Voice of The Soul frontman and guitarist take us through the band’s EP, Into Oblivion. The EP can be downloaded on Bandcamp.
1.Immolation
Monish Shringi (Guitar):
The intro is really great to play live…we usually open up with it and it’s the best track to do so. Playing it just gets me in the right mood when I’m playing live
Kareem Chehayeb (Guitar/Vocals):
This song is about the waves of obstacles one faces in life, in a society built on corruption and self-interest…I’d even say the song parallels growing up to a slow suicide. I really enjoy playing the song live too…it’s got an easy groove and is a nice song to start before we build up to faster tracks.
2. Guardians of Genocide
Monish Shringi (Guitar):
Definitely the standout track of the EP for me. I love the structure of the song, and the riffs are heavy and fast…can’t ask for anything else.
Kareem Chehayeb (Guitar/Vocals):
I pretty much second everything Monish just said. The song’s meaning is much more straightforward. The tyrants around the world, whether political (or corporate) are the true protectors of genocide. It’s clear…oppression in any form or situation exists in the corporate workplace and in society wherever you go. It’s a song built on anger.
3. Pandemonium
Monish Shringi (Guitar):
This song has my favorite riffs in it. They’re really simple and catchy but can stir up a crowd as well. The outdo goes in a different direction and sounds great. The lyrics of the song were written with influence from all the hype of a nearing apocalypse.
Kareem Chehayeb (Guitar/Vocal):
Whether it comes from some religious fanatic or the Mayans, apocalypse seemed to be a popular topic in the news and in the mass media. It was definitely a fun song to write, and definitely one of the simpler songs we’ve written…
4. Cast Away in Betrayal
Monish Shringi (Guitar):
This song is pretty self-explanatory when it comes to its meaning. It’s the emergence of a vengeance. The riffs are more technical in this track and fast paced…but the chorus slows down a bit and we see a nice mix of distorted and clean guitars.
Kareem Chehayeb (Guitar/Vocals):
It’s pretty much an inward looking song - the heated thoughts that runs through someone’s mind. I think Monish and I were pretty pissed off writing the song, just like we should be (haha). The song is definitely the trickiest to pull off live, but it’s the most fun to play as well. We have a bit of black metal influence in it, which we’re really starting to like.
5. Wither
Monish Shringi (Guitar):
The overall feel of the song is incredible…the atmosphere and slow paced solos really do it for me. It’s a different move from our usual music but we’ve always been big fans of doom and we don’t wanna steer away from it entirely.
Kareem Chehayeb (Guitar/Vocals):
I wrote wither a couple of years ago, but never put it up on our 2nd EP that we released a year before “Into Oblivion”. I reorganized the synth, the riffs, and overall structure. I changed the verse and chorus too…but the bulk of the song was still there. I wrote lyrics..and it was actually Ahmed and Monish who convinced me to put this song up…and I’m glad they did. Lyrically the song is about longing and missing…I didn’t really go into much depth into the song, to keep it slightly ambigous. I really like the lead work in this song, and how they complement the other parts well…there is so much going on in the background too and everything just feels full.
6. Under a Serpent Sun (At the Gates Cover)
Kareem Chehayeb (Guitar/Vocals):
At the Gates are a huge influence, not only to us but to any melodic death metal band…they’re legends to any metal fan with the slightest sense of non-delusion…we definitely wanted to have a go with a cover as a tribute to them!