This progressive power metal band can’t wait to blow you away with their killer live set of original songs. Their next chance to do it will be at The Factory Theatre on the 7th for the semi-finals of the Emergenza Festival. Don’t miss out. Before the show, the band talks to us about who they are as musicians, where they get their inspiration from, and what’s motivating them to get to the finals of the competition.

CAN YOU INTRODUCE US TO YOUR BAND UNDER NIGHT'S COVER?
Under Night’s Cover is a progressive power metal band which consists of five members: Johnny, a mighty fine baritone singer, Jacob and Hayden, two of the best guitarists you are likely to meet, Mark on bass, who is Australia’s mightiest headbang, and Alasdair on drums who’s been destroying eardrums since a young age.

WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATION FROM?
It would be impossible to pinpoint exactly one influence. All members of the band have similar tastes, as well as their own personal preferences. Naturally we all draw influence from bands like Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, LORD, Dungeon, etc. But there are also elements of artists such as Chris Brooks, Whitesnake, Nevermore, Steve Vai and Firewind in our music.

WHO WRITES THE SONGS AND WHAT ARE THEY ABOUT? WHAT'S YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE?
Writing songs in Under Night’s Cover usually starts with someone bringing a few related riffs to the table, and we jam on them as a group and fit together the huge jigsaw that will become an Under Night’s Cover song. Our creative process is trying every suggestion a band member puts forth, no matter how ridiculous it is. If it doesn’t work, we throw it away and try and do something else with the song, but it’s definitely important to try every possible route when song writing. The lyrics are generally handled by Alasdair, but we all have input, and they are about all sorts of things, from substance addiction to futuristic warfare.

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND FOR YOU?
It would’ve had to have been the crowd. The band had been out of action for a long while before the first round and when we stopped head banging and looked into the crowd to see about 70 people going at it in a circle pit, it was one of the greatest moments of our career thus far!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO BETWEEN GIGS AND WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THE COMPETITION?
We’ve been pretty flat out; all the band members are in year twelve at school and have been trying to juggle the HSC along with everything else. And in regards to the next phase of the competition, we have two new songs being debuted at round two which are both insane, and should we get to the final, we will have a song ready which is by a long way the heaviest, fastest, most technical song we’ve ever written, so make sure you all come and get us to the final.

IN WHAT WAY DO YOU THINK YOU'VE GROWN AS A BAND SINCE YOU FIRST ENROLLED IN THE FESTIVAL?
The first round was the first time that line-up had performed in front of a crowd. Through preparing for the festival and in the period afterward we have all grown to comprehend each other’s styles, strengths, and limitations, and this has made us much tighter as a band

SO HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE EMERGENZA FINALS?
It feels pretty good. I spoke to someone from the winning Australian band Cuervo last time around and his stories from the Germany tour make the 1st prize that much more significant.

HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE FOR YOUR UPCOMING GIG?
We just finished recording our first complete song “Euphoric Desolation”, so we will be circulating that as much as we can to get people through the door.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST ABOUT THIS ROUND IN THE SEMI-FINALS?
The same thing as last time; getting back out there on stage and playing fast, heavy metal for a crowd of music fans. And I hear The Factory Theatre stage is quite large, so putting on an over the top stage performance will also be great!

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO ENROL IN THE EMERGENZA FESTIVAL?
A few things; the lure of the prize of course, but really just a chance to get back out there and play after a long period of inactivity.