www.facebook.com/edgeofchaos4
From: New Jersey
Sounds like: Metal
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name “Edge of Chaos" and is there any meaning behind it?
Frank Birkner (Guitars/Vocals) We started back in 2015 when my buddy Mike begged me to come jam with the band he was jamming with. Jon (Drums) and I clicked right away, and we started as a cover band. Eventually, we switched to originals, and made a few line-up changes. We never consciously developed a sound. We just focus on writing good riffs, and making sure there's a groove behind them that you can move to. If we feel something isn't good enough, we cut it, pick out the parts we like from it, and move forward.
I actually came up with the name Edge of Chaos. It boils down to me being a massive nerd. It's a mathematical term denothing the area between order and disorder in a system. I thought it described our sound and us as individuals well, and we decided to go with it.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
Lyrically, our stuff is a bit dark. Especially the first album, "A Man Called Martyr." It deals a lot with depression and suicidal thoughts. It also deals with coming to terms with it, and fighting on to be here. I'd like people to take away that they're not alone, and there's always hope, and that there's no shame in getting help if you need it.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
Edge of Chaos is what happens when Metallica and Lamb of God love each other very much, and decide to have a baby together. They then send it to their uncle Judas Priest to raise it with Iron Maiden. We're American Groove Metal.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Lamb of God, Metallica, and Judas Priest.
5. How has Covid affected what you do as a band?
With everything shut down for over a year, shows haven't really been a thing. So there's that. Other than that, we're all "essential workers" and have been working our day jobs through the entire pandemic. So, with the exception of a few possible exposures and negative tests, we've been getting together to write through the past year. Basically, it's given us a chance to sit back and focus on writing our second album.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Metal?
Everyone always says "rock and metal are dead!" I don't agree. I see bands like 12 Days Straight, We Are One, and Morbid Cross out there keeping metal alive, putting the work in, and keeping the local scene going. Metal is as alive as it ever was, and there are tons of great bands out there innovating and bringing a fresh take on the old tried-and-true. You've just gotta go to a local show once in a while to hear it.
7. What’s the current music scene like there in New Jersey?
Here in South Jersey at least, it's a lot of cover bands. There are a ton of great metal bands in the Greater Philadelphia region, but the direct area we're at doesn't have a lot of venues that will book a metal band.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
If your business model only works by paying the people who give you your content next to nothing, I think your business model is flawed. Fractions of a penny per stream is ridiculous.
9. What’s next for Edge of Chaos?
We're finishing up our second album "Invictus" and are looking at a tenative release of late summer.
10. Any shoutouts?
My lovely girlfreind Megan Girock and Jon's wife Kait.
