Heavy metal band Idle Threat recently released their first full-length album, blurred visions, with rock label Tooth & Nail Records. The album's inspired by everyday anxieties and today's global crisis. blurred visions' use "control" as the album's central theme. The illusion of control. A lack of control. And finding peace without having control.
The album highlights the band's ability to blend genres while showcasing their heaviest and lightest songs to date. A press release describes the album's sound as the "most aggressive instrumentation juxtaposes acoustic tracks, reminding fans to expect a fusion of genres."
Idle Threat's style of post-hardcore is sure to be reminiscent for some listeners, reminding them of post-hardcore and alternative music legends, such as Anberlin, Norma Jean, and Emery. This record is one of the best that I've heard come out of Tooth & Nail Records in the last couple of years. So, I talked with band member Ernie Fabian about the band, their music, and some specific songs like "Cinder" and "Simon." I hope you enjoy and consider listening and supporting the band.
Please introduce yourself and the band.
I am Ernie Fabian; I handle the more aggressive vocals and play guitar. There is Zeke McKinney who sings and plays bass and we have Justin Jones, (JJ) our drummer. Zeke and I formed the band in 2014. We started by playing on our church's worship team. There, we tried to get a good line-up, but people weren't good fits. Not until Zeke recommended JJ. And the rest is history. While on tour, we usually bring one, two, or more people to handle extra guitars and such. Mostly, local folk from Nashville, Tennessee, not far from our home.
Releasing blurred visions is a big move forward for Idle Threat. It further cements your stay with Tooth & Nail Records. Plus it marks your first full-length record. What was the songwriting process like? Any favorite moments? Hardest parts?
Writing a full-length album pushed our creative limits. As a band, our usual mental space has been creating EPs. So, after a handful of songs, we felt like we'd finished recording. But, in this case, we wanted at least 10 songs. What helped though, was being immersed in the studio. Before, our songwriting approach was laid back, but with the full 30 days in the studio, the atmosphere was different.
Zeke and I write most of the lyrics and music. Afterward, we send what we have to JJ so he can finish the drum recordings. We all enjoyed the atmosphere of spending extra time writing and recording in the studio. We'd like to record our next project the same way.
Idle Threat has been around for eight years. In what ways have you seen growth in the band, music, or yourself?
One of the most notable areas of growth is in the brotherhood--how the three of us have become family. We've been fortunate enough to have the original line-up still together. And the main reason for that is our shared goal: to write music we love and play it for people. Despite our personal differences and personalities, our common goal is what has kept us together.
Musically, we've all grown over time and practice, from the instruments, vocals, and songwriting. We've also all grown in life-- from getting married, getting a new job, moving, and whatever else. These life events have helped us become more patient. Patience is important for writing and releasing music, as well as other aspects.
For the past few years, you've hosted a music event called Threat Fest. Tell us about the festival and the purpose behind it.
Threat Fest is a throwback to the earlier days of live music that we grew up with. Growing up near Nashville, live shows always have been and still are a constant. But we feel like there isn't as much of a family feeling to the music scene as much. Our favorite venue, Rocket Town, was always sold out with local bands and we loved that support.
So, Threat Fest, for us, is a throwback to that. We have a community and space where bands of all kinds can play music and enjoy each other. We had two days, three stages, and about 20 bands that played at our last event. We have not hosted any events recently because of the pandemic, but plan to continue next year. We are hosted in Smyrna, Tennessee as a middle ground between Nashville and Murfreesboro, which is fantastic.
What kind of influence does your faith have in your music, the band, or this album in particular?
The three of us are Christians and have been for a while now. I've been following Jesus for about 15 years. I try to view everything I do through that lens. Even as a cliché, I ask "What would Jesus Do?" and let that guide me the best I can. I wouldn't say we focus specifically on our faith in songwriting, but it's often a by-product.
As for the message of the record, we wanted to write about control and the lack thereof in our lives. Control is often a false illusion, as most of our lives are out of our control, but in God's control. And whether you share the same faith, it's something you can relate to. From different examples, such as anxiety or loss, we try to be honest and address the harsh realizations of this reality. The timing of this message fits well in the pandemic. But we didn't want to write specifically about the pandemic, but rather the by-products of it.
One of the most provoking songs is "Cinder." It talks about realizing a need for change. That is a hard thing to admit and follow through on. How would you encourage listeners to embrace and make a change in their lives?
Pride is a major obstacle, for myself included. But in reality, it feels better when you stop fighting the pride and admit you need help and change. Although the process may be difficult to make a change, when you come to grips with that realization, that's when you can get better.
I wrote the song with the idea that it's hard to sit and look at the things that you know need improvement. But, sometimes, it's even harder to know where to begin. The first step is realizing you have a need and that you call out to God for help and renewal. We want God to stoke these embers within us and help us desire Him more and to come to a complete change in our lives.
The song "Simon" seems based on the Apostle Simon Peter. What motivated you to write a song based on him and his struggles?
Zeke focused more on that song than I did. It's a beautiful piece that takes an example from the Apostle Simon Peter's struggles. Zeke had a creative boost one day and wrote most of the song in one sitting. From my perspective, it's about how we're all broken people and make mistakes. Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom to realize we've hurt the ones we love.
Anything else you want to share?
This writing process was great. To be honest, our last EP was a bit bumpy and challenging. So, recording blurred visions was a breath of fresh air. A lot of new, great things, happened. I want listeners to know that we put a lot of ourselves into this record and we always want to be improving and getting better. We're proud of how this album turned out and hope everyone enjoys it. We have some tours scheduled for next year that we're excited about, too. So stay tuned for announcements on social media.
How can we be praying for you?
Please pray for continued growth in patience and continued inspiration and hope moving forward. Thank you.
Ryan Adams is NRT's rock reporter. He was been writing with them since 2019.
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