The Notorious B.I.V.

Having your producers 100 percent on board proved to be an essential ingredient for the band as well, one the singer does not discount in its importance to the album's quality. “We've become really good friends with Henrik [Udd, who works at Nordstrom's recording studio, Studio Fredman] and Fredrik; really, really comfortable with them which helps us because we always get better performances out of ourselves.” Performances that apparently haven't been appreciated by everyone as Anderson explains: “The general consensus is quite positive. We're still quite heavy, but definitely a different feel to this album. I think some of the diehard metal fans have been a bit more negative cause maybe there's not enough breakdowns or whatever.”

Honouring a more cohesive form, the group has pushed towards a sound more akin to The Amity Affliction, Deez Nuts or some of the more reflective moments of Unwritten Law. Armed with a sense of belief that Australian heavy bands can make it on the international scene and having laid a deeply entrenched foundation through previous releases, relentless tours, supports and recognition from some of the biggest names in the game, it seems everything's coming up Milhouse for B.I.V. When questioned on whether the band is ready to join the upper echelon of Australian heavy acts, Anderson is adamant: “We've always had the aspirations to go as big as we can take it, and there's proof now that if you're an Australian hardcore or whatever band, you can do it.”

For B.I.V. turning towards more traditional vocals and song structures was not something the band took lightly, but an evolution they felt was needed. “We tried to go back to sort of a rock structure, something you can connect with. I think that connection is what makes you 'their favourite' band. That's the biggest compliment anyone can give you,” confesses Anderson. What the band have removed in technicality or heaviness, has been replaced with emotion, the underlying element that manages to assimilate Notorious into the arresting product that it is. “We've had quite a massive change over the last six months and experienced a lot of different things. That helped a lot with the writing process because you can sort of base the song of an actual event; carry the emotion,” Anderson admits. Experiences none more traumatic that a phone call the frontman received late in 2011, “When we were in Sweden, New Year's Eve, it wasn't the best phone call from my sister, crying. I find out my parents we're getting divorced and the family is breaking up.” So Anderson took the only plausible route in such a testing time, channeling what he was feeling into his music.

Many other experiences have been addressed on Notorious, often in a not so eloquent way; see Maybe Next Time, a brutal track of extreme HC-style aggression directed at an anonymous foe. Lyrics such as “If I found you burning, I wouldn't stop to piss on you,” bluntly smack the listener in the face. Anderson discusses the track: “There's a lot of metaphors in there that one particular person will know exactly what I'm talking about, but I didn't want to make that generalised too much, I really wanted to be pointing the finger. I think it turned out well.”

If the old mantra is true and Buried In Verona would rather be at the bottom of a ladder they want to climb, then the top of one they don't, Notorious should push them up a fair few rungs.