Monday, November 10, 2025

Asira Interview

 

1. Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?



Since recording, we’ve been hard at work crafting the visuals for the release. We worked closely with Freya - Martin and Ethan’s bandmate in Cairiss - to create the excellent artwork for the singles. Ever since the music started releasing, we’ve just been trying to keep on top of the love and the messages.



2. Recently you’ve released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?



It’s a darker experience than our debut, and it pays even less attention to genre convention. What I particularly love about it is that, despite being born from a very difficult and painful period for us, it still has a core of unmissable, burning hope.



3.This is also your first album in 8 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?



We’ve never been able to just sit down and turn on the songwriting. Our music has always been an unplanned and organic response to our own experiences, whether those are personal or or reaction to what is happening in the world. The last 8 years, for better or worse, are what was needed to create this particular record.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?



All of our music has the philosophy of humanism at its heart. It’s a reverence for human reason, welfare, ethics, justice. Some of our songs are reactionary and those take quite a sonically extreme shape, sometimes our music is a quietly hopeful listening experience. The underlying drive and belief system is always the same.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Asira'?



We really wanted a single word that captured the colour and character of our music. We started with the colour ‘azure’ and that eventually morphed into ‘asura’ and then finally ‘Asira’.



6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?



We returned to the fantastic Scottish painter Scott Naismith, whose artwork we’d previously used on our debut album ‘Efference’. I think this piece reflects the journey we’ve all been on. The colours and the tone are familiar, but the scene has developed. What was once a vibrant sea is now a cracked frozen lake - it’s calmer, but also more dangerous.



7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?



My favourite was Warhorns Festival, because of the incredible atmosphere. A room full of people who are there to enjoy themselves, soak in the music, and make friends. It’s exactly the right environment for an Asira set, because it lets us be very authentic and communicative with our performance. We’re at our best when we can really savour the push and pull with an open-minded audience.



8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?



We’ll never say never, but right now we see ourselves staying off the road. We want to focus on this album release, and on building a connection and community with those who really hear and love it.



9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?



We had some interest, but we decided it was important to us that we remain in independent control of this album, and our future. There are plenty of excellent reasons to sign a record contract, but the more we thought about it, the more we realised that we’re not a conventional band and those reasons could never outweigh our independence.



10.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme and progressive metal?



This is something we always find so difficult to predict. Metal has its fair share of purists, and some of them see our music as an injury against what they stand for. For every purist out there, we also get messages of love and appreciation. There will always be people in any scene who are looking for something unfamiliar and real; those are the people who our music truly resonates with, and we’re very grateful for them.



11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?



It is just impossible to say. Coming back to our writing process (or lack of one), this all depends on how our lives play out from here. I’m hopeful that the next 8 years will prove to be a safer time for everyone who most needs safety right now, so who knows? Maybe our next album will be a celebratory soul record.



12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?



Way more than this but the first that come to mind are Eric Whitacre, Stevie Wonder, Steven Wilson, Opeth, Gareth Coker, Strapping Young Lad, Alcest, Daft Punk, Leprous and iamthemorning. Those are all on pretty permanent rotation for us. More recently, I’ve really been enjoying the new One of Nine album, and have been diving back into Blackbraid.



13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?



Just a huge thank you to everyone who listens to our record. It could be called many things, but not “conventional”. We have a deep respect and appreciation for anyone who takes time to understand and digest art that they’re not familiar with.


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