What are your names?
♰ Patrick Lloyd: Harsh Vocals
♰ Holly Royle: Guitars / Clean Vocals / Keys
♰ Matthew Simon Fletcher (Fletch): Guitars / Keys / Bass / Vocals
♰ Tim Jenkins: Synths / Keys / Guitars
♰ Matty Artell: Percussion

What is your genre of music?
Holly came up with the rough label of progressive metal for PR purposes, but we incorporate symphonic metal, deathcore, djent, tech metal, hard rock, classical orchestration and lots of electronics in our sound.
Fletch: I’ve often felt that the three key different pillars of music are metal, electronics and classical. The aim with DS was to look at how to fuse these successfully. There are a lot of bands who have combined two of these, but I’ve always felt that there was a niche that hadn’t been fully explored

How did you come up with bands name?
Fletch: Like many bands the exact moment and circumstances of the name remain shrouded in mystery! I was trying to convey some sort of imagery and description for the world; we’re all human and yet if you look at the news and human history, there often isn’t much evidence. To me, Disconnected Souls describes this; the world isn’t black and white or good versus evil, but fragmentated people who don’t understand one another. Music I see as one of the few universal methods of communication that can break down barriers and heal divisions.

Give us a little bio about you and the band.
Disconnected Souls was conceptualised by Fletch in 2014, although didn’t move from being an idea into a musical project until 2017, when Tim and Patrick who had both recently got into music, came around for a few jams. Holly joined the group in January 2018. Taking their inspiration from numerous genres and combine ideas to create something dramatic, atmospheric and unique. With each member bringing a diverse range of musical interests to the table, the resulting sound encompasses a wide variety of instrumental and vocal styles.

What made you go into music?
F: I don’t remember consciously choosing to go into music. I’ve grown up around musical instruments with grandparents and father playing the piano/keyboard and mum playing the guitar. At some point I realised that I could express myself on these in a way that I otherwise couldn’t and began to have lessons in recorder and keyboard.

T: There wasn’t really a specific time that I can remember choosing to do music, I’ve just always had an interest in it. One of the main things was hanging around with Fletch and Patrick which gave more opportunities to regularly jam.

P: I’ve always enjoyed singing but at some point, I was like, “I want to sing my own songs”. I also set out to improve myself as a vocalist.


H: I grew up surrounded by rock and metal music from my Dad and classical music from my grandparents. From the age of 6 I began piano lessons and by the age of 8 I had started learning to play the guitar. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but I have a deep affinity with music; there’s a connected with it that I haven’t found anywhere else.

Are you a signed?
F/P/T/H: No

You set to release ‘Warring Elements’ EP, tell us more about the single.
The single from our EP is called ‘Oathbreaker’. It’s essentially a hard rock track at heart, with a dramatic synth breakdown and a few haunting elements. The lyrics over the EP in general are about two different sides on conflict; this song particularly represents betrayal; it is a very bitter song.

What is the meaning behind ‘Warring Elements’?
The seven track EP tells the story of two opposing forces as they battle with each other and attempt to make sense of the world around them. It isn’t a straight-forward as good versus evil, it is far more complex than that. It’s more human, acknowledging that theirs is no distinct ‘good’ or ‘evil’. This is also represented by the contrast between the broad spectrum of genres that we draw from.

Describe each track in two words.
Emergence – Epic build-up
Divergence – symphonic gothic
Oathbreaker – Rock/metal
fusion Deviate – Heavy Pop
Shatter – theatrical ballad
Warring Elements – Climatic journey
Mischievous Spirits – forest creatures

What was the writing process like?
Fletch: We all have different methods of composition, so it depends who’s around and who’s taking the lead!
Holly tends to write everything in guitar pro and then we export midi, transfer to VST’s and play around with structure. Patrick tends to focus more on lyrics first, including cool conceptual ideas or the overall sound that’s he’s going for with reference to other bands. Tim likes to strip pieces back to a simple melody and chord sequence which can be a powerful technique for ensuring you’ve got the right level of “catchiness”. I tend to focus on the unique angle of the piece, for example in Emergence, how could we have a build-up that included symphonic, metal and electronic vibes but was cohesive? Often, I do experiments, such as whether electronics and ethnic instruments could combine well (breakdown of Warring Elements). In the case of one of our unreleased newer works, how to fuse witch house with choir, trap and metal drums!
The strength is having a variety of approaches and fusing them together.

What was the recording process like?
Organised chaos. We recorded the majority in Fletch’s home studio, going to Faktory Studios in Cheshire to record drums and vocals. This meant we can spend more time going over and re-recording parts as necessary without spending an absolute fortune. On the other hand, maybe we spent longer on parts than we needed to with having the facilities there. Fletch: We did make life a bit more difficult then needed as we recorded all parts from scratch. It might have been quicker to program some of the keys/synths, but for some reason I decided that it would be just as quick to learn them all. Looking back, I do regret this foolishness! The fast lead in Oathbreaker once the guitar comes in probably took longer than everything else put together.

Who did you work with on the EP?
Holly’s cousin, Alex Lacey, record drums for the EP. Our Choir of Souls featured: Courtney Dean, Matthew Simon Fletcher, Felix Hughes (LycanFell), Helen Jarsdel, Patrick Lloyd, Thomas Lloyd (Curse Of Dawn), Lee Mintz (Mithya, DSME), Conner Nickols (Transplant Junkie), Lindzi North (Curse Of Dawn), Holly Royle, Jordan Taylor, Iona Woods, Jonny Young (Fight The Tornado), William Alex Young (The Enigma Division and Defences). We worked with Andy Fernihough recording drums and vocals at Faktory Studios, and the EP was mixed and mastered by Christoph Wieczorek of Annisokay at Sawdust Recordings.

