How did Decline the Fall come together?

John had begun as a backing singer with Carlo (Remember Nothing). Carlo realised John had great potential and encouraged him to begin his own band as a lead vocalist. That’s where it started.

What’s behind the name?

After many trials, including line-up changes and members having to move on after a short period of time, the band was constantly on the brink of breaking up. John, having great ambition, never gave up even when things got difficult. So, Decline the Fall to us means never giving up. Always fighting for what you want regardless of what life throws at you.

How do you describe your style of music?

The root of our music is Progressive/Metalcore, but all members have their own particular influences such as Melodic Death and the good old Heavy Metal. By combining various styles we have managed to create our own brand of music.

You recently had a change in line-up. How are things going with the new guitarist?

Yes, we have recently introduced Matthew Mercieca as the new lead guitarist, replacing Nathan Adams who moved to Canada with his family. Things are going great, especially when it comes to writing new music. Being a great friend of the band from before, he fit in quite easily and is a great addition to Decline the Fall.

Has the change affected the sound/ dynamic of the group?

Matthew brought forth some new, cool ideas to the table and his music preference helped us find our own unique sound.  Our changed mentality gave us the ability to begin writing new music, and we are now writing a whole new album.

Things are going great, especially when it comes to writing new music

Although relatively newcomers to the live gig scene, you have already had a number of significant gigs. What has been your experience so far, in particular at the Rejects and the Mike Bugeja events?

Our first gig at Friday the 13th was a great experience for all of us. Rejects were a great help and made everything possible. It was our first time playing live together and it was also Johns first time singing in front of a crowd. The crowd was amazing and their reactions helped us find the motivation to play live again. We appreciated Rockna’s invitation to play live again, they had also promoted us on television which for us was great exposure. This gig was quite emotional as it was our last gig playing with Nathan who left the country soon after.

You have a very particular aesthetic. What’s the idea behind it?

The formal clothing represents society’s views of having to be formally clothed to leave a good impression. Our make-up contra-dicts that view and it is our way of expressing our emotions as we are fighting every day to make our music our career.

What does the creative process for Decline the Fall look like? Who does what?

Music mostly begins with the guitarists –Matthew and Kris. Ehren and  Fabio, who play the drums and bass, work together to build the structure for the song. John then writes the lyrics and creates the vocal melodies.

Do you have any particular bands who have shaped your love of music?

We all have different influenes when it comes to genre, but there are a few bands which all of us enjoy, such as Bullet for My Valentine and Killswitch Engage. We have also covered a Killswitch Engage song – My Curse.

What’s next for Decline the Fall – will you be thinking about recording a debut EP?

We have already recorded the EP that consists of five songs and we have released three so far. The next two will be released in the near future. We will go back to the studio once we finish writing the album.

Any gigs in the pipeline?

We are currently working with Rejects, again for our next gig. It will be the second edition of Friday  13 in January. There are a lot of plans for the future but we are going to focus on Friday the 13th and we will continue from there.

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