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Still Remains
 It's not too many people that tend to have the whole world at their feet. For most of us, we live our daily nine-to-five routine, slaves to the perpetual grind. But for five young individuals the reins are firmly planted in their hands. These five young men are united as the latest Roadrunner sensations, Still Remains. Some bands spend their whole life touring and recording and never receive the success they deserve.
For Still Remains, still only in their twenties, that success is about to come soon with only their second official CD 'The Serpent' released only days ago. We took the opportunity to track down guitarist Jordan Whelan at the labels UK office and ask, why them?
Still Remains are currently in the UK doing a week of press, greeting with journalists from various magazines, shaking hands with people they have never met before, and even a stint on Kerrang! Radio. It's all part and parcel of being 'the next big thing' as Jordan informs me. First time in the UK then? "No, it's my first time to the [Roadrunner] office but my fourth time over to the United Kingdom," I am informed. "We love it and were stoked to come. We spent months in the studio and then had so much time off, so it's nice to actually get out of town for a little bit. I've been telling my girl [friend] that we will move out here one day. I want to move out here so bad."
For someone from Michigan, this might seem like a strange statement to make. After all, there is a big difference between Jordan's home state and Olde London Town. But then again, be it from Grand Rapids, where the band hail from, or London, the one question that fans always want to know is, how did the latest hyped band - and we mean that in the nicest possible way - get signed to metal's largest independent record label and end up touring the world. "It happened through a meeting with our manager on our first tour," replies the guitarist. "We were actually at another band's video shoot and the A&R manager [of Roadrunner Records] turned up at the shoot and Mark [the band's manager] gave him our CD. And a week later we had a record deal. Or at least a record offer. All of these other labels tried to out-bet each other but we knew from the beginning that we would sign to Roadrunner."
Jordan agrees that having such a large dedicated label behind them definitely makes a huge difference to any band. Not to mention more than a little touring.
"When we started as a band we sold maybe a 1000 CDs to touring the world, selling out tours in the United Kingdom and touring for two years straight - I think we have done something like 250 shows in the last year and a half. We stopped only for Christmas. And for our sanity."
One thing that surprised me when hearing the band's songs for the first time was the purity of their music. Admittedly I was expecting to hear yet another second rate metalcore clone only for my ears to prick up when the first wave of At The Gates influenced riffs appeared. With this genre of music becoming so diluted these days it seems odd to hear such a young band actually play music that leads back to its original source, that being, the Gothenburg death metal scene. "Thank you. That's great. Anyone who can pick up the Gothenburg metal, that makes me really happy because," enthuses the young guitarist, "that's truly what I want to play. And what I am striving for in the songs."
So if Still Remains are indeed influenced by the Gothenburg scene, then what bands actually inspire this young bunch of musicians then? "For me, when I first started out - when I first started playing guitar - I was listening to In Flames, like 'Colony' and 'Clayman', and Swedish metal like Soilwork," he elaborates. "But even a lot of the American stuff like Pantera and Metallica. But for me, In Flames was my quintessential metal band."
For those older fans, as well as newer ones, into the old style melodic DM it would be wise to check out 'The Serpent'. It's one album that is due to be a pleasant surprise.
Mark Grimshaw
'The Serpent' is out now through Roadrunner.
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