This week, the British band Internal Conflict are featured in Meet The Band. After an EP in 2018, their latest release is Aporia. Vocalist Adam Kyle introduces us to his band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Internal Conflict.
Adam Kyle: We’ve been digging around the underground for a little while, and played some really big shows along the way. After a change in personnel we found ourselves in a real groove before the pandemic hit. But we’re still at it, because when things are at their worst you need your outlets the most.
Describe the songwriting process for Aporia.
Some of the songs were being written as we released our last EP, so it’s been in the making for a while. The pandemic gave us extra time to knuckle down and go over everything piece by piece. Matt, Sean, and Chris (guitars and drums) put down a lot of material and arranged the songs, and I would write the majority of the vocals before getting together with Matt (guitar, vocals) to fine tune and rewrite. There was a real collective effort, with everyone having their say. As we got down to recording, Dan (Bass) would get stuck in and fill out the sound with Sean.
What inspired the album title?
It was Sean who suggested it. He happened across the word and it made complete sense. “an irresolvable internal contradiction or logical disjunction in a text, argument, or theory,” which is another way of saying “Internal Conflict” in a way. You could argue that this is a self titled album!
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
For me, I could say a couple of moments where Matt and myself would come up with a chorus line, after days or weeks of struggling to find “that hook”. But one in particular would be when we were in the studio recording with Neil Hudson (Krysthla). We were working on “The Line” where there was a clean vocal that we just weren’t happy with, but he made a suggestion and it became a cascade of ideas. The atmosphere in the room then was amazing.
How did the pandemic affect the process?
It affected us a great deal. Mentally it was a strain on us individually and as a group. Writing any music is a battle of creative wills, and when you are part of a group who all want to put their signature into the sound, it can be challenging. But having the extra time, whether we liked it or not allowed us to take the time and space.
What lyrical topics did you cover this time around?
Whenever I write anything, I always try to put myself into the shoes of a person who is experiencing the subject. Mostly throughout all of my music I talk about mental health and a layman’s view of the world at large. I’ve always suffered with my own mental health problems and music and art has always been the best way to deal it. Putting all that horrible shit down on paper, then screaming my guts out is the best therapy. It might sound simple and brutish but there it is.
I’m a huge fan of most genres of metal, but for me to “get into it”, it really needs to mean something. Singing about death and murder is all fun and games, and I do love listening to that shit. But most of the time I need something more for me to fall in love. But this album it isn’t all about me though, and going in I wanted to
delve into what was going on with the people around me. Even before the pandemic my closest friends have had all kinds of shit happening to them and we’ve worked that into the music. Both Matt and Sean offered lyrics and themes that are across the album, so there is much of them in the soul of the words.
Our goal with Aporia is to speak of the light at the end of the tunnel. Things are shit, and sometimes it feels hopeless. But if getting your head down and raging to something that comes from the heart is what gets you through, then maybe we can help someone. When it comes to politics, while we all have our own views on things we don’t want to be a political band. There are some things amongst the songs, but that’s not what we’re here for. If you want my opinion on things then follow me on socials because that’s where I mouth off daily!
How has the band’s sound evolved from your 2018 EP Nothing Is Lost?
Massively. Like I said before we had a change in personnel, and one of those was the introduction of Chris (formerly of Beholder) who is a very different player than our former drummer. Plus on top of that we changed our process which meant we could really dig into what we were writing. Nothing is Lost was a great progression from our first album, and this is a huge progression from that. Aporia is more of everything, in all directions. Regular listeners will probably nothing a lot more expansive sections and clean vocals, but we’ve also gone in harder on the heavier and faster parts. There’s a lot going on.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
We just want to get it out to a wider audience. It tough in the underground to make your voices heard. We’ve got good people around us and all the help greatly appreciated. So in short, we just want to get out and get playing them gigs and sell some shirts.
What has been your most memorable Internal Conflict live show?
There has been a few, but I’ll have to say my usual answer of Uprising Leicester at Demontfort Hall. It’s a legendary venue that has hosted the biggest bands in rock and metal, and to be part of a huge Day Festival in my home city and performing on the same stage that the likes of Sabbath and Motorhead played was immense. It took a long time to come down from that.
What are your upcoming show/tour plans?
We’ve got a few in the works that we can’t announce yet. But we have Bloodstock 2021 coming up, we didn’t expect to be given the call so we’re going to make the absolute most of that.
How did you get started in music?
I never had the attention span to play guitar, but a group of friends and myself could just about string together some nu-metal songs and we got into it hard. That band lasted for about 8 years, after which I took some time off before the guys in Conflict gave me a shout. I don’t think I’ll be stopping unless I absolutely have to.
Who were your early influences and inspirations?
When it came to actually performing, it was somewhere between thrash and nu-metal. Emotive lyrics to fast hectic music. Usually the angrier the better.
What was the first metal concert you attended?
The first “proper” gig was Metallica’s “Big Day Out” at Milton Keynes Bowl. It was a real eye opener and awakened the beast in me. I knew then that this was the world I wanted to be part of.
What’s currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I usually stick to Spotify playlists so there’s usually a mix. But my usual go to bands are Devin Townsend because there’s something for every mood with him. August Burns Red, because the are heavy as fuck but also very uplifting. Mastodon, for similar reasons but for a different vibe. Boss Keloid released another monster recently, probably the strangest and most interesting band you’ll hear in a long time.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Our new album Aporia is available via Plastic Head Media. We also have plenty of merchandise from our website as well as continuing to release content via YouTube. Keep an eye on the Resin Events Facebook page, they put on metal shows in Leicester as well at Uprising at the 02 academy. I often sit on the door and check wristbands for them, keeps me out of trouble!
(interview published July 10, 2021)
Watch Internal Conflict – “Bleed The Sky” Video
