Metal Roots From Sound To Sustainability
This project by the Chasing The Light Art photographer Iuliana Pasca is born from her desire to explore the intersection of metal music and environmental sustainability. Through stories and photographs she is hoping to inspire you to rethink how you can contribute to a more sustainable world. Her unique website is Metal Roots / From Sound To Sustainability and you can also follow her on social media to keep update
Failed Star band interview ~ Iuliana Pasca
About the band
Let’s start by getting to know yourselves and what Failed Star means for you.
First of all, thank you Iuliana for starting this project and inviting us to join in with
this interview! We are the mixed fronted, Melodic Metalcore Band Failed Star from the
Rhein-Main-Region in Germany. I’m the shouter, Moe. As the main lyricist of the band,
it’s a way to express my thoughts, feelings and emotions not only through the raw,
extreme vocal style, but also through words and stories.
Clean and scream
How does the vocal contrast (clean and scream) between Jessi and Moe help
shape your sound and message?
The dynamic change between the two vocal styles keeps the music interesting. The soft
interruptions make the screamed parts even more heavy, and the clean lines tend to
stick more inside the head as they’re easier to understand. Often, the shouted parts tell
a story, and the clean parts channel those feelings conveying a message. That varies
from song to song.
Atlantis
Atlantis, from your debut release EP Fire&Fear (April, 2024), explores dramatic environmental themes — what message are you hoping listeners take away?
Climate Change is a topic that’s been around for many years. The importance of a
drastic change in worldwide mindsets, economics and politics is a well-known fact.
We’re tired of just watching the world burn, so with our first music video we wanted to
send a message. We need to wake up, and see that there will be nothing left, no future
for our grandchildren, if we don’t change in a fundamental way. One song can only
say so much, but the song Atlantis is supposed to underline the presence of the
consequences of man-made climate change today, and the video focuses this on recent
events as the floods in Europe, the extraordinary forest fires in North America and
Australia. The message we want to convey is that the 0.1% of people actually in power
are doing very little to change this fact. With money and lobbyism being the main
motivators for action, not our rapidly declining chance for an inhabitable environment
in the future.
Raising awareness
Many metal bands are vocal about issues regarding nature; does Failed Star aim to raise awareness on any specific environmental topic through your music or
public image?
A Failed Star is a substellar object that failed to become a sun. Our planet is failing to
stay an inhabitable place, and the reason for that is us, humans. Each of our EPs, the
existing Fire & Fear and the two upcoming will include at least one song concerning
end-of-life scenarios. Scorched Sky, that will be released in the next months, will
address the end of the inhabitable world, a step further than Atlantis.
Eco-friendly
Have you adopted any eco-friendly practices when recording, touring, promoting music, or in daily life?
The charity event for the local animal-shelter that I organized and, with the help of my
band, realized, included a vegan-activism group called semper.pro.animali and we provided food from dominion food revolution, a vegan restaurant in Frankfurt that
supported the cause. Our new merch piece consists of fair-trade, organic T-shirts. Our
music videos are filmed in the area, and we work with local or regional artists, merch-
producers and sound engineers. But being a small newcomer band, our footprint is
definitely a lot smaller than that of a big touring band.
Metal sustainability
Do you think metal as a genre has a role to play in raising awareness about
sustainability?
As metal, and especially hardcore/metalcore is a genre, that often concerns topics of
everyday life, sustainability should definitely play a role. Your project takes an
important step in raising awareness in bands themselves as well. Through that, metal
projects can work as a multiplier to the audience and many people can be reached.
Sustainability on tour
What role do you believe music festivals or concerts should play in promoting
sustainability within the metal scene?
Music Festivals and concerts are the main occasion where fans come together and
listen to bands. If Festivals and concerts/tours made sustainability their topic, they
would automatically encourage bands to talk about the topic and raise awareness
through that. I like that thought, maybe our next tour should run under that theme.
Environmental responsibility
What specific changes would you like to see in the music industry in terms of
environmental responsibility?
Barely any tours talk run under the topic of environment and sustainability, holding
on to the idea of the previous question, I think that should change. Also, the share of
organic and fair-trade merchandise is already rising but should move into focus a lot
more in the future.
Next for the band
What’s next for you — are there any upcoming projects with a specific artistic or thematic direction?
We are in the studio at the moment recording our next EP. Also we’re planning touring
right after the summer festival season, so maybe we can run a “Save Earth from
becoming a Failed Star” Tour? �� Any suggestions for a catchier title?
A Message from the band
Is there a message you wish to share with fans on social or environmental issues?
Be mindful. Be aware of the consequences of your actions. Spread love and kindness.
The band
The German melodic metalcore band Failed Star are based in Mainz. You can keep up to date and listen to their music with the following links.
