INTERVIEW: Joe Nally & Angus Neyra – URNE

When British riff-lords HANG THE BASTARD disbanded in 2016, heartache was felt amongst many in the UK metal scene. However, from the ashes arises URNE. Comprised of Joe Nally, Angus Neyra (both formerly from HANG THE BASTARD) and Rich Wiltshire, this trio have fire in their bellies and are ready to bring the storming riffs once more with their debut EP The Mountain of Gold. We spoke with vocalist/bassist Joe Nally and guitarist Angus Neyra to shed some light into the origins of this new musical venture alongside lifting the lid on what to expect from their debut EP.

So your debut EP, The Mountain of Gold, is just about to be released. What can people expect from your debut effort?

Joe: Riffs!

URNE formed from the ashes of the much loved HANG THE BASTARD. Can you explain the origins for this new venture?

Joe: Well we were on the last HANG THE BASTARD tour and we kind of didn’t want it to end, so the idea started on that in Paris. I have been in different bands with Angus for 8/9 years so we always found it easy playing together and finding Rich made it solid.

After HANG THE BASTARD disbanded, did you always know you wanted to dive back into music with a new project?

Joe: Yeah, totally! Myself and Angus had another band called CHAPTERS which we thought about starting up again, but I think a fresh start was the best idea.

And with that, did you dive straight back in or did you need some time off music before deciding to form URNE?

Joe: I think we had our first writing session straight after the last HANG THE BASTARD show. It took time to find the right line up but once Rich came in everything started moving on.

Angus: It was straight back in, but a lot of learning and fine tuning the writing before The Mountain of Gold was finalised.

Can you explain the writing and recording process for The Mountain of Gold?

Joe: Writing was all done in the practice room. We might have had a few riffs to come in with, but a lot of it came together when jamming. It all came together really easy. And with recording, It was super easy and chilled for me. I have known Josh for some time and he is a pro and understands what was needed and for me personally, it the easiest and most relaxed time I have had recording.

For this record you’ve worked with some notable figures. STRAY FROM THE PATH’s Craig Reynolds was involved with the engineering and Josh Middleton produced the record and gives a guest appearance. What was it like working with these people and what do you think they brought to the sound of the record?

Joe: Total pros! As most people in music know, they are two of the best musicians going and I am glad we could get them in to help us. Craig let us use his kit and it sounds incredible and Josh has such a great insight into music and he really knows what we are after. The production is very crisp, clear and massive sounding.

Angus: As a guitarist it’s always a pleasure working with Josh too. As a producer he had a lot to contribute, and I couldn’t have asked for stronger guitar tone on the record. Both highly professional and so happy to have them involved.

The Mountain of Gold is an absolute riff-fest but there’s quite a few hidden depths in your sound, especially in the vocal department. What sort of sound are you looking to establish with URNE and did you come across any difficulties trying to create this?

Joe: Well originally the songs sounded more like something from THIN LIZZY – Thunder & Lightning but the more we worked on them the bigger the picture became. Once Rich joined that’s when things really started to change. We have all come from prog bands (before HANG THE BASTARD), so I certainly think that comes across in certain areas and in the vocals, and the new record we will push more of that through even more.

And with such, it’s quite clear that you all pull from a range of various influences. So, who are your biggest musical influences?

Joe: We all like a ton of different music. For me, METALLICA, Sam Cooke, THIN LIZZY, RAINBOW, Glenn Hughes and THE EAGLES are some of my main ones. THE EAGLES, Hughes and Cooke for vocals melodies and Ideas and the others for riffs and song writing.

Angus: There’s influence to take in from a lot of things so I don’t know where to start! As a writer Petrucci/DREAM THEATER always are up there, but recently film soundtracks, jazz greats like Chet Baker and orchestral kinda stuff have been great to be inspired from.

And with The Mountain Of Gold due for release in just around a week, what are you hoping to achieve with this debut effort?

Joe: We just want people enjoy it and tell their pals about it. We want to be playing more and get this EP out to as many people as we can. I truly believe the next record will be a massive step up and I can’t wait for people to hear that!

The UK metal scene has experienced somewhat of a creative surge in recent years. Arriving on the scene with this debut, how do you see the UK scene and how do you feel you can benefit from it?

Joe: There are so many great bands coming through over here right now, So many different styles, sounds and It is really great to see/hear. Just from my town we have BAD SIGN, SLABDRAGGER and ABHORRENT DECIMATION. With so much attention on the UK scene, many bands helping each other out, more formats to be heard/seen on, I don’t see how we couldn’t benefit from it. In HANG THE BASTARD we always helped upcoming bands out, be it with shows, internet/interview plugging, tours, wearing merch or a simple guest list. So with URNE we will certainly do the same and carry that on.

Of course, for Joe and Angus, you both have had years of experience playing with Hang The Bastard so has that come in benefit in forging this new venture?

Joe: Yeah it certainly has! We had a ton of good friends and fans from that and it has given URNE a little boost to start with for sure.

Angus: Learning to enjoy everything you do as a band is one main thing I took away from HANG THE BASTARD, as well as learning through tours and writing what works and what doesn’t!

To close, we will offer you the floor. Do you have anything to say to the readers of Distorted.

Angus: Check out The Mountain Of Gold on July 27th on most streaming platforms, and if you like what you hear, stay updated in all the social media platforms and support us any way you like!

The Mountain of Gold is set for release on July 27th via self-release.

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