ONCE HUMAN have used the last five years since „Evolution“ to push their own musical evolution even further: With „Scar Weaver“, the Los Angeles combo redefines itself and reaches for the modern metal genre throne. We talk to singer Lauren Hart about her own musical improvement, honesty and acceptance towards herself and breaking out of usual conventions.
Hi Lauren! It’s been a whole five years since your last album “Evolution”. Why did it take so long to release “Scar Weaver”?
The break began when I went on tour with Kamelot for two years, and Logan with Machine Head for the “Burn My Eyes” reuinion. The pandemic started at the end of his tour. When he came back though, Max had already written ten full instrumentals for the album. I then began working on vocals, but because of the pandemic, the deadline was pushed back a few times. Usually bands release around touring schedules, but there was none at this time. So, this is why there was a big gap of time.
In your opinion, what do you do differently or better on „Scar Weaver“ than on your previous records? I think your music are more progressive and sophisticated, and you have noticeably improved your vocals.
The biggest changes are the fact that Max wrote the instrumentals this time, as he had the songs completed by the time Logan was home from his Machine Head reunion tour. Logan loved the songs. Versus on the first album which was written musically by Logan and I, “Evolution” writing was mainly Max, then Logan, and I did a little writing in the music there too.
The other changes are of course vocally. I feel in the two years of touring with Kamelot, I grew a lot with my clean singing. I had to, as I was filling some very big shoes. I learned to stop comparing myself to other singers once I discovered my own voice and accepted it. Once there was acceptance, then confidence could grow. And thus, the confidence to be bold and take risks. I think this is where it ended up on “Scar Weaver”.
Did you have to adapt your way of working for songwriting and recording because of the pandemic?
It was very much the same. Logan had a studio in a house and since we were all in Vegas, it made it easy to record. Max wrote the instrumentals for “Scar Weaver” alone, and after sending them to Dillon to record his drum midi, they then sent me the demo to write vocals. I would also lock myself up and write vocals alone. The pandemic made it hard for me because I am a person that works best under deadlines. If I am given extra time, I am going to take it. And because of the pushbacks in delivery dates, I kept changing things and trying to make things better. Sometimes I would go sit in the room with Max and have him rewrite some parts musically if I feel it needs something different.
Modern, brutal metal is sometimes quite complicated and challenging to listen to. Your music is also ambitious and demanding, but ONCE HUMAN is still very accessible. Is it important for you in songwriting to make demanding music, but at the same time easy to digest?
Max writes in a very non-conceptual way. He writes true to his own feelings and emotions. It is very complex and alien like, yet compelling and emotional. I also write just what I feel and what the music compels me to write. I know there are a lot of songs with a structure that may be easier to digest, such as verse pre-chorus chorus, verse prechorus chorus… But to be honest, I would like to move away from this structure completely in the next album.
In “Cold Arrival” you cover the loss of a good friend. How have you dealt with that sad event and how has it influenced or changed you as people?
It was very sudden, and he was very young. He was a great person. I didn’t deal with it well, but I didn’t expect to take it as hard as I did. This my first experience with losing someone. I lost my grandparents, but I think there was preparation for that. But this was so sudden that it really shocked me. I did a lot of self-healing through writing the lyrics for him.
Are there even more personal lyrics and topics you cover on the album?
Yes, the “Scar Weaver” track is about dealing with my own anxiety and catastrophic thoughts. I make these nonexistent fears real by giving them so much energy. “Sew the flesh on my fears”... giving it a life, if you will. “Only In Death” is also very personal, but you can read the lyrics for that one to see why!
“Erasure” is about the heavy topic of Blood Diamonds. How did you become aware of the topic and why was it important to you to address it?
I have always heard the name thrown around about these “Blood Diamonds”. I never actually knew what it meant. When writing, I do go down a lot of rabbit holes that I normally wouldn’t dare put myself through. “Eye of Chaos” was also written like this… I really force myself to watch and read things that are happening in the world that I wish I could unsee or erase from my brain. The meaning of Blood Diamonds absolutely horrified me, and I can’t believe it still goes on in parts of the world. And the worst part, these diamonds symbolize love when bought and given as a gift. Yet, they are unearthed by torture, pain, and surrounded by death…
In general, do you see it as important to address difficult issues with your outreach?
