When life is a canvas

Metal notes

It was in 2010 that some young professionals got together and formed ‘Final Surrender’ as part of a musical quest.

The band that comprises Jared Sandhy on drums, Joseph Samuel on vocals and James Stephanus on rhythm guitar also includes Judah Sandhy on bass guitar and Sanjay Kumar on lead guitar at live acts.

In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, they talk about their musical journey and their latest album.

How did the band come together?

Jared: Joseph and I met and we decided to work on a solo project. Soon, we put out an album and wrote some new songs in the style we play now. Then we wanted to take it live and that’s when the rest of the band came together. From there, we started playing gigs around the country. We have performed in all major cities like Pune, Chennai, Delhi and Guwahati. We never got into a competition zone and always did our own thing as we wanted to go mainstream.

The band’s journey till now...

Joseph: We never thought we could play this kind of music and it was a nice discovery. We have come a long way from the time we started. Our lyrics are inspired by our faith and we sing about what we see through our eyes, be it something that irritates, offends or blesses me. We use life as a canvas for our music. Our first release, ‘The Expanse’, won us much local and international acclaim, after which we released ‘St.Sinner’ and three single releases.

What makes ‘Final Surrender’s music stand out?

Jared: We are known for our progressive metal core music. We are deeply influenced by ‘August Burns Red’, ‘As I Lay Dying’, ‘Meshuggah’, ‘Soilwork’, ‘Inflames’, ‘Killswitch Engage’, ‘Extol’, ‘Demon Hunter’, ‘Zao’, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, ‘Haste The Day’, ‘Living Sacrifice and ‘Veil Of Maya’. In some of our works, we also had Indian instruments being played and we stood apart for these.

How did the international release happen?

Joseph: In February 2012, the band had a breakthrough and got signed on to Rottweiler Records, a record label from Indiana, USA. ‘Empty Graves’ is produced by ex-Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray. We were all in a space of monotony and that’s how the album title came up, which views emptiness as a space.

What’s next?

James: We will be going for a tour across the country to promote the album. We only aspire to go higher and further, and know that this musical revolution will one day hit the shores of every continent.

We strongly believe that the album will be accepted by metal fans, just as our work was accepted when we went touring earlier. We will be writing new material in December.