Metal trio GORE. have just joined the Spinefarm Records family ahead of the 24 October release of A Bud that Never Blooms EP. The band is about to accompany Within The Ruins this October, but first the band has taken some to speak with TGEFM in our latest Roll of the Dice interview.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! Congrats on the signing with Spinefarm Records upcoming release of A Bud That Never Blooms! What should our readers know about GORE, your history, your sound and your mission?
(Alex Reyes: guitar)-Thank you so much! We are a Metal band that was started in Arizona that is all about showcasing the emotional gore that we deal with in our everyday lives. Our sound is very raw and aggressive, but yet very soothing. We have a little bit of everything that a listener would love.
Let’s talk a little bit about the upcoming record and how it came into existence. What was going on at the time that helped kickstart and inspire the songwriting process?
(Haley Roughton: vox) – I will be honest, I was in an incredibly low rut. I just got kicked out of my old band, unexpectedly had to move back into my mom’s place for a bit, and struggled with severe depression/anxiety at the time. I decided that I finally wanted to create something that was unapologetically me, rather than strictly adhering to someone else’s vision. So in January 2023, I flew to a studio in St. Louis, wrote 5 songs with two friends, and left with ABTNB. I feel the trials I was facing came out in my performance in the best way.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
(Alex)-For me the album that really made me think, “ohh yea i want to do that!”, was Killswitch Engage’s End of Heartache and Trivium’s Ascendancy Album. Those albums kickstarted my passion for music and the yearning to perform music
Whats going on in the scene that “femme-fronted” hard music is finally seeming to get the acceptance and mainstream attention its deserved for so long? In light of the way the world seems to be moving backwards, do you believe we will ever get to a point where “femme-fronted” is used as a descriptor when we really should just be calling bands like GORE, Spiritbox and Dying Wish bangers?
(Haley) – well, femme-fronted metal getting attention is definitely true. I don’t always think it’s for the best reasons, though. Fortunately, for us, when people choose to talk poorly about the band (and a lot of those comments, of course, reference my gender), the algorithm boosts us. So even though femme-fronted bands are getting more attention and push than ever, an undeniable part of it is from misogyny alone.
That, coupled with the never-ending war between genders on socials, I have a hard time believing we will ever truly get treated equally on social media. For example, women have been in the engineering industry for decades and have proven themselves time and time again, yet we still get told we don’t belong there. In person, though, people are a lot less courageous 🙂
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
(Alex)-A band that is on my radar is a band called 408. Saw them on tour With Bilmuri and they were amazing. The musicianship between all the members were amazing and so much fun to see.
What’s next for GORE.?
(Alex)-So we are still cooking up some things for our fans. Some nice treats. Just keep an eye out for it
(Haley) – some very special treats indeed… specifically two of them, if you come out for our October tour 😉
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
(Haley) – I want to thank our fans again for being patient with us between Doomsday and the release of Babylon/the label announcement. We have been dying to show you more, so expect more consistency in our releases now that the announcement has passed. Exclusive merch, shows, and new music are around the corner in 2025.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
