All photos by Karl Pfeiffer
When you think about the “beast inside” that’s living inside of you right now, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it rage? Aggression? Maybe it’s sadness? See, when it comes to everyone’s inner demons, nobody’s exactly alike – the same goes for Richmond metalcore act My Enemies & I.
When the time came to put together their long-awaited debut album The Beast Inside – the follow up to 2015′s sensational six-track EP Sick World – the young quintet had a lot of inner turmoil to get off their chest, thus the album name.
Today, doing their best to discuss the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their forthcoming Fearless Records release, each member of My Enemies & I let us in on their very own inner beasts – or at least the ones they chose to explore on the new record.
To check out what Jeff Hill, Zach Jones, Ryan Ganster, Cameron Perry, and Brandon Sellitti had to say in their emotional and powerful write-ups, be sure to look below. Additionally, once you’re done with that, the band also revealed the top 10 tracks that influenced their first-ever full-length. To check out what they picked and get an added look into The Beast Inside, also see below.
After reading everything the band has to offer, make sure to pre-order their new album here before it hits stores November 3rd.
Jeff Hill - Vocals
REGRET: Any decision we make, at any given time, is permanent. There’s no erasing it or taking it back. With every breath we take, we make history and even our mistakes are forever etched in stone. Although our errors may not be evident to the entire world, we alone are cursed with the memory of these mistakes and will forever live with the shame of our past. Living with these regrets can be a painful mental burden. Like a ghost, we are forever haunted by these dark or even humiliating moments. As we replay these moments in our head, we are consumed with the same feelings we had at the time it originally happened. Regretful memories can lead to other problems such as depression. How can we ever expect to forgive anyone if we can’t even forgive ourselves?
Zach Jones - Guitar
SELF-DOUBT: The record touches on self-doubt at times. The feeling of not being good enough or failing to meet people’s expectations can be crippling. There were times during the writing process where I would second guess myself. I was too worried about what everyone else wanted and completely blocked out what it is that I wanted. It wasn’t until I started trusting myself that I started making progress on the record.
Ryan Ganster - Drums
FRUSTRATION: Frustration is a main topic in our debut record. It stems from the frustrations we have with society these days. Frustration with our leaders. Frustration with the way the public eye perceives you. Frustration with what we’re made to believe.
Cameron Perry - Bass
ANGER: The record talks about anger a lot, which I think is something EVERYONE has dealt with at some point in time. Anger is typically a cover emotion, meaning it’s an emotion used to hide a deeper emotion. If someone is hurt, depressed, etc., they tend to cover it with anger. The record touches on all of those and just being downright pissed off at your peers, religion, the scene, and more.
Brandon Sellitti - Guitar
DEPRESSION: Depression is crippling and silent. It can stem anywhere from losing a loved one, traumatic experiences or even from being around negative people. I hope this record can be an outlet to others just as many of my favorite artists’ records have been in my life.
SONGS THAT INSPIRED THE BEAST INSIDE:
ALANIS MORISSETTE - “THANK U”
FAR-LESS - “DEVIL WITHOUT A CLUE”
EMINEM - “THE WAY I AM”
DAVID BOWIE - “LAZARUS”
THE WHITE STRIPES - “BALL AND BISCUIT”
NOTHING MORE - “CHRIST COPYRIGHT”
BLACK SABBATH - “WAR PIGS”
RUSH - “TOM SAWYER”
FAITH NO MORE - “EPIC”
KESHA - “PRAYING”
