Black Coast: Inside Outworld

In recent years we have witnessed a resurgence of the nu-metal sound, bringing back a lot of nostalgic, comforting vibes of the music some of us grew up with. One of the most impressive bands to rise above the pack is Stoke-on-Trent’s BLACK COAST who have blended some of the stylistic qualities of this well-loved genre and added their own energetic spin on it, grabbing a lot of attention in the process. Since hitting the ground running from 2017 onwards with a string of EP releases the band have gone from strength to strength, building up a truck load of momentum ready to come out firing with their debut full-length Outworld. A release which bears a lot of personal sentiments for frontman Charlie Hewitt.

“We just wanted to write something for ourselves really and get our own kind of messages out there,” explains Chaz. “Regarding the lyrics, I had a lot I wanted to talk about from a personal standpoint that I’ve always wanted to talk about but I never felt comfortable with speaking about. This music has been a good outlet for me. It was good to just get something down and get it out there.”

“We just wanted to make a statement and write some sick songs,” adds guitarist Scott Pinnington. “At the end of the day, what have we got to lose? We’ve been to Ireland and Japan but nobody really knows who we are yet. We were kinda thrown in the deep end and we feel like we’re finally hitting our stride now. We just thought if it goes well, it goes well and if it doesn’t, fuck it. We’ve worked really hard and at the end of the day, we can only do our best. We feel like we’ve really set the benchmark for ourselves with Outworld.”

As with most bands, COVID-19 protocols have had to be adhered to and to some it’s been an absolute nightmare arranging an album cycle throughout the pandemic. However, for BLACK COAST it proved to be one of their most productive experiences to date. “It’s the best way we’ve ever recorded,” admits Chaz. “We were worried we wouldn’t get our chance to get into the studio but Sam said we would be able to do it but only if we went in one at a time and honestly, it was one of the best things we’ve ever done as a band. I got a couple of weeks without five different people telling me that they don’t like a certain part. It was just me and Sam and it was so nice to not be stood in a booth completely confused as I don’t know what anyone wants.”

“It only took each of us a couple of days to just go in and nail everything,” states Scott. “This left Chaz plenty of time to work on his vocals with no interruptions or people chipping in with their opinions. We’re definitely going to do that again next time as it really worked in our favour.”

We have seen a lot of bands relying more on regular single releases prior to the album being unveiled in order to create more buzz and interaction and to ensure they stay prominent in amongst the sea of bands vying for the same spotlight. BLACK COAST also hope this approach will pay dividends in the run up to the most important release of their career. “Some people would consider giving away half the album before its release as a bad thing but we just wanted to keep things going throughout this entire shit show and just keep the momentum building,” discusses Scott. “We hadn’t released anything in so long that we wanted to take full advantage of it and make as much content as humanly possible.”

Just as they were hitting their stride with touring the remaining dates were unfortunately cancelled so the band are dying to get back out there again and bring the new material to a live audience. Chaz‘s recently newfound sobriety has proven to be quite a personal challenge to overcome when it comes to getting his confidence back on stage but the band are confident he will slot into the groove in no time.

“It’s been scary as fuck. I’ve been sober for a year and a half now and I used to play absolutely hammered so I had confidence for days. Now I’m kind of retraining myself to get back to being confident without having that kind of dependence. I’m still finding my feet and trying to be the best I can be. I hope people appreciate that.”

“The new material is like a Mr Motivator workout, we don’t depend on backing tracks or anything so every sound you hear on the album is played live by us,” adds Scott. “I can’t wait to get back on stage and tour again and just play as many shows as possible. I’d be buzzing if we could get onto some festivals. It also gives you a lot of chances to meet people and make opportunities happen. I was driving for STATIC DRESS on their HIGHER POWER tour and it just so happened they put us on one of their tour dates after a few conversations about me being in a band and hearing a couple of our songs!”

Outworld is out now via Paradise Recordings & Blood Blast Distribution.

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