Meet Winter Hotel - unhinged alt-metal from Wales
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
WH: Salutations, we are Winter Hotel, an alternative metal band originating from Bangor, North Wales. We have been a band for a little over three years and currently consist of Warren Porter on vocals, Liam Osment on guitar, Charlie Wignall on drums and James Clay on bass. As a band we pull our inspiration from slamming brutal death metal and beatdown all the way to midwest-emo, pop punk and anywhere in between. Our wide variety of influences is something we believe is well represented in our music and plays an integral part in our sound.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
WH: Over the past few months we have released three singles, Lovers At Bay, 19, and Waste that contribute to our five-song collection entitled Vacancies. With two chapters that have yet to be released, we hope our listeners are able to enjoy the different flavor that each song holds and continue to join forces with us throughout the narrative that is Vacancies.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
WH: Vacancies as a whole has largely been inspired by our own life experiences, as well as the pain and knowledge that come as a result of vulnerability, trust and loss. The rolling hills, deep valleys and vast coastline of North Wales served as a profound source of inspiration for us, especially during the earlier days of our music.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS?
WH: A diverse collection of metal that reflects the nature of its own extremes.
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
WH: For myself (Warren), I would have to say the 2006 album from death metal royalty Cannibal Corpse, entitled Kill. Kill was the first death metal CD I had ever owned and I listened to it cover to cover nearly every day. The unrelenting instrumental intensity sustained throughout its 13 songs, accompanied by George Fisher’s unhinged and deranged vocal performance made for an album that served as a gateway into the brutality of death metal.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER ARTIST?
WH: For myself (Warren) I would have to say Ic3peak’s video for their song that translates from Russian to English as Sad Bitch. The video is as unpredictable as the song it represents. Its unique imagery and storyline captures the imagination of the viewer and makes for more of a visual experience than a typical music video.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
WH: Most likely working, reading, writing, playing video games and over all chilling. We aren’t wild partiers, we don’t typically get too rambunctious outside of performing or slamming to Katy Perry. Though you might find us frequently at the meal deal section of Tesco.
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
WH: Always. Being nervous before and while performing live is just the nature of the beast. Some advice that we have received about being nervous that still rings true for us is that instead of letting the nerves take over and allow room for doubt or fear, use those nerves as energy and motivation to put on the best performance you can create.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
WH: Winter Hotel started when Liam and myself (Warren) met at a pub in Bangor, North Wales during our time as students at Bangor University. Immediately after meeting, Liam and I became friends and as musicians, decided to combine our individual passions for the darkest and lightest corners of metal to create music that we hope draws in people from all sides of metals ever-growing spectrum. Most recently, we have had a couple of lineup changes that have allowed us to bring Charlie on drums and James on bass.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER, OR DO YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER?
WH: Musically, it is definitely a full team effort. Each member writes their own parts and contributes their own ideas and preferences to how the song should sound. Liam and myself have a 50/50 split of the lyrics and use them to guide the tone of each song. Liam will usually then craft up some tasty riffs and slowly, as a unit we will begin creating the song as a whole and comb through it until every member is content with how the song, as well as their individual parts, sound together.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
WH: Anything that resonates with us on a personal, emotional or spiritual level. Inspiration can come from life experiences, films, literature, nature, music of course and so on and so forth. As a band we try to keep our eyes open for anything that might make for an interesting narrative within our lyrics, or a feeling that can be displayed through our music as a whole.
WHAT IS NEXT?
WH: We will be releasing the next two chapters of Vacancies within the near future as well as continuing to write new music. Along with many bands and musicians we are waiting for COVID-19 to come to an end so that with any luck we can go back to performing live and doing our best to be productive members of the music community.
PLEASE TELL US ANY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS SO WE CAN SHARE.
WH: Instagram, @winterhotelband Facebook: facebook.com/winterhotelband
Our music is also on every major streaming platform such as Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Itunes, Google Play and Bandcamp.
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