produce the EP? Were you recommended anyone from people you know or are you conducting your own search?
We have an appointment to record our EP. I am not too sure about the producer and engineer but people will find that out closer to the EP date or maybe after it’s done. Each day we are conducting a search so we’ll see what feedback we get and discuss what the best result will be in the end.
Name some of the radio stations you are planning to contact. The band recently had a song featured on Deal Radio. Has this helped increase the buzz for the new EP?
There are a number of radio stations we have been in touch with that agreed to play our material. Each time it boosted our name on the internet and let people know who we are. They have boosted recognition inside and outside the UK, so now we are getting noticed in the UK and America. As time goes on the popularity of the band will grow.
How many songs are you planning to include on the album you mentioned earlier? How soon do you plan to complete it?
Altogether, we have about sixteen songs for the album. Each of these tracks has a different vibe. Some are relaxing tracks and some are rock tracks. It is a working process, taking one step at a time, but we are planning on completing it by early 2020 which we are looking forward to.
Do you hope to land a recording deal with an independent label to get your EP and full length out to more people?
We are not running before we walk, it’s a step by step process but in time we are hoping to eventually land a record deal with someone to get our material out there to a lot more people so our following will grow slowly, also were thinking of playing gigs, festivals and also hopefully in time start touring as well but that’s still a plan we are looking at eventually doing.
-Dave Wolff
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