“The Accounts of Evil”
This song was an odd one because I remember writing it very quickly (something that usually doesn’t happen) and being quite unsure about it due to the overall vibe of the song (less leads and extremely riff heavy). Nonetheless, when I showed it to Nikko, he was really stoked about it and it has since then become one of our favourite songs we have written. It was also the second song written for this EP and really helped shape my writing direction for this record. – Nick
The lyrics for this song were extremely fun to write because I wasn’t writing about personal experience but instead its written about a movie that I love called the Devils Rejects. This is all about the insight into the mind and the life of a deranged serial killer. The brutal upbringing ‘’Otis’’ had as child sparked his murderous and criminal ways which are thoroughly detailed in the song with every spine tingling line. – Nikko
“Skeletons”
Skeletons was the first song written for “Dark Sentiment”, which was completed shortly after we finished recording our first EP “Metamorphosis” three years ago. I was just going for a song that had an equal blend of heavy and melodic parts. This was also where I decided I wanted to write music that was a little more progressive, while applying the very limited music theory knowledge I have. – Nick
For me Skeletons and a few other songs are particularly important to me. Skeletons means a lot to me because it’s written about a very intensely personal family issue. An ongoing problem that my immediate family and I had been going through with extended family. This song is meant to be a slap in the face of those being talked about. With anger and resentment in every line it’s a great song for any metal fan to gravitate towards for a healthy outlet of aggression. – Nikko
“A Promise of Forever”
This song was really hard to write. I had the chorus part written forever and thought it was so awesome that I was stuck trying to write a great song around it. I struggled with it and no matter what I did I was never happy. I wrote and rewrote this song over 10 times but finally got it to where it’s at on the record. This song is very guitar heavy with loads of riffing and melodic parts and some heavy breakdowns thrown in there. It’s definitely got a progressive vibe to it as I explored many different parts of the fret board but still tried to make it sound like a cohesive song. – Nick
A Promise of Forever is interesting lyrically because it is actually the first song in which Stephen had collaborated on and primarily written. A Promise of Forever is for all the broken hearts and is written about a past relationship that Stephen had endured. The song has an increasingly catchy chorus and extremely relatable lyrics for the listener to lean on for support in knowing their not alone. – Nikko
“The Recluse”
This one is all about bringing the “heavy”. I went into this from the get go deciding that I was going to write a super heavy song revolving around groovy rhythms and riffs. This is the first song that I used a full breakdown as a repeating theme. I’m usually against that but when I wrote the intro breakdown, I thought it was too cool to only play once, so I made it repeat a couple of times throughout the song while trying to be creative about it. It’s another favourite of ours and a lot of our friends love it as well. – Nick
The Recluse is a song that shaped the aesthetic of the entire record as well as helped me name it. It’s a song in which the writing was one of the hardest things I’ve had to because it’s an insight into my mind. The insight is written via dialogue that I have with the Recluse who is essentially my ailing mental health. I cut myself open for the listener to really divulge into the life that I have lived and am living in my head. It’s a song I’m very proud of lyrically and melodically and I hope other think so too. – Nikko
“Apathetic”
Apathetic is one of our more melodic songs, with a whole slow section and a very melodic solo. It was intended to be a longer song that focused a lot on dynamics but it was ultimately cut down before being recorded. This song is good for people who are into more melodic stuff, with some heavy goodness sprinkled in. – Nick
Apathetic is yet another song that really embodies the ’Dark Sentiment’ title to its fullest. This is a song that has my favorite chorus because it’s so catchy. Lyrically it is another entry into my mind and was written at a very low point in my life. I open myself up with tremendous honesty as I used this song to cathartically help / fix myself. It’s one of those songs where as a listener the lyrics really shine through and connect on a deeper level. – Nikko
“Sleepless Nights”
The last song written for this record, Sleepless Nights follows a more basic song structure and revolves around a clear central theme. Again, I was playing with dynamics and wrote a cool slower part that I used as an intro and as a bridge to the outro. The main goal of this song was to write a fast, heavy song that had a dynamic melodic part thrown in there. The solo was written as a challenge to myself due to it being quite fast (thankfully it’s really short) and the outro of the song is so simple but so heavy. We love it and think it was a great way to end the EP. – Nick
Sleepless Nights is a song that was truthfully written for us as a band and as a unit. The song is a mantra of passion and relentlessness letting the listener know we aren’t going anywhere and intend to push further and further. The feel of this song can be described in the last line: “Like a snake to its prey, sinking our teeth we are here to stay!” It’s a fun song for people to party to because its fast paced and metal as hell. Our audience should have a great time listening to ‘Sleepless Nights’. – Nikko
Order Dark Sentiment HERE or Stream on Apple Music, Spotify, etc.
Photo by @ClaudiaKielbPhotography
