alt. Enter the Dystopian Future on New EP ‘Nevermore’
Adelaide alt-metalcore five-piece alt. are embarking on a new era with the release of their concept EP Nevermore. Opening up to The Note about the release, vocalist Dan Richards touched on the themes throughout the release, working with producer Callan Orr and their upcoming EP launch this June.
Words Tobias Handke // Image Neasan McGuinness
Let’s get stuck into alt.’s upcoming EP Nevermore – a concept album set in 2073 that explores a world devastated by war, corruption and overconsumption. It’s eerily reminiscent of a world we could end up living in. Was that your inspiration behind the release, the state of the current world and where it’s heading?
Definitely, when coming into writing for the EP, I was looking into the world at large and the direction we were heading in. Every country is looking to its leadership to right the ship, but none is doing enough because it doesn’t benefit those in charge. The global leaders will always put their interests first before the interests of its people. I imagined a dystopian world living in our possible future and built a story around loss, the recurrence of historical events over time, laden with feelings of dread and ultimately hope.
Concept albums are few and far between these days. What made you want to write a cohesive collection of songs that follow a single narrative across the entire six songs?
Can I say that my imagination got the better of me? I initially wrote a story to span 10 tracks, filling in a cohesive narrative, which then changed to six songs that captured all the significant moments. I truly just began writing for this release, and it all organically started to take shape after the first few songs, so I then sat down and planned the rest out and wrote the rest of the lyrics of Nevermore.
What are some of your favourite concept albums, and did any influence Nevermore?
Space and Zombie EPs by The Devil Wears Prada are probably two of my personal favourite concept releases, but I can’t say that they influenced us to do our own. Purely just writing what I felt in my heart at the time dictated its direction. I did, however, take influence more from literature than from music.
Ahead of the release of the EP’s first single, ‘Sucker Punch’, alt. wiped their socials. Do you see this EP as the start of a new era for the band?
Definitely, this is our band honing in on who we are right now at this very moment. What do we stand for? What do we sound like? I feel like that all comes to fruition on this EP, yet also opens up the possibility of a new era to follow.
Along with the frenetic ‘Sucker Punch’, you’ve released the anthemic ‘They’ve Always Lived In The Castle’. It’s got a bit of everything – nu metal, punk, rock, metalcore. Talk us through the idea behind this song and how it came about.
It started with that synth line you hear very clearly just before the second chorus alongside some old backbeat drum and bass style percussion. Getting on the mic to lay down some vocals, I was immediately transported to the likes of The Prodigy and Beastie Boys and laid the rap almost as you hear it now.
I sat down and worked on the lyrics and found myself thinking of Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived In The Castle’ and changed it into a metaphor more about those who are in charge of the world have always had some kind of power, they are in a position where they can pass that power to whoever they want to. They are untouchable, will always be untouchable, they can murder, steal and destroy whatever they want, and I’d had enough. I finished writing out the lyrics and sat with Simon (Aistrope), and he shaped the instrumentals into something that let the lyrics speak and show the anger in the music too, especially in the breakdown.
There’s also a moment in the song that sounds like a sample of The Pump Panel’s Reconstruction Mix of New Order’s ‘Confusion’, a song that got traction after appearing in the opening “Blood Rave” scene of the classic 1998 vampire flick Blade. Was this intentional, or am I just hearing things?
You’re not the first to make that connection! Honestly, I am a big fan of Blade and didn’t make the connection until it was brought to our attention. I honestly don’t know if it was intentional or not. That is probably more of a question for Simon. I do believe, though, it was a happy accident. A terrific iconic scene, though.
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The band worked with producer Callan Orr (Dream On Dreamer, Hands Like Houses) on this release. When did that relationship start, and what impact has he made on your sound and the way you work in the studio?
Callan worked with us on our debut EP dysfunctional and we have worked with him on everything since. The only track where we did some tracking elsewhere was ‘Devil’s Cut’ due to COVID lockdowns (which Callan still edited, mixed and mastered). He is incredibly great to work with and always wants the tracks to be the best they can be, and is honest about it. He is great with electronic programming and gave us our unique mix, which you can hear across our catalogue. He has become a true friend to me over the years.
What was the songwriting process like while writing Nevermore, and has it changed since the release of dysfunctional?
Generally, Simon will write a lot of the instrumentals and I will write the vocals but over time, I have sent him some instrumental ideas and we had a couple of the guys in the room for a few of these sessions on Nevermore which helped get their ideas of how they thought a track could go. One of the best days was letting Goose let loose and he wrote a lot of the foundations for ‘Sucker Punch’, which we all loved straight away.
What do you hope people take away from listening to Nevermore?
I hope they take away that it’s okay to be pissed off with how everything is going, that these things have been happening since the beginning of time. If we want true, meaningful change, it will take each and every one of us standing together. We outnumber the rich a million to one. Also, I hope we can inspire others to push the envelope to try things stylistically that are not the same cookie-cutter BS I hear everywhere.
How excited are you to play these new songs for audiences, particularly hometown fans at Lion Arts Factory in June?
Cannot wait! Last time we did a launch at Lion Arts Factory for ABEYANCE, it was one of the greatest nights of my life. These songs have been in the making for a long period of time, and I can’t wait to share them with everyone and in a live setting is the best way. That person-to-person feedback from the energy they provide you from the crowd is unmatched.
You’ve enlisted special guests Bad/Love and Akira Slide. Why did you choose those bands to support your show?
Bad/Love have been a band that we have played with since the very beginning of alt. It only felt fitting to play with them again for the first time in a while on such a momentous occasion for us. They have also gone on to do some great things since we last played, and it felt the perfect fit.
Akira Slide are good personal friends of ours, as well as being an exciting new up-and-coming band from our hometown. I think they have great things in their future and believe our fans will really like what they’re doing.
Can fans expect anything new or maybe a surprise or two when it comes to your live show?
Don’t want to say too much, but we are putting as much as we did into our ABEYANCE launch as we are in this. This will be seeing alt. at our very best.
What else can we expect from alt. in 2026?
Keep your eyes peeled on our socials for more announcements to come in the coming weeks. We still have a lot to share.
Nevermore by alt. is out Friday 15 May via Resist Records/SharpTone. Catch alt. performing at Lion Arts Factory on Saturday 20 June. Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
