With the world becoming increasingly sanitised and regulated, it is refreshing to see and hear a band that still adheres to the old school ethos where fun was the order of the day and everything said and played is meant to be taken with a grain of salt. Which is exactly what you get from Melbourne hard rock outfit Ablaze, who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves and their sleeves proudly on their hearts.
Known for their love of a good time, but even more so for their particular brand of hard rock - especially live - Ablaze set the world on fire even further with the release of their second album Sink Ya Teeth In.
Packed full of hard-rocking, toe-tapping, boot stomping tunes, Sink Ya Teeth In showcases the abundance of riches within Ablaze, all neatly wrapped under the banner of Aussie hard rock. With the band set to board a flight to Belgium for an upcoming European/UK run of shows, drummer Mango stopped packing for ten minutes while he brought HEAVY up to speed.
"It's been amazing," he beamed when we asked how the reception has been for Sink Ya Teeth In. "We've been dropping singles off it for about two and a half years because that's the world that we live in now. Everybody wants singles. But with how much time and effort, and money goes into recording something professionally, we didn't want to just record everything, drop a single and release the rest. We wanted to really wring this thing out for everything we could. We've released five singles and a bonus track was a single as well off an eight to nine-song album, depending on how you look at it."
We ask Mango to dive deeper into the musical nature of the album.
"One of the things that Ablaze has always been really proud of, and I've been really proud of with us, is that we can write in a whole bunch of different styles and genres," he replied, "and it always comes out sounding like Ablaze. Our first one was a rock album, but we had a hoe down, we had an Irish drinking song, we had an acoustic song that I sang and played acoustic on. We could do a whole bunch of different stuff. And so on this album, we've done the same thing. It's an eight-song album, or nine song with the bonus, but we've got the heaviest song we've ever written. We've got some real Aussie rock style stuff. We've got a big six-minute gospel epic that finishes the thing. We've got a big glammy song, and we've got a Southern rock song as well. And a Christmas song, again. So we really kind of wanted to show that we're still doing what we do, but after our first album, our writing has really taken a step forward."
In the full interview, Mango shared further insights about Sink Your Teeth In, highlighting the album's positive reception and the strategic release of five singles. He emphasized the importance of the album's cohesive flow and the thoughtful track listing, which he believes enhances the depth of the songs. He also addressed the challenges of releasing a second album, aiming to avoid being perceived as a "one-trick pony" while ensuring that each song is crafted to be single-worthy, reflecting the band's commitment to quality and creativity.
The conversation also covered the logistics of their upcoming European and UK tour, starting in Belgium and ending in Germany. Mango noted the differences in touring dynamics between Australia and Europe, particularly the shorter travel distances in the UK, which allow for a more manageable schedule. He expressed excitement about upcoming performances, including festivals and album launch events and more.
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