All stories are intimate, a version of that inner voice, the narrative to document our existence. The biography workshops that I hold with my clients are an adventure; a journey into discovering the very heart and soul of the rationale behind the songwriting and the purpose to express those subjects.
A little under twelve months ago PHANTOM STATE came to me to help them discover and write the biography for their debut album EXIST//EVOLVE. Within a few minutes of talking to the band about the motivations for the subjects they wanted to talk about, it became abundantly clear what we needed to do, perhaps for the first time for any of us and we just knew what we needed to say, the challenge then was HOW?
Two things that struck and inspired me in those writing sessions firstly were BEN ANDREWS' (Vocalist/Guitarist) positive and open attitude toward his upbringing and experiences. His openness was and still is inspiring and when I encourage bands to base everything on authenticity and truth, nothing could be closer to this than his story. The other was the supportive way that the other members of the band wanted to help Ben tell this story, frame the poetry with dramatic, hard, and brutal musicianship.
Enabling this story to be told was a true rollercoaster of emotions for me, an important message to deliver, and something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Here is that story.
EXIST//EVOLVE is a journey of pain and deals directly with the stories and a first-hand account of childhood abuse from the perspective of the victim of this REAL-LIFE STORY.
We wanted to deliver the songs that told the truth, that removed the unspeakable veil surrounding the subject of living in an abusive household. These songs are brutal because they come from brutality and this eight-track album is an expression of the suffering that came from the childhood of vocalist Benjamin Andrews. “I needed to draw a line under these topics and wanted to have the opportunity to address the pain and move on”. “I know that this isn’t the experience for everyone who survives abuse, some situations just don’t end well, and some people are still living that fear every day”. Although we are dealing directly with the darkest of subjects our songs also have an overall message of hope and unity leading us all out of that dark place.
EXIST//EVOLVE is a TEMPLATE FOR SURVIVAL, “These subjects are painful but through these truths, they offer a way out and I chose my way out through the creation of this album”.
“When we began to put the ideas together for EXIST//EVOLVE it all started with just those words, EXIST and EVOLVE. What did they mean to me, what did they mean to us all? I poured over the ideas of what it meant for me just to exist during that difficult period in my life and from my own experiences I believed we could emerge from a bad situation to actually evolve and ultimately thrive in our day-to-day existence.
EXIST//EVOLVE is a self-produced album with guitarist David Benbow at the production helm, a traditional role in an unconventional set of circumstances. This pandemic presented us with another set of problems to solve and is testimony to the resilience and determination of all four members including original member Jake Hadley and the newest addition Luke Watson. Studios were closed, use of rehearsal spaces prohibited by law and this could have been the story of the album that never happened. But it did.
Phantom State’s EXIST//EVOLVE is a debut that promises a brutally honest account addressing those previously unspeakable taboos with raw and fearless energy. We want those that have been through the trauma experience to know that they should never be alone This album is speaking to them, the silent minority, we hear you and this is a message of hope and extends out to all those who deal with trauma every single day.
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