EAT THE RICH

Can you tell me about the creative and songwriting process of Eat the Rich?

‘Eat The Rich’ was one of the first songs we actually wrote or at least started. Me and Josh came up with the riffs mostly inspired by the likes of Metallica, Slayer and KG. Most of our riffs we couldn’t even play to begin with, they were too difficult for us, and we weren’t used to playing metal. But they were the songs so we had to play them, we had to improve. 

The first two songs are more story based. Using the perspectives of activists, workers, and other ordinary folk feeling distain for the current system. We wanted the mental health implications of a broken societal system, the dread and feeling of impending doom to come across and feel relevant to listeners. Ultimately ‘Follow’ and ‘Eat The Rich’ are then a call to arms to not accept the rule of the elite. The people have the power. For ‘Eat The Rich’ (song) we wanted to explore mood changes while trying to stay high energy. We pitched the track to Ruben, still malleable at that stage, and that’s when the song really came to life. Ruben has got a really unique drumming style inspired by a mix of Metal, Punk, Hip Hop, and specifically John Bonham. It’s always interesting to see what he comes up with. The organ section was finished last by Ignis and Josh. They were trying to make something jarring but emotional. As you can probably tell, it’s quite collaborative with every member having an influence on the final sound.

Do you have any plans for a full album in the near future?

We’re currently recording another EP at the moment, yet to be titled, but it’s coming out in May. The songs are a lot more technical and proggy in general. A lot of Opeth influence on Josh’s part, but still our own sound. We’re also adding in orchestral elements with violin and cello being performed across the EP. We don’t want to go full orchestra, instead going for a more stripped back chamber ensemble sound. We want them to enhance the atmosphere that our songs are already suggesting and use them in unique ways. 

With your new CDs and merch, how has that been helping you earn more money at shows? 

(James Muir & Joshua Roberts)

Yes it definitely helps a lot. It’s the only way of making any real profit and we’re probably still at a net loss, but that doesn’t really matter. The best part is just knowing people enjoy your music enough to wear your logo, it really means a lot and it’s a great chance to chat to people at the gig. CD’s have been selling surprisingly well. It’s awesome to know people actually want to listen to you when they get home (and it pays much better than Spotify). Having these other mediums of art allows us to collaborate with friends/local artists in Edinburgh. Working with other artists and building a sense of community is a great feeling.