The Five Hundred have broke into the scene just over five years ago, tearing the door down with larger-than-life riffs and killer screams. While their first record was largely introspective and focused on personal mental health and addiction struggles, their sophomore album A World On Fire delves deep into the current state of the world. Leaving the global pandemic aside, the ongoing environmental decline is a serious and urgent issue that affects us all, and guitarist Mark Byrne knows just how bad it actually is. He shared his insight into the subject and the inspiration behind the album.
Related: The Five Hundred – A World On Fire | Album Review
Your debut LP explored themes of addiction and mental health struggles whilst this new record delves into the looming environmental disaster as a whole. Was this something you wanted to talk about for a while or did the focus shift with the arrival of the pandemic?
We always knew we wanted to write an album on the topic of environmental disaster and the impending apocalypse… Perhaps it wasn’t a given that it would be the second album, but we would have done it at some point. It’s fair to say that it’s a passionate and sensitive topic for us, and myself especially. I live and breathe this stuff. Academically, I have two environmental science degrees, and when I’m not writing music, I work with organisations to deliver Flood Warning Projects for the UN, World Bank, and National Meteorological Services. It’s more than just angry screaming into the void for me…
Was there a particular event that inspired the themes of the record and how did you become aware of the sheer scale of the environmental catastrophe?
At the time we starting writing lyrics for the album in summer 2020, fires were raging across California, Australia, Southern Europe, and many other places. At the same time, life as we knew had been flipped upside down, and torched in a dumpster fire. In both a literal and figurative sense, our world was on fire. That was the “catalyst”, if we ever needed one.
Did writing and recording the record during the pandemic influence the record in any way, shape or form?
“Did the pandemic sharpen our focus onto this topic? Perhaps it’s fair to say that was a factor… The environmental catastrophe that is headed our way will cause more deaths than COVID-19 and the solution will be far more complicated than a simple vaccine. We are all lost our shit during this pandemic, but what’s coming next is so fucked up, we won’t know what hit us. We are simply not ready for this.”
Exploring the topic of the impending apocalypse can understandably take one to very dark places – how was that journey and did you manage to come back in one piece?
“We normally revel in ambiguity, and believe in leaving room for interpretation. Spoon feeding our listeners has never really been our style, but for this record we felt the need to be blunt and direct. We want everybody to know what this is about. I often wonder what it would it we be like to be someone that does “not give a shit”. In some ways I envy those people … in other ways, I feel sorry for them.”
Why do you think metalcore in particular is drawn to exploring the topic of environmental disaster at the moment, with the likes of Architects and In Hearts Wake releasing the records around the subject?
“You know, I hadn’t really thought of it that way… I didn’t really see metalcore as a genre that necessarily had more of a focus on topics of environmental and social justice than others, but now that you mention it… Is it fair to say that metalcore’s roots in hardcore, and that hardcore has always had a solid focus on “the things that matter”? That’s a tough one to answer, and I’d love to explore that further! I’m gonna go with, “yes, it’s a factor” but I think the reality is a lot deeper than that. It’s certain that such environmental issues are affecting the mental health of many.”
Do you have any advice to those experiencing depression and anxiety due to the current climate crisis?
“You are absolutely right… higher temperatures are tied to depressive language and higher suicide rates. Fires, hurricanes and heatwaves carry with them the risk of trauma and depression. The list goes on… Advice?… I don’t feel qualified to “advise” anyone, so I hope this doesn’t come across as patronising, but is it unreasonable to say that these dark feelings can be the basis for empowerment, and even progress? I heard someone say once that “climate anxiety may be the crucible through which humanity must pass to harness the energy and conviction that are needed for the lifesaving changes now required.” That really resonated with me, and I hope it does with other people too. That said, not everyone has to regard the crisis as a “call to arms”, and that’s totally okay! Your feelings about the crisis are justified. Anxiety is a rational response to a growing risk. Our emotions aren’t “something to be solved”. Reaching out to other people is key. One thing the pandemic made abundantly clear (if it wasn’t already) is that not enough of us are talking about anxiety, and we all know that isolation can lead to depression. Do NOT suffer in silence! Action may be the antidote to anxiety, but no solution is a silver bullet. Fight the good fight, but don’t hurt yourself in the process! I hope I am making sense and coming across right.”
Which track was born first and how much did it define the rest of the record?
“Well that’s an easy one, haha! ‘Black Dogs’, our opening track, was the first one we recorded, and it set the tone “musically and harmonically” for the rest of the record, but it stands alone in terms of its lyrical content and its focus.”
There are some real bangers on the record – did you get to experiment with the sound a lot or were more focused on the message?
“Above all, we want to write music that slaps. The riffs and the melodies come first! The message is the “delivery”… Did we experiment with the sound? I guess it was more “evolution” than “revolution”. We have been refining that sound for the last 3-4 recording sessions with Justin Hill, our producer, and in this album we hit a sweet spot, where everything felt like apples falling from the sky… 5 years ago, this album would’ve taken us a year to write and record, but this time we were knocking out a couple of songs a day!”
Finally, what do you want fans to take away from the record?
“That’s a tough one. Anger is a gif. If our record doesn’t make you angry, we are doing it wrong. Refuse. Resist. Revolt. We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it. Our children will NOT forgive us if we do fuck all about it. This is not a “future problem”. This is the here and now. We are experiencing the deepest floods, the hottest summers, the wildest, raging fires. What are you waiting for to make a difference?”