The sophomore album from the Connecticut heavy/power/thrash metal band The Unknown is Graveyard Of Empires. We caught up with guitarist Aamir Syed, who fills us in on the new record and numerous other topics.
Chad Bowar: How did the songwriting process for Graveyard Of Empires compare to your debut?
Aamir Syed: The biggest difference was that Graveyard of Empires became much more of a collaboration among the band members. Our first album, Vanishing Point, was pretty much written by the time I recruited the rest of the band for the studio. Since then, we’ve evolved into much more of an actual band in the songwriting sense. This time around, ideas came from different members, songs developed collectively, and everyone had more of an opportunity to leave their fingerprints on the record. I think that naturally made the album broader and more varied than the debut.
What will be your strongest memory of recording the album?
Probably when our singer Matt came to me with the initial idea for “Ardennes Offensive.” He had recently discovered some of his grandfather’s memorabilia from his time as a soldier during World War II and learned that he had actually fought in the Battle of the Bulge. That became the inspiration for the song, and we deliberately made it the opening track of the album. It starts immediately with Matt singing, which felt symbolic to us. The first thing you hear on our first truly collaborative record came from an idea that Matt brought to the band. In a way, it was our statement that The Unknown was entering a new era. There are a lot of memories attached to making this record, but that one really represents what changed between the first album and this one.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
Some of the studio work was challenging simply because the songs became more ambitious. There are more layers, more complex arrangements, orchestration and little details that we probably wouldn’t have attempted on the first record. Our mixing engineer was also based in Germany, so working across that distance and time difference sometimes made coordination a little difficult. Fortunately, the communication itself was fantastic, and we were extremely happy with the end result. It just required patience and a lot of listening, revising and sending things back and forth until everything felt right.
How has your sound evolved from Vanishing Point?
The collaborative nature of the band has probably been the biggest evolution. You’re hearing ideas and influences coming from several different people now, and as a result the songs are much more varied. We still have the traditional heavy metal foundation that was there on Vanishing Point, but Graveyard of Empires expands on it considerably. There are elements of power metal, thrash, progressive music, orchestration and even instrumentation like tabla and cello. I almost think of the album as a cinematic experience. A lot of these songs are trying to take you somewhere rather than simply give you a collection of riffs. There’s also much more depth conceptually. The record deals a lot with conflict, humanity, the collapse of ideas and, in different ways, the fragility of peace.
What lyrical topics do you cover this time around?
Quite a few. “Ardennes Offensive” is obviously rooted in World War II and the Battle of the Bulge. “Reverie Code” goes completely in another direction. That song is science fiction, inspired in part by Westworld and ideas surrounding artificial intelligence, sentience and what happens when something humanity creates begins asking the same existential questions that we do. “Land of the Pure” was loosely inspired by Train to Pakistan and the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan. It looks at the fragility of peace through the perspective of a small border village made up of people of different faiths and how quickly neighbors can become divided when the world around them changes.
The title track, “Graveyard of Empires,” touches on some similar ideas on a broader level, the collapse not just of nations, but of ideals, civilizations and the things people believe will last forever. Then we have something like “Warrior Ascension,” which draws from Native American themes. So there really isn’t one lyrical subject running through every song. The common thread is probably humanity and what we build, what we destroy, what divides us and what remains when those things begin to fall apart.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
Our goal was honestly just to make an album that we were proud of. We write music for ourselves first. We make the record that we want to hear and then put it out into the world. If people connect with it, that’s fantastic. If somebody hears something in one of these songs that means something to them, that makes all of the work worthwhile. And if someone doesn’t like it, that’s okay too. You can drive yourself insane trying to anticipate what everyone else wants to hear. We’d rather make something that feels genuine to us.
What has been your most memorable The Unknown live show?
Rage of Armageddon 8 in New York was fantastic. The energy was great and that whole experience really sticks with us. Youngstown, Ohio also comes to mind. Getting to work with Ironflame was a real treat because they’re an incredible band and one that we have a tremendous amount of respect for. Opening for Attacker was also personally very special. I grew up listening to them, so there was definitely a moment of standing there thinking, “How did I end up on this show?” Those are the kinds of things you remember.
What are your upcoming show/tour plans?
We have several shows coming up in September surrounding the release of Graveyard of Empires:
September 11 — The Cellar on Treadwell — Hamden, Connecticut
September 13 — Rage of Armageddon 9 — Brooklyn, New York
September 18 — Super Rad Arcade Bar — Lynchburg, Virginia
September 19 — Simple Underground — Washington, D.C.
After that run, we’re going to take a little time off from shows, get back into recording mode and start working on whatever comes next. Then the plan is to hit the road again in spring 2027.
How’s the metal scene in your area of Connecticut?
It’s pretty good, although Connecticut tends to lean toward the heavier and more extreme sides of metal. There’s a very strong hardcore, death metal and extreme metal presence here, which is cool. We’re just trying to carve out a little more space for traditional heavy metal, power metal and that older style of melodic heavy music. There are definitely people here who love it. Sometimes you just have to bring them together.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
Powerlifting, reading and coffee! That covers a fairly ridiculous percentage of my life outside of music.
What’s the best thing you binge-watched recently?
I hate binge-watching! We slow-burn everything.
What’s currently in your musical heavy rotation?
At this exact moment, Freddie King.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Absolutely. Graveyard of Empires is out September 4, and you can find everything related to The Unknown at www.unknownmetal.com. Our music, social media, upcoming shows, merch and all of the relevant links are available there. I also run a promotion company called Mission 84 Productions, and we’re co-promoting Rage of Armageddon 9 this September in Brooklyn. It’s an incredible underground heavy metal festival with bands coming together from all over, and I genuinely encourage anyone who loves this kind of music to check it out. Information for that is available through our website as well.
(interview published September 3, 2026)
