'Mish'ion Accomplished

"It would be fair to call the album a concept piece,” muses Mish vocalist and guitarist Rowland Hines when asked to describe The Entrance, the band's expansive eight-song debut platter.

“The whole album tells the story of a creature being born, and The Entrance is just that – it describes the entry of that creature into the world. We take different perspectives on the record. Songs like Altricial and Precocial are statements about an animal being born with its eyes open or closed and offer differing views on this creature's new life.”

The story doesn't end there however and the band plans to continue telling the story of this creature that they've now christened (somewhat appropriately) 'Mish'. “Our next record, which we're about halfway through, will continue the story we began on The Entrance. I don't want to say too much yet, but so far the songs are coming together really well and we're looking to release the album sometime around November.”

Mish don't lack for drive and determination. Three-quarters of the band hail from regional Bathurst and they've relocated to Sydney to further their craft (Hines notes with a laugh that the band's name is an abbreviation of the word 'mission' because the guys are always looking for a “better mish”) But you won't hear any complaints from Mish about how hard it is for Australian metal bands to get ahead. Things are what they are.

“You're never going to hear our songs on the radio because they're too long,” laughs Hinds. “But we're doing what we love on our own terms. We've got great support from Grindhead Records and The Bird's Robe Collective, who support the band's artistic vision and give us a lot of help. There's no use complaining about how hard it is to be in an Australian metal band. You've just got to get out there and do it. And of course it's important for all the bands to support each other because basically we're all in the same boat.”

Mish will be taking their experimental metal onslaught to the upcoming Slaughterfest at the Sandringham Hotel. Hinds promises a show that will not only challenge the ears but also reward the eyes.

“We have a new member in the band – a DJ, which opens up the soundscape we can produce. We're also going to be playing in front of a screen that will have two separate projections on it,” explains Hinds. “Don't get me wrong, it's not like a storyboard or anything. Instead we'll be using the images to decorate the song and create specific moods during the show. We use our music to try and take people on a journey and hopefully the visual element will really help us do that and enhance the experience of the people watching the set. We're really excited about putting it all together and trying it out.”

And are Mish worried about keeping the attention of Slaughterfest patrons who may be more used to two-minute grind explosions and straight-up doom metal?

“Nah, not at all – we've never had problems playing on the same bill as grind or death bands. Audiences always seem to appreciate what we do. Besides, when you look at the Slaughterfest line-up there's a really diverse range of heavy bands, some of whom, like us, take a more experimental approach to metal. That's what's so great about the festival; it caters for the diversity of Sydney's metal scene and exposes metal fans to bands that they might not have considered checking out. The heavy music scene in Sydney is getting more eclectic every day; there are so many great bands out there doing amazing things and we're just honoured to be a part of it all.”