INTERVIEW: Kaan Tasan – Heart Of A Coward

It’s been a bit of a crazy year or so for Milton Keynes’ HEART OF A COWARD. A change of frontman for a well established band is never an easy transition but they are in capable hands with the multi faceted Kaan Tasan. Prior to the release of their impending album The Disconnect which is due on June 7th via Arising Empire we caught up with Kaan to see how he has been settling into his role and what we can expect from the band going forward.

The Disconnect is due for release in June. What can we expect from this release?

Kaan: You can expect wall to wall bangers! [laughs]. You can expect the key elements of the HEART OF A COWARD sound that they have built so far but it has progressed into something else. Anthemic, heavy tunes!

How did you find the writing process? did you get a lot of opportunity to get involved?

Kaan: Absolutely, one of the main things when I was auditioning was that we tried creating together, that was one of the processes before the guys made a decision. I got involved with structuring chorus ideas and wanted to develop that side of things. It was a very hands on, open process where no idea was ignored. There was a lot of scrapping ideas and reworking them and it was a great process and I’m happy with what we have created.

Brilliant, I can imagine there was a bit of tinkering with the style as you and Jamie both have your own signature ranges so you had to find your niche.

Kaan: In the grand scheme of things our styles are not that different. There were parts of the old sound which the guys didn’t want to carry forward so we spoke about that and addressed before we started writing. That is part of the decision behind picking me as well. We’re honouring the old HEART OF A COWARD songs, we’ll still be playing them live. It’s just about progressing it forwards really.

With Severance and Deliverance being so highly received has there been any pressure to ensure The Disconnect lived up to expectations?

Kaan: Of course, I joined the band as a fan more than anything so there was a lot of pressure to deliver. Ultimately its a big album for the band, for any band it’s a big thing having a new vocalist. Every album has to deliver but yeah there was definitely added pressure. I think we’ve created a newer sound but it still hits hard and there is a lot for the fans to get involved with.

You’ve already proved your capabilities with No Consequence but were you ever concerned about any kind of apprehension to your introduction?

Kaan: Of course man, it was a hard process the first shows we did. Before that first London show I was bricking it! The thing is though I’ve been in bands for so long and I’ve performed and as soon as you get on stage it all disappears and it’s show time! Up until then I was pretty apprehensive but I had to believe in myself and have confidence that the guys had picked me for a reason so it was just a matter of showing the world what I was capable of. The audition process was a long process and we wanted to make sure it was the right decision and that we could work together creatively and that we could do the old catalogue justice as well.

Were there any concepts or themes that inspired your lyrical content for this release?

Kaan: For me I’ve always written about life and what’s in front of me. For The Disconnect there is a lot of political and social undertones as there is a lot of shit that is pretty fucked up in our country right now and in the world. It’s hard not to voice your frustration about those things. As well as covering other topics that is probably the main focus.

Collapse has had a lot of time to make its presence felt, how has the response been from this track and the more recently released Drown In Ruin?

Kaan: The idea behind releasing Collapse first was rather than just dropping the album that we would let people soak that track up and give the fans an indication of where our sound was heading and the headline shows showed we can still perform the old songs live. To be honest I was blown away with the reaction. There is always the odd negative comment because it’s change but I never expected to reach 1,000,000 streams in like 6-8 months. People were singing along at the shows which was great. Drown In Ruin had a really positive reaction too and it has kind of solidified my place in the band so I’m really happy about it.

It must have felt pretty reassuring to you with just about every headline date selling out too.

Kaan: The numbers don’t lie! [laughs].

What are the plans for the rest of the year post album release?

Kaan: The next big thing is Download where we’re playing the Sunday and it’s my first time performing there so it’s a huge show for me. I’m quite nervous but also excited. We’re doing a bunch of European shows over the summer and plenty of touring following that but I can’t say much about that just yet.

You’ve already played Download, Bloodstock, headlined Tech-Fest among many other festival appearances. What is the next step for HEART OF A COWARD? Are there any goals you are still looking to achieve?

Kaan: Ultimately the next step is growth really. The next big one for us is to try and get our size back to where it was in the UK, hopefully even further. If we can sell out this next tour that’d be huge and that could open up new avenues for us. We just want to get the band moving again, everyone is happy to be making music and to be touring. Just to stay happy!

Are there any particular tracks from the new open that you’re looking forward to playing out on the road?

Kaan: My top three tracks are In The Wake, Suffocate and Parasite. We probably won’t be playing them on this run but hopefully at some point. I can’t wait to play those live.

You’ve now got four albums to choose from. How are you finding putting set lists together?

Kaan: We’re going to focus on the singles right now and then maybe sneak another track in but at the minute it’s tough. There are a lot of bangers to choose from. It’s a hard decision whether to pick songs everyone knows or album tracks but we’re going to have a nice mixture. If you’re doing a festival and you only have 30 minutes you have to play ‘the party set’ with all your well known tracks.

Of course and you’ll always get the hardcore fans who will expect to hear the likes of Shade, Hollow, Deadweight etc.

Kaan: Exactly, and like I said I joined the band as a fan so I want to play those songs as well! It’s a no brainer for me.

Do you think No Consequence will continue down the line?

Kaan: We’re kind of an older band age wise so there was a lot of factors in play, like family commitments. As and when it has it’s time I’m sure we will come together again. We’re all still really good mates and keep in touch. We’re going to be playing Radar Festival in Guildford. My friend is organising it and he begged us to play so we’re coming back for a one-off show and dust off the cobwebs! Everyone is just focusing on their other things at the moment. I can’t guarantee anything right now though.

The Disconnect is set for release on June 7th via Arising Empire. HEART OF A COWARD are featured in our brand new digital issue which is available via our Patreon Page. Subscribe here. 

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