I think it’s important for me to be honest and write from the heart. This question takes me back to “Dark Matter” from our last record “Evolution”. The first line is “I’ve taken for granted the reach of my voice”. I really wanted to approach each song as if it were my last. The biggest gift in my life is that people actually read my art… And I never want to take that for granted. So being honest and real, raw, and open for myself and for them is so important to me. By doing this, you can truly connect to people.
On each of your studio albums you have changed the style of your logo. Why do you do that?
I think we were still trying to find the “One”. The first one would often be nonexistent and fade too much on tour announcements. It wasn’t visible enough. Now I like that our symbol is in cooperated into the logo.
„Deadlock“ features Robb Flynn on guest vocals. How did that come about and what was it like to work with him?
We thought of Robb when Max delivered us this instrumental, and I thought a guest spot would be amazing. But, at the time he had never done a guest feature before. So we didn’t think he would do it. But he heard the song and he loved it! This is one of those things that restored so much hope in me. I am not sure he would have had the time to do the track with us if it wasn’t for the pandemic. It made me realize that good things can come out of the darkest of times. Robb wrote an amazing chorus, an immediate hook! We went back and forth in the verses. We each wrote our own lines, and it’s crazy how they really go together well.
In 2019 you released the single „Sledgehammer“ and I read several times that listeners are surprised that the song is not on the album. Why did you decide not to include it on “Scar Weaver”?
“Sledgehammer” was released three years before the release of the album, crazy! It was supposed to be part of the next album but because of the time we had to sit with the album due to the pandemic, a lot changed emotionally and writing wise. We felt the song was of a different time, a different vibe, to what we ended up writing in the pandemic.
Streaming and digital distribution is taking on an increasingly important position, especially in modern metal genres. In your opinion, is digital marketing the most important sales channel now and what do you think about physical media like CD and LP?
Yes, sales are still important, it seems metal fans still love to own the physical CD and Vinyl’s. Something tactile from your favorite artist is still so sentimental. I love that about the metal community.
You released four singles beforehand, that’s almost half the album. Is „Scar Weaver“ designed to be listened to as an album from front to back, or are individual tracks (e.g., in Spotify playlists) more important?
I wanted to do a video for every song! It seems that a lot of fans are reached through videos. And sometimes people don’t hear the songs unless it comes with a video. Also, we made more videos due to the time we had because of the pandemic. I’ve heard that nowadays its more about the song rather than the full album, but I am not too sure. I think metalheads really appreciate the journey of listening to a full good album. I know I do!
How do you decide which songs to release as singles? Do you take tracks that you think represent the album best or rather special tracks with special features, like „Deadlock“ with Robb Flynn, because the name might draw additional attention?
It is actually hard to decide. We talk about it among the band and show songs to friends to see their reactions. I can change favorites depending on my mood! So it’s nice to have outside perspective. Of course, I never expected to make a music video with Robb Flynn! This I will cherish forever!
Right now, a modern wave of bands is very strong in the scene, bands like Gojira, Jinjer, Infected Rain, The Agonist and of course ONCE HUMAN are becoming more and more popular. Is this modern progressive mixture of Melodic Death/Core/Djent/Groove Metal the future of Heavy Metal?
I think it’s ever changing. Hard to say what the future is, but I enjoy the journey.
Let’s conclude with our traditional brainstorming. What comes to your mind first when you read the following words?
Current favorite album: Hard to choose a favorite, so many bands bringing the heat!
Vaccination: Sums up these times in one word.
Nature: Hiking in nature is part of my perfect day.
Something that makes every bad day better: Someone funny.
Best way to relax: Nature hike or being with animals.
ONCE HUMAN in ten years: Once Young Human.
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10. Februar 2022 Stefan Popp
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