Artist Spotlight Interview : Inclination of Direction

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Joseph Timmons in Artist News, Doom Metal, featured, Featured Artists / Bands, Featured Content, Industry News, Metal, metal, Metal Masters, Music News, New, New Faces New sounds, New Music, New Videos, news, Touring // 0 Comments

Inclination of Direction is a Three Piece Metal Band hailing from North Alabama and they have come to blow minds and make music!

Article / Interview by Joseph Timmons: IndiePulse Music Journalist

Inclination of Direction (IOD) formed in 2016 and released their first self-titled album in March of 2017. The band is currently in preparation to go back into the studio in the spring of 2018. IOD has been playing in the Southeastern U.S. and currently expanding their touring region. Our goals are playing and recording as much as possible and getting our music out to the world! Pooling from almost all genres of music.

IOD has said their members draw from new and old music, such as Black Sabbath, Mastadon, Iron Maiden, The Misfits, Fear Factory, Tool, Pantera, Led Zeppelin, Zappa, Vai, and multiple others. For IOD, Playing live and recording are their two main goals, but they have a zeal for caturing the power of music in their work.

Inclination of Direction is Frank Fischer on Guitar and Vocals, Terry Aldridge on Bass and Jason Helms on Drums, this power metal trio has captivated the attention of those that attend shows with stellar performances and powerful music.

IndiePulse interviewed IOD to get a foundation story and learn about this Power Metal Trio in depth.

IndiePulse Exclusive IOD Interview:

IPM: So, give us a background on IOD.

IOD was formed in 2016 by three guys coming out of two bands. Frank Fischer of Saleths Dream from Knoxville TN (YouTube) and Jason Helms, and Terry Aldridge of Standing Damage, Decatur Alabama. All of us have been playing for twenty years or more since we were kids. I (Frank) was jamming with a bass player and singer and we needed a drummer so the bass player hooked us up with Jason Helms. We immediately clicked and moved forward. Our bassist was replaced by Terry Aldridge who was in a previous band with our drummer Jason. It was a perfect fit. Our singer went on to open a club in Decatur and I took over the vocal duties. Our first show was a benefit for a suicide victim at the Copper Top Club in Huntsville AL. When I announced the name of our band as IOD, we had no idea the benefit was for a guy who overdosed. Needless to say it was a great first show. We have played 25 shows since at The famous Nick Rocks in Birmingham, Maggie Meyers, Copper Top, The 11th Frame, Mums, etc…we have played in four states and are trying to expand that reach. We recorded our fist 8 song EEP in the spring of 2017 and released it in the same month. We are going back into the studio within the next few weeks. We are currently building our own studio at this time. It is 90 percent functional but we lack the engineering skills at this point to make a perfect recording. lol I am originally from Minnesota and Jason and Terry are from North Alabama. We all play several instruments and cross play sometimes. We are not sure as to what genre we are as we have been called everything from Gloom, to Doom, to Sludge, to prog, etc……

IPM: Would you say there is a natural chemistry in the group?

Our natural chemistry comes for our shared love of music and multi genres…From Abercrombie to Zappa. We all play guitar, bass and drums and two of us sing. We are all close to the same age and share the Gen X upbringing. We all love to play live and recording is a major passion as well. Music is our largest influence on life, all of us!

IPM: How was the response to your last album?

The response to our first release was good. We were just learning the social media music marketing scheme. In the last few months we have worked with Trish Hardin at Wicked Angel and she has pushed our album greatly. We are maximizing our social media presence by appearing on Facebook, Bandcamp, Instagram, YouTube, Reverb, etc…..again the response is getting bigger and better. We have appeared on several internet stations and the response has been 100 percent positive thus far. We have a big show in the works but cannot say just yet who it is. Indie Pulse will be awesome to be noticed by.

IPM: What can people expect at a live IOD show?

A live performance by IOD is constantly getting better as we hone our musical trio into something special. We love to play with diverse groups and have met many friends which add to the greatness of our shows. Believe it or not, we have not had a “bomb” show yet.

We play tight and fast through our set and stick around to support the other acts if we go on before them. We sell merchandise and make it a fun time. There have been a few shows in which the crowds got pretty crazy. All in all, definitely worth a look!

IPM: What feel does the new album you are working on have, and does it have a working title?

Our upcoming album is much more progressive and slightly darker than the first. The lyrics are more meaningful and the guitar work is more progressive than our freshman release. We have definitely grown as a band and it shows. The first Album was triple self-titled.

Example Black Sabbath (band) Black Sabbath (Song) Black Sabbath (Album title). Iron Maiden and Bad Company did the same thing as well as a couple of other bands. We are currently “debating” the title of our next release, I would love to go with IOD Inclination of Destruction but that may not happen. But there will be a song on that release with that title. I think it will be incredible.

IPM: The video on YouTube “Seasonal Afterlife” has an awesome sound, will you be looking to record and upload live performance footage?

As far as uploading live performances, there are some older versions of live shows from our previous bands on YouTube etc….We are currently going through our most recent shows to find a few live videos from the vault. And they will not be poor quality. We are looking at lighting, sound, performance etc…..but it will be soon.

IPM: As an American Metal Power Trio, you stand in a place that many bands don’t, being able to create such full music with only a few members, what would you say is the “secret” to your music?

I have always played in power trio type bands since high school. When working in a three piece, as you know, you must fill the venue with the same amount of sound as a five piece band with two guitarists. Also, being a guitarist/vocalist it limits some stage presence so you have to work harder to create a show! We are continuously working on making our stage presence memorable. We are constantly playing so it does not leave a lot of room for windmills, laying on the floor etc….lol Our secret is our undying goal to be noticed and loved by our fans, past, present, and future. Another secret is that we are all audiophiles.

IPM: Looking at your career, would you say you have found your mark, or is there more work to do? Have you, as a band come to a p[lace where you will “break the mold” of Metal?

Our mark is ever evolving /changing for the better. We know the competition is fierce so we concentrate on being different rather than sounding like someone else. So far we have achieved that goal, vocally, lyrically, etc…We will defiantly break our own mold that is for sure. We want to be just like us and no-one else, getting harder to do these days.

IPM: In closing, what would you like to tell our readers?

We would like the readers to know that we are there to make their musical lives better. We want them to know our message is meaningful and our music is from the heart and soul, (with a little gloom and doom mixed in). We want to excite them and take them through a roller coaster of musical emotions whenever and wherever possible. We always stick around and talk to the fans and get our info out to them. We are in essence “A people’s band” We would love to hear from them their thoughts and ideas about our music. We love reviews as well. We are open to criticism, but luckily have faced no harsh words to date. It has all been positive to this point. We want them to know that we have two goals. To please ourselves and to please the musical fans out there…everywhere.

Inclination of Direction has 3 major upcoming shows:

Find Their Music on Bandcamp and Learn More Online at their following Links:

Photo Credits : Via Laura