Employed To Serve‘s Justine Jones guides us track by track through the creation of their new album ‘Fallen Star’, out now via Spinefarm Records.
Treachery
“As soon as we wrote this song, we always knew it was going to be the opener. Just straight out of the gate riffs and Sammy was also able to do his Tom Araya impersonation. This track is about people in your life letting themselves down, and by proxy letting those close to them down as well.”
Fallen Star
“‘Fallen Star’ is about enduring the burn out of someone close to us. It can be devastating to look on helplessly as someone you care for continues to fly too close to the sun and not learn from it. Sometimes you need to just distance yourself and love them from afar. We felt it should be the title track as it thematically centres around the lyrics of the new record. Breaking bad habits and overcoming the challenges life throws our way.
The music video for this song displays the space and isolation felt whilst writing the lyrics for this song. As the title track of the album, we wanted to make the video look as expansive and ethereal as the song.”
Atonement
“‘Atonement’ takes aim at those who try to lord their power over you. The only way to defeat these people is by rising above their behavior and pushing forward on your own path. We wanted to lead with this single because it is the track that encompasses the ethos of Employed to Serve as a whole. We’re strong believers of working hard and not letting life and the negative people in it affect your goals and aspirations.
We’re really excited to have Will Ramos of Lorna Shore feature on this track. Initially we asked him for his metal-style vocals, and he delivered that and more with his incredible singing voice that elevated the song.
The bulk of the music video was filmed in Scranton, PA home of the US office – the studio we filmed in was a shrine to the show and Dwight which was fun to explore in between filming! For the narrative of the music video, we wanted to portray someone in power/authority trying to wear down their captive through aggression. I found it very hard to keep a straight face while choking out Sammy, by take 15 or so I got more into it as the jet lag and hot weather made me feel more unhinged.”
Breaks Me Down
‘”Breaks Me Down’ deals with the uncertainty of death and what it means for us left here on earth when someone we love passes beyond the veil. It’s something we will all experience at some point in our lives and yet there’s no one handbook that can guide you through the experience of grief. That being said, it makes life more precious and motivates you to make the most of the time we have with the people we love and not waste another minute.”
Familiar Pain
“This is my favourite song on the album, as I couldn’t get the chorus and riff out of my head for months. There’s so much going on this track throughout, and it gave me a bit more room to do something different vocally. This song is about staying in a bad situation because it’s familiar, even at the detriment to your health. The warm embrace of familiar pain.”
Brother, Stand Beside Me
“I love the opening on this track, it feels like I’m on a war horse going into battle. This song is about someone you love having a terrible time mentally but eventually coming out of the depths of depression and finding happiness and purpose in life.”
Now Thy Kingdom Come
“This track is about sitting back and watching your fate unfold, realising you can’t control or change everything and you’re just along for the ride. Specifically, it’s about the destruction of the planet and humanity as a whole. It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity, but just as long as you are the best person you can be, there’s not much else you can do. The ending of this song is one of my favourite parts of the record!”
Last Laugh
“I was stoked to have my girl Serena Cherry from Svalbard on this track! We’ve been friends for 10 years now, so it was about time we collaborated. This song is more straight up metal and Scandinavian sounding, I can’t wait to play this at festivals. This song is about rising above.”
Whose Side Are You On?
“‘Whose Side Are You On?’ is a reminder that sometimes it’s healthy to get angry. Particularly when you find out someone who you thought had your back would rather see you fail, anger can give you the drive to make a change and strive to do what’s better for your future.
We were over the moon when Jesse Leach agreed to guest on our track! We’ve all been fans of Killswitch Engage for years, so it was incredible to work with him. He was perfect for this song as musically it sits in the Killswitch style of metal, and Jesse has always been such a positive force in the metal community.”
The Renegades
“This is our heavy metal unity anthem! It’s about fighting for those you love and what you believe in. I anticipate this one being my favourite to play live. I also enjoy how the first few seconds make it sound way more melodic than the song actually is, we reel you in and then BAM, riffs.”
From This Day Forward
“I hope that despite being at the end of our album this song isn’t missed, this was the one I had the most fun recording. This song is a promise to strive for happiness and take no half measures when it comes to achieving dreams. “I will not let myself down, I will rise from this day forward”.”
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