Alina Levanova – Guitar
Ben Sanders – Guitar
Jacob Nicolson – Bass
Euan Henderson – Drums
Hailing out of Edinburgh, Scotland is Ifreann a thrash metal band that has been fast rising up the ranks of the Scottish Underground Metal scene with their mix of modern and old school thrash, since forming in 2015 Ifreann has released two Ep’s “Unearthly” in January of 2019 and most recently “Desecration” in February 2020. Jai That Aussie Metal Guy recently caught up with Ifreann to walk through the latest EP “Desecration” and all things Ifreann.
Ifreann thank you so much for taking some time to go through some questions for Crannk in this crazy as fk time. Cheers from Jai That Aussie Metal Guy and Crannk.com
Q: First off who are Ifreann and how would you describe the sound?
Ifreann are a Thrash Metal band from Scotland, and we combine old-school Thrash Metal, Crossover, NWOBHM and some Extreme Metal.
Q: How did Ifreann form?
Ifreann were formed by Drummer Euan & Bassist Jacob in 2015, after the disbanding of a previous project. Later joined by Vocalist Ian and Guitarists Ben & Alina.
Q; How did you first get into playing Guitar,Bass, Drums ?
I think it came from hearing ‘Run To The Hills’ for the first time when i was around 8, and then begging my dad for a drum kit and lessons.
Q: What was your first instrument?
Drums.
Q: What guitar, Bass, drum kit are you using now?
I use a Pearl Export kit with mostly Paiste cymbals and mapex pedals.
Q:How did you first get into heavy metal and what was the first album you got for yourself?
Iron Maiden’s debut was definitely the first metal album I owned, and I remember listening to it A LOT. After that I started to get really into the classic Thrash bands like Metallica & Megadeth.
Q; Who do you feel are some of the people who have helped inspire and influence you as a musician?
I don’t really have any specific people or bands that have influenced me prominently. I’m much more influenced by a mix of people and music.
Q: The latest release from Ifreann is Desecration and I have to say it’s a fkn great thrash album I’m a massive fan of thrash metal can I ask how you approached the song composition and songwriting for this album?
It’s actually mostly written by an ex-member, which is why we decided to record them all in one EP rather than add them to an album. The one exception is ‘Messiah’ which was mostly written by combining some riffs I had come up with, that were polished by Ben and later arranged together as a band.
Q: Can we walk through the tracks on Desecration and you tell us what they mean for you starting with Of Blade & Blackened Wing?
‘Of Blade’ is one of our favourites, and feels like the perfect example of what we sound like. Fast and heavy but also groovy and melodic, and in my opinion has a fantastic structure.
“Raised In Hate”(fk yeah love when that riff kicks in about 3;23)
Raised is a lot of fun, mostly because it’s a big change of pace to our usual setlist, it gives the audience a chance to dance rather than mosh and it’s a nice break on my limbs.
“Messiah”
This is the super thrashy song that you need to have on an album/ep. We love playing this live, it’s probably the most physically demanding for me to play, and I also feel accomplished after finishing the song.
“Crushed By Tyranny”
The oldest song from this EP, we’ve been jamming this song since early 2018 (before ‘Unearthly’ even came out). It’s definitely the last choice to be added to the setlist, but it’s starting to grow on me a lot more, maybe because i can play it better than before.
Q; If you had to go back through and pick one favourite track from “Desecration”Ep “Unearthly”Ep and “In Satan we Trust/Poisoned Minds” which and why?
Desecration – ‘Messiah’ (It’s the one I wrote the most and Im very happy with how it came out)
Unearthly – ‘Mirror Of Sanity’ (It’s hard to describe, I just love it)
IN/PM – ‘In Satan We Trust’ (It has a special place in my heart, to me it really felt like our first “real” song)
Q:It’s a crazy time at the moment with all this shit going on, but it also gives everyone time to check out new bands like yourselves and support the scene through merch where is the best place to grab and support Ifreann?
Give us a listen on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and if you REALLY wanna help out, then please consider buying something from our BigCartel. https://ifreannofficial.bigcartel.com/?fbclid=IwAR2ivK4TXwvyA4Vk9PTV3dechvILWoYblQPQvMyMsCnaTpGsYTEPUnamjDI
Q; Before we sign out is there anything you’d like to say or add?
Stay at home, stay safe and stay THRASH!
Massive cheers and Horns raised from the Land Down Under and myself Jai That Aussie Metal Guy and Crannk.com
Ifreann Links
Ifreann Bandcamp https://ifreannmetal.bandcamp.com/
Ifreann Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IFREANN.THRASH/
Ifreann Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97trjUQxXoeHlSwpcSarAg
Ifreann BigCartel https://ifreannofficial.bigcartel.com/?fbclid=IwAR2ivK4TXwvyA4Vk9PTV3dechvILWoYblQPQvMyMsCnaTpGsYTEPUnamjDI
