From anime to Linkin Park we talk about what inspires brothers Josh and Zach Turner to make music
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
- We’re Breakthrough Even. We’re a modern metal band based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Right now we’re operating as a studio project as it’s just been myself (Josh Turner) and my twin brother Zach for a couple years now. So far we’ve released two EPs: The Step That Lies Ahead (2014) and Legacy of Dreams (2015) and four singles.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
- Our latest single we just released a few weeks ago is called Requiem. It features Christina Rotondo who did an incredible job with her vocals. We had the music for this song laying around for a long time as we had co-written it with our good friend Josh Curl when he was our bassist back in 2016. We had attempted to finish it back then, but it never felt right to us and we ended up shelving it until this past year when we decided to finally finish it. We’re super proud of how it turned out!
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
- The single actually started out as a demo that Josh Curl brought in when he was a part of the band in 2016. He had essentially laid down the groundwork for it and the rest of us ended up working together to finish the instrumental and really flesh it out. Lyrically, it’s inspired by a book I read called ‘The Three Body Problem’ from author Liu Cixin. The song isn’t meant to necessarily describe the story in the book or anything like that, but it did definitely inspire a lot of the imagery and themes found in the lyrics that I thought were super relevant.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS?
- Heavy. Epic. Melodic.
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
- Linkin Park’s ‘Hybrid Theory’. That album is what introduced us both into heavier music and made us think: “We want to do what they’re doing.” That band also ended up influencing our attitude towards how we write and what we expect of ourselves as artists.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER ARTIST?
- Josh: My favorite for a while now has been for Carpenter Brut’s ‘Turbo Killer’. The production for that video just looks insanely creative and I really dig the retro look they were able to achieve. It also helps that the song itself is just a straight-up banger.
- Zach: I’d have to say Don Broco’s video for ‘T-Shirt Song’. The energy is just crazy in that video.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
- Aside from both of us working full-time jobs, we’re huge gamers so we spend a ton of time playing Xbox or PS4. We also work with other bands and artists to create video content for them, and Zach is an avid weightlifter so the gym is essentially his second home.
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
- Josh: I’m nervous for the entire day leading up to when we’re supposed to play. There’s a lot involved with getting ready for a show even on a local level so I think a lot of that anxiety is spent hoping everything goes smoothly. Fortunately, as soon as we start playing its way easier to relax and enjoy the moment. I can’t speak for others, but I think having nerves is perfectly normal and just shows that you care about what you’re doing.
- Zach: Absolutely. What usually helps is just a shot or two of alcohol. Levels me out some.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
- We were a small group of friends that were jamming together and writing joke songs until 2012 when we sat down and decided that this should be a thing. At the time, it was our childhood friend Kerry Love on bass, Jamey Sudduth on guitar, and Noel Velazquez on vocals/guitar. So including myself, we had three guitar players! Zach is the one who came up with our band name. He was into an anime called ‘Bleach’ that featured a song on its OST titled ‘Breakthrough Even’ and he suggested that as our band name. We thought it sounded cool so we stuck with it.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER OR DO YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER?
- I typically initiate most of the writing. For example, I’ll have an idea for a riff or some sort of pattern and I’ll slowly develop that into a full “blueprint” of a song, but a lot of the arrangement and details of that song will happen once we’re working together on it. This is obvious, but Zach definitely has the most influence over how the drums for any song turn out, and therefore what the “feel” of the song ends up being. I’m not a drummer, so when I’m demoing out ideas the drum patterns usually sound like garbage and it takes a lot of back-and-forth between the both of us to get them where we want them to be. I don’t start hearing a realized version of my ideas until he’s had a hand in it. Lyrics tend to be a collaborative process as well
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
- Josh: There’s so much. It could be books I’ve read, videos I’ve watched on YouTube, or video games I’ve played. I get inspired by others’ creativity a lot of the time and I tend to gravitate towards things that force me to reflect on aspects of myself or the world around us.
- Zach: Really just the experiences I’ve had with others that I can draw influence and ideas from as well as just the chase to achieve something bigger than myself. It pushes me.
WHAT IS NEXT?
- Right now we’re currently in the preproduction stages for our third EP! The plan is to just keep pushing and growing as much as we can as artists.
PLEASE TELL US ANY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS SO WE CAN SHARE.
www.facebook.com/breakthrougheven
www.instagram.com/breakthrougheven
www.youtube.com/breakthrougheven
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