NAME: Aliases

THEY ARE: Experimental tech metal
FROM: Manchester, England
FOR FANS OF: SikTh, Protest The Hero, Between The Buried And Me
LATEST RELEASE: 'Safer Than Reality' (Basick Records)
SONGS TO CHECK OUT: 'We Never Should have Met', 'What's Left for Us?'
WHERE TO FIND THEM : Facebook

Part of the excellent Basick Records roster, Aliases have been smashing faces with their own of brand of tech-metal since the release of their 2011 debut 'Safer than Reality'.  Taking the fret-melting guitar work of ex-SikTh man Graham "Pin" Pinney, adding in the extra shred of Leah Woodward, the powerful rhythm section of Darren Pugh, and Joe Heaton, and topping it all with Jay Berast, whose vocals shift between the ferocious, and melodic, Aliases were without doubt one of the most hard working bands in the UK last year, going out on no less than three UK tours.

We thought we'd get our Dave to corner guitarist Pin and find out how the hell they keep going.

In recent years SikTh really seem to have become one of the most influential bands, particularly on the djent scene, is that helping you guys?

"Well, we're definitely not djent. In our music I only see it rhythmically. To me,  it's a genre that just root notes it out. With Aliases, guitar-wise it's just more all over the place than it ever has been. Structure-wise , and vocally we're a bit more contained and accessible, it's just a different thing. I'm having so much fun with it. The reception is awesome though, just looking forward to seeing where it goes."

What's next?

"We want to be productive. I've got no timescale, but in an ideal world the full length album will be out in 2012. It'll be a full record of new material and so it'll be later on in the year, but I'd like to get something else out in the meantime. With SikTh it was three years between albums and I don't want that inactivity, I just want to really go for it."

So do you still buy into the concept of the full album?

"I'm quite old school. For example; with gear everyone's using electronic instruments, programming all the drums, and getting all the sounds in Axe FX. I'm in a lucky position, I've been exposed to a lot of gear over the years, so I've got "my rig", if I break something it'll be replaced with the same thing. If you want your own sound you have to spend a lot of time picking it. If you're always trying to emulate some one else, it's just pointless tweaking for the sake of it. Basically grow your own set of bollocks and just get on with it!

I want my personal guitar sound, a live drummer and a proper album. I'm not against EPs or anything, but I still see a proper full length release as a milestone. A record needs to take you on a journey, and we haven't done that yet. 'Safer than Reality' is a collection of songs,that kick ass but it wasn't the kind of structured finished product that we're going to bring next."

You came out of the North London/ Hertfordshire scene with SikTh, and now you're based up in Manchester how's the scene up there?

"I don't get involved to be honest. I feel like the scene has changed a lot from the scene I came up in.  Not just there but everywhere we're touring through. You can't go to Watford and have 500 kids at a show any more, or Luton and have 300 people. Manchester is full of cool people though, I found the band there. But we're quite insular; get on with what we do. To be honest I'm not that metal influenced these days."

So what kind of stuff are you listening to?

"Bit of John Zorn, Venetian Snares, just stuff that's quite fucked up. We've had loads of Katy B on in the tourbus (laughs)"

So where do you want to go with Aliases?

"I don't know, man, I always go the hard road. I could have written something a bit more scene, or that fitted in with what's going on, but I still have the belief in pushing boundaries and challenging people and that folks will come with you. Leave the herd, push it forward. That's what counts to me philosophically."

'Safer than Reality' is available now on Basick.