DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Far From Refuge
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find Far From Refuge sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil's Island?
Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
You're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
SJ: Wintersun’s self-titled first album, because “Wintaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!” It’s been the soundtrack to my escape (In Flames reference ha!) over so many years.
JS: I've always said you need two things to survive a shipwreck. Pop punk and killer rhythm guitars. Lechuza by Fenix TX seems the logical choice.
MP: Altered State by TesseracT. Something about the entire album just resonated with me at the time it released. It's filled with groove, emotion and gives me the good kinda chills.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
SJ: Honestly, the art from our first EP. It was created perfectly by Cadies Art from a concept we gave, and I’ve spent many minutes just admiring the story caught in it.
JS: Symphony of Enchanted Lands by Rhapsody. That dragon is so freaking cool.
MP: Palmscapes by Hotel Pools. I'm a sucker for LoFi, Vaporwave artwork.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
SJ: Still water for me please! I don’t drink and I get sick of sweet drinks quickly.
JS: Black Cherry White Claw. The sensible choice for mid-30’s metal dads.
MP: Pepsi Max Cherry… the addiction must continue to be satiated.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
SJ: My Opeth wrist sweatbands.
JS: It's got to be my Prince t-shirt.
MP: My Celldweller ‘Time, Love, Dreams, Death' shirt
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
SJ: No one better to be shipwrecked with really. Pretty sure we’ll Robinson Crusoe that island in no time.
JS: I have to agree with Suran here. We're quite resourceful and have a decent skill set between us!
MP: After this anime time-skip, we'll all come back as masters of our chosen instrument. On the Devil's Island, rehearsal never ends
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
SJ: I’m gonna assume it’s a video walkman (yes it was a thing) and say Disasterpieces by Slipknot
JS: Iron Maiden, Rock in Rio. I get chills even thinking about the crowd singing the guitar parts to Fear of the Dark.
MP: Dream Theater Live at Budokan
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
SJ: Jari Maenpaa (Wintersun). He could do a crowdfunding campaign to rescue us, but it might take a few years.
JS: Ákos Kobela of Ektomorf/Kolmena. Our first drummer and a super nice guy, I have no doubt he would be there for us!
MP: Joakim Broden of Sabaton. He probably has military contacts that can get us the hell off this rock.
You've been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
SJ: No one. If I die first they’d be welcome to my choice bits tho.
JS: What a heartless question! Obviously Suran.
MP: I would like to happily volunteer Suran.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
SJ: This may sound like a cop-out, but the musician who has influenced my life greatly would be Joel, and I don’t mean just musically.
JS: Dave McPherson from InMe. Their albums have been such an integral part of my life since the early 2000’s. His songwriting has been a massive inspiration. (Suran, you're making me emotional!)
MP: Jun Senoue from Crush 40. If I never heard his awesome guitar playing on the Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks of my youth, I'm not sure I'd have picked up that guitar 17 years ago
