"I always felt like if you enjoy heavy music, or death metal or hardcore, you could read our lyrics and get something out of them," says Brand of Sacrifice vocalist Kyle Anderson. "But it was also an 'if you know, you know' kind of situation — and I feel like it's time now to start to talk about what I want to talk about."
Indeed, everything about 2021's Lifeblood, the Canadian deathcore band's ripping sophomore album, would totally hit home even if you didn't know that the Toronto-based quintet — which also includes guitarist/producer Leo Valeri, guitarist Liam Beeson, bassist Dallas Bricker and new drummer Mike Caputo — was formed specifically to write and play songs based upon the art of the late Japanese manga creator Kentaro Miura and his long-running Berserk series. But while Brand of Sacrifice aren't exactly leaving their manga roots behind on Between Death and Dreams, their brutal new four-song EP, they're not painting themselves into a conceptual corner either.
Take "Blinded," the EP's opening track. With its glitchy synths, assaultive blast-beats and Anderson's scarifying vocals, the song's music is very much of a piece with Lifeblood, but the lyrics cut closer to the bone. "'Blinded' touches on addiction issues, and how those can impact the people that are closest to you the most," Anderson explains. "It could be a situation where you have a partner that hangs around because they care about you, because they want to see you move forward, and you almost pull them down with you. We haven't really touched on anything like that in the past; but this is something that has impacted my family, historically, and something that I know many people around me struggle with. I heard the instrumental when Leo completed it, and I felt compelled to write about it; it just sort of came to me all at once."
And while Anderson's lyrics for "Exodus," the lead single from the EP, do reference the treacherous actions of Griffith, the monomaniacal leader of Berserk's mercenary army, the song's themes should resonate with anyone that has a knowledge of authoritarian regimes. "He has his own dream and will do anything to achieve that dream, even if it's sacrificing those around him to do it," says Anderson. "We've seen things like that occur many times in history. The song also talks about what happens when a lot of other people have subscribed to that dream and follow along without being rational. In a lot of those situations, it's not something that happens instantaneously; it's a lot of incremental decisions that people make, where the moral compass you once had starts to fade away. It's a lot of micro decisions, but it affects the macro — though you often don't see that until you look back years later."
Of course, small decisions can lead to hugely positive outcomes, as well, something that Anderson and Valeri know firsthand via the success of their streetwear brand Shibori Threads. Initially conceived as a way to stay creatively occupied and maybe even make a little money for the band during COVID-19 lockdown, Shibori Threads — which specializes in high-end, limited-run band apparel featuring handmade tie-dye patterns and fluorescent colors — has become so successful that it was even featured last year in the venerable financial magazine Forbes.
"We didn't imagine this happening at all," Anderson laughs. "It just started off during the pandemic when things were all shut down and we weren't quite sure when we would be able to tour again, or what was gonna happen; everything was up in the air. And because bands weren't touring, it was a little bit of a worry financially for a lot of us. Leo and I had always been interested in creating some merch that was a little bit different from what you'd typically see for a death-metal band or deathcore band — something that was more bright and intricate. We'd always hired designers in the past to just make some designs and print 'em on a black shirt or whatever. But both Leo and I have some Photoshop experience and some background with that, and we actually found it was quite fun to mock-up designs and different dye patterns for hoodies and whatnot. We started off doing it for Brand of Sacrifice, but then we extended it to bands that were friends of ours; it really caught on from the first drop, and it had a snowball effect from there."
Recent Shibori Threads drops have featured items designed for Jinjer, Cradle of Filth, Animals as Leaders, the Contortionist and I Prevail. "The majority of the profits go to the band," Anderson explains, "and it's something the fan enjoys because no two items are the same, and they're super-limited; we only do a style once, and we don't bring them back." The line's success has resulted in some unexpected opportunities beyond the fashion world, as well. "We can't say exactly what it is just yet," Anderson teases, "but we're gonna be working with [Japanese video game publisher] Bandai Namco on a drop. That's a sidestep that we would definitely like to take because gaming is something we have a huge interest in, as well."
Though he's taken quickly to the streetwear world, Anderson says sneaker culture is his true passion. "I played a lot of basketball as a kid and growing up I was a huge fan of the AND1 brand and the streetball mixtapes they used to put out. From there, I started enjoying the Jordan brand, and I'm still a huge fan. It would be amazing to actually make a Shibori sneaker one day; I'm starting to look into how we can do that, and what it would look like."
Given the buzz generated by Shibori Threads, one could hardly blame Anderson and Valeri for putting Brand of Sacrifice on the back burner while they concentrate on growing their streetwear empire; but for now it's still full speed ahead with their music, as well. "We've directly started writing the new record," says Anderson. "We're still sorting out who we're going to put it out through, or if we're going to do it independently, but the goal is to get a record out by the end of the year, if not early next year…"
"The tracks on this EP, I feel they sort of showcase the different things that we're capable of doing, while still being loosely connected," he continues. "There's an array of heavy and melodic sounds, as well as the use of electronics and choirs — and all those things will be in place on our next full-length record, plus more!"