Do you have any shows coming up?
We don’t currently have any shows booked. We would love to play live but logistically we won’t have the easiest set up.

What else can we expect in Early 2020?
We have a music video planned which will hopefully be completed and released in the first half of 2020! We have been writing new tracks for a while now so hopefully we will have something dropping later in the year!

Do you have any collaborations coming up with any upcoming artists?
The very talented Berna of Hanging The Nihilist has created a rearrangement of ‘Emergence’ which gives a really interesting twist on the original.

Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
We love collaborating with other artists. The track ‘Shatter’ which features our Choir of Lost Souls was a wonderful collaboration project within the EP. It would be great to do more! Anyone can get in touch either direct through the band’s socials or email: disconnectedsouls@outlook.com. Feel free to get in touch with Holly or Fletch too. We do have a shortlist of more famous members of the rock/metal and electronic communities who we’d love to work with if they’ll agree to it!

Do you play any instruments?
♰ Holly Royle: Guitars / Keys
♰ Matthew Simon Fletcher: Guitars / Keys / Bass / Trumpet / Steel Drums / Recorder
♰ Tim Jenkins: Synths / Keys / Guitars

Who are your influences?
Fletch: Nightwish, Shadow of Intent, The Birthday Massacre, Rachmaninoff…

I try and take something from everyone I listen to, even if the impact may not immediately be obvious!

Patrick: I See Stars, Annisokay, Make The Suffer, Veil Of Maya

Tim: Vola, Leprous, Chvrches, Exist Immortal

Holly: Delain, Lacuna Coil, Muse, In This Moment and many others!

Life and the universe!

How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Fletch: I take a lot of inspiration from video games, poetry, art, nature and eastern/western philosophies.

Patrick: Things I see in real life – I use music to tell stories.

Tim: I play one thing, then I’m like that sounds cool, I don’t really focus on song concepts as such!

Holly: I often find ideas can materialise out of apparently thin air. Often influenced by my own experiences and emotions, as well as literature and art. Sometimes lyrical ideas appear first, other times it’s a melody or arrangement.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Fletch: Probably where I am today but happier and more at peace. Not that I’m not currently, but I believe that we can always strive for better. As a band, I’d hope that we’ll continue to challenge ourselves to write interesting pieces. Hopefully these will resonate and help others too!

Holly: Hopefully we’ll still be making music!

When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Fletch: Reading, Gaming, Walking, Musing about life and the universe, Dungeons and Dragons!

Patrick: A lot of DND, some video and board games


Tim: Video games, table top games, software application development


Holly: Reading, writing, photography, trying to comprehend the world and humanity.

What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more into the music scene?

Holly: At the age of 13(ish) I was introduced to Delain’s ‘April Rain’. That set me on the path into the world of symphonic metal.

Fletch: I don’t think I can attribute it to a certain song/artist – although I do remember hearing The Rasmus and Evanescence on top of the pops many years ago and finding that to be very exciting.

Tim: Absolutely no idea

Patrick: ‘Murder Mitten’ by I See Stars – the perfect amalgamation of all my tastes within one song

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Fletch: I’m very passionate about self-help/development so it’s really hard to narrow this down to one quote! I think the most eye-opening thing I learned recently is the importance of saying no to things. In the book I was reading there were a number of innovators, celebrities and people of repute and the most consistent message was that they all did much better when they began to only focus on their priorities and not take on too many things. Fear of missing out is a really difficult thing to overcome though!

Holly: I’m struggling to remember the specifics, but an idea that sticks with me is trying not to compare my life to others. Everyone is in a different place and it’s so easy to feel unsuccessful by making comparisons which bear no true relevance.

Tim: Nobody gives me any advice!

Patrick: I’ve heard so many good pieces of advice they’ve grouped together so I can’t think of a specific one.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?

Holly: Let your creativity flow. Don’t be afraid to find a niche and do something different

Fletch: ^^ I agree with my learned colleague. Ultimately the most important thing is to believe in yourself, your abilities and that you’ll overcome any setbacks you experience, because you will!

Patrick: Make music you like, don’t try and make it for someone else

What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Fletch: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.

Patrick: Fletch stole my quote! Alternatively, “Be excellent to teach other

Holly: I quote a recently found in Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking that I’m finding to be of great comfort and reassurance: “In both the art and the business worlds, the difference between the amateurs and the professionals is simple: The professionals know they’re winging it. The amateurs pretend they’re not.”

Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
Well, in Chester there’s the Roman Amphitheatre, Old City Walls, two Mediaeval cathedrals, Tudor rows, Victorian gardens

In Manchester, Affleck’s Palace is a must, along with Satan’s Hollow

Nandos is also pretty great and available in both cities!

Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first?
Fletch: Bed
Tim: No idea, never came off tour
Patrick: Bed
Holly: To get a cup of tea

2/ Who do you see first?
Fletch: The rest of the band, it’s clearly time to get back to writing new material.
Tim: Whoever I see first
Patrick: My DND party; the tour made me miss a few sessions
Holly: Probably my family; not sure I’d get away without seeing them for too long!

3/What do you eat first?
Fletch: Nandos
Tim: Home
Patrick: Chatwins
Holly: Whatever I can raid in the fridge, probably cheese.

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Holly: ear plugs are a must!, Tickets/ passes, contact lenses so I can actually see what’s going on, drinks (or means of getting some), and friends.

Fletch: Friend 1, Friend 2, Friend 3, Friend 4 and last but by no means least, friend number 5. If you’re not forcing your musical taste on at least 5 willing victims then what are you doing to save the music scene!

Patrick: Earplugs, interest in the band you’re going to see and Inflatable plane (seriously we have one)

Tim: Me

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yes, we do!
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter