ETHOS – AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH THE BAND
By Ralph Beauchamp
Ethos is a dynamic five piece based out of Atlanta who have just released their new EP entitled An Eye For An Eye. The group is comprised of Austen Earp (Vocals/Keys), Kuyper Cummings (Guitar), Matt Palopoli (Guitar), Nick Riggs (Bass) and Tribb Robison (Drums). Their sound defies categorization. Ethos‘ use of powerful guitar riffs, demanding vocals and exotic soundscapes creates a sonic explosion of immense proportions. Their songwriting is crushing and their sublime arrangements deliver a profound ferocity.
Ethos‘ recent endeavor, An Eye For An Eye, is a true testament to the band’s bold musical explorations. All five songs captures the band’s fierce melodic objectives. “Begin With the End” is brazen with glowing vocals and an avalanche of propulsive licks. Robison’s drums hammer with a do-or-die fervency. The musicianship is relentless. In addition, the track flourishes everywhere. “Holy Water” is a sonic beast with muscular textures and cinematic vocals. The song is both dramatic and shimmering with mysterfying cadences.
The next three songs form the “Archetype Suite”. This sprawling epic showcases the brilliance of Ethos. “The Suites” brandish a potent sense of orchestral theatricality by introducing characters and narratives cloaked in intriguing compositional themes. Fearless grandeur turns to pensive stillness as Ethos explores songwriting with dynamic tenacity – and as their name suggests – demonstrates their ability to conjure a powerfully emotive listening experience.
Ethos was kind enough to sit with AMP for this in-depth conversation.
AMP: Can you give our readers a brief history of the band?
ETHOS: Austen and Matt met at university and started Ethos in 2009. They wrote the first two singles from our debut album, “Vessels” (2012), together and then recruited Nick and Tribb. As a four piece we wrote and self-produced our first full-length album. Matt took a break from the band sometime in 2014 but committed to finishing the recordings on our second full-length, “Shade and Soil” (2017).
Kuyper Cummings, frontman and lead guitarist of the Knoxville-based band, Cerulia, stepped in and contributed during the recording process and became a full time member. Matt re-joined the band in 2019 and we began writing the material for “An Eye for An Eye” as a five piece in 2020. This, of course, is the abridged version of our history—there is some touring, an acoustic EP, and some singles tucked in there.
AMP: Your music spans many genres and motifs. How would you describe your sound?
ETHOS: It’s always difficult to firmly label, and it really depends on the song, but we’re mainly in the modern alternative rock realm, with a lot of prog influence, metal tendencies and often an emphasis on piano driven compositions.
AMP: Your new EP is An Eye for An Eye. Can you give us some insights into the release?
ETHOS: The process of this body of work started in 2020. In the beginning, we were sending files back and forth remotely but eventually we were able to get back in the studio together and work in person, which is where we really thrive. Like all of our previous releases, it’s a highly collaborative process which is sometimes frustrating but also beautiful. Our motto is “Try it anyway”. The EP also continues with another three parts of the Archetype Suite, which is a sci-fi/fantasy musical concept that began in our last release and will continue on.
AMP: How does your creative process work?
ETHOS: Historically a lot of our songs have started on the piano and been presented to the band as a whole or incepted entirely during a jam session based on a guitar riff. In recent years we have sent a lot of ideas back and forth remotely before the 5 of us get in a room and hammer out details. When everyone gets excited about something the ideas flow effortlessly and that is sort of our litmus that we’re on to something. It’s highly collaborative and no matter where the idea starts, once the group gets ahold of it the song takes on a life of its own.
AMP: In today’s music scene, there seems to be a sink or swim mentality. Does this type of realism have any effect on the band’s drive?
Ethos: I think it’s important upfront to define what success looks like as a band. For us, we love the music we make and it’s brought us together like family–we’ve all been friends for years and have been making music together since 2009. We want people to hear our music and we certainly make an effort to do so but at the core of our band we have a love for the music and each other and we want to be honest in our writing. This makes getting our music heard the “icing on the cake”.
AMP: What kind of themes do you embed in your songwriting?
ETHOS: There are many musical themes throughout our work, especially within the Archetype suite. Our signature sound is very morose, reminiscent almost of the romantic era of music. Progressive, heavy, piano driven. Austen is a great lyricist, as well, and incorporates a lot of text painting; his work is very poetic and often existential. You may get science-fiction, self reflection, themes of doubt, exposing greed and corruption, love, betrayal.
AMP: Where do you get your inspiration from?
ETHOS: Inspiration can look different for each of us, but besides the obvious musical influences and trying to hone our craft and break new ground with every new release, we all have big interests outside of music, like film, art and literature that most definitely spark ideas. Sometimes it’s every day experiences and introspection
AMP: Is there an album that the band wished they had written?
ETHOS: We’ve all got particular albums that are extremely important to us individually of course, but a few that we all mostly agree that we wish we’d written include Karnivool – Sound Awake, Muse – Absolution and Soundgarden – Superunknown.
AMP: What do you want your fans to take away from your music?
ETHOS: When we started Ethos, our main objective was to make our listeners ‘feel’ something. We wanted to make music that we enjoyed and we enjoy writing stuff you don’t hear every day. The ancient Greeks believed in music’s power to affect the soul, hence the name “Ethos”. Ultimately, we want people to enjoy it, be provoked by it and for them to go on a journey of their own while listening .
AMP: What’s next for Ethos?
ETHOS: We’ve started working on new music and are continuing to explore different musical avenues and push boundaries. So far there’s a leaning towards more ambience and simpler song structures that introduce complexity in harmony, while the next The Archetype Suite material will continue with a piano heavy sound and more orchestral and theatrical elements. We’re also hoping to get back on stage at some point, but no shows have been planned yet.
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