by Alexandra Mrozowska
— Senior Columnist —
The myth of Icarus has been one of the most frequently utilized themes in Rock and Metal music, with many a song built around dream chasing at whatever cost and longing for freedom. The story of Daedalus’ wayward son paying the ultimate price for his hubris continues to inspire also the new generation of rockers. When you take a look at the cover of the upcoming album Ethereality by Belfast, UK-based five-piece Maverick – the half-human, half-android figure is nothing but an updated version of the ancient Greek myth. Or, as Maverick’s singer David Balfour puts it, a “reference to mankind’s overreliance on technology and its inability to protect us against fate.” But it’s certainly not all doom and gloom in Maverick’s camp even in spite of all the difficulties imposed by recording an album in lockdown. In fact, the band is more excited than ever opening a new chapter in their history with Ethereality, so we had David, his brother Ryan Sebastian Balfour (guitars) and Richie Diver (bass) share the details with us.
Hardrock Haven: You seemed to be in quite a reflective mood lately, having publicly summed up Maverick’s achievements so far…
David Balfour: Yeah, I think that the quiet spell during Corona/lockdown combined with the long process of recording the new album has made us feel a little nostalgic and reflective about Maverick and the journey that has led us to this point. Plus, we always love to reminisce. In a music world where many bands don’t leave the practice room, we have been lucky enough to travel around Europe and make many amazing memories! We are now looking forward to how Ethereality will lead to more memories as we are sure people will love it!
Hardrock Haven: Have you changed as band members and individuals during those eight years? In what ways?
David Balfour: I think it is safe to say that we have all changed massively as individuals over these years. It has been almost a decade and we are in a very different place personally now compared to then. We are all now happily married or engaged (apart from the youngster Jason!) and are very settled in our personal lives. That being said, we turn into the same guys again when we are on the road. Let’s just say that our livers always come back a little worse for wear! We are all still very close friends. Maverick definitely has big personalities and I think that is why it works so well!
Hardrock Haven: As the band name could have had thousand possible meanings, is it any kind of cultural reference or is there other meaning attributed to it?
David Balfour: Yes and no! Our original drummer Mike mentioned that it would be a cool band name. Plus, we are all huge fans of Top Gun, especially Ryan and I. So we thought, why not? It’s catchy and memorable – plus it would look great as a logo. And we did feel a little like mavericks in our local music scene, to my knowledge we were the only ‘80s style Melodic Metal band in Belfast, which typically has a stronger Punk and heavier Metal scene. It just felt ‘right’!
Hardrock Haven: Every band says their new album is the best work to date and Maverick’s no different. So what’s so special about your new material and the songwriting process behind it?
David Balfour: (laughs) Very true. Bands tend to either say or feel that their newest album is their best, and we are certainly no exception. With Ethereality, we have taken longer to perfect the writing process and have really thought out every single part of every single song. I guess we can thank Corona for this, as the album was initially meant to be recorded in April! We used the extra time to iron out any weaknesses in the album and to focus on making it as good as possible. We tried to view the extra time in as positive a light as we could. Given the awful things happening around the world we are blessed that the main thing that we had to worry about was completing our album. We hope that it will be received in a way that reflects the blood, sweat and tears that we have put into it. Especially now that we have a new drummer all the way from Germany in Jason-Steve Mageney, we hope that it will bring us to a higher level! The album deserves it!
Hardrock Haven: What stage are you at when it comes to working on the album?
David Balfour: As I respond, we are almost finished. The only things left to do are a few solos, guitar overdubs and backing vocals! The meat of the album is finished. So far, it is sounding awesome! Although Frankie and Jake at Einstein Studios will really bring it to life with the mixing and mastering phase! We are very excited.
Hardrock Haven: What’s the idea behind the title of the new album?
David Balfour: We are living in very strange and very unique times. So the title was a play on Ethereal and reality – ‘ethereal’ meaning other worldly, the spirit world or an idea of idealistic ‘heaven’ mixed with the reality of the world that we live in and how it is constantly evolving for better and worse.
Hardrock Haven: Interesting… The cover artwork for Ethereality was designed by the Ukrainian artist Cardaan. How did you come across his works and why did you decide to collaborate with this particular artist?
David Balfour: I found him entirely by accident on Instagram. I think it was either a sponsored ad or I clicked on his name under a piece of art I liked. I messaged him and he was a pleasure to work with. Great guy and fantastic artist. The quality of his work speaks for itself! I consider us very lucky to have him design our cover art.
Hardrock Haven: Did you have any influence on the final artwork and how do you interpret it?
David Balfour: Actually the artwork was conceptualized by Ryan, Richie and myself. A brainstorming session resulted in a rough draft that I sketched, which in terms of composition is actually very close to the final cover! The idea was a play on Icarus and the sun – the former willingly flying towards certain doom, which represents humanity which unfortunately seems hell bent on racing to its own undoing. The fact that the central character is part man and part machine is in fact a reference to mankind’s overreliance on technology and its inability to protect us against fate. It all sounds a bit grim, but it is intended as a bittersweet cover and title. Acknowledging both the good and the bad and how everything is more beautiful because it is temporary!
Hardrock Haven: You’re definitely right about that, and that’s a food for thought for all of us. And having covered Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” on the previous album, do you plan to include any covers on Ethereality?
David Balfour: We had plans to do so, but ultimately decided not to. Although there will be more Maverick covers eventually – no doubts about that!
Hardrock Haven: The band’s second album featured guest performances by Jakob Samuel (ex-frontman of The Poodles) and Kane Roberts. Did you bring any guest musicians to the studio this time around?
David Balfour: Once again – yes, we had toyed with the idea and even contacted a few very talented people. We have been blessed to have collaborated with many super talented musicians, many of whom are inspirations to us. Ultimately we decided to go it alone this time due to the logistic issues imposed by Corona and the fact that we are yet to have an album with ‘just’ Maverick on every track! This album feels like a rebirth in many ways, and now with Jason, it felt fitting that it would just be us doing our thing and making a statement.
Hardrock Haven: That definitely makes sense. But if you could invite just about anyone to guest on the album, who would you choose and why?
David Balfour: I’d love to co-write a song and sing a duet with the ‘80s Paul Stanley! He had an amazing voice, range and sense of soaring melodic melody back then. Plus he is obviously a great songwriter.
Hardrock Haven: Being a die-hard ‘80s KISS fan, can’t argue with that.
David Balfour: I’d also love to do a duet with Tom Englund from Evergrey. His voice is very different to mine, but he has one of the most emotional and dark vocal styles. I think we could write a song that would be amazing with both our voices combined.
Ryan Sebastian Balfour: As for me, it’d be Kip Winger, as he has a great voice that would work well with Dave’s. But even better would be having him co-write a song with me. That would be a dream come true.
Richie Diver: Chad Kroeger. Hell of a voice, and if he wants to help write a song I’d be down for that.
Hardrock Haven: Ethereality will be your third album released by Metalapolis Records. Are you satisfied with the label’s support?
David Balfour: Our label are fantastic. They are family to us and always make sure to do and advise what is best for us. There is a reason we call them the Metalapolis family. We love them!
Hardrock Haven: You’ve previously toured with the likes of The Poodles, Crashdïet and Treat as well as headlined your own European tour. What’s the difference as far as the audience’s reception and the experience itself are concerned?
David Balfour: Well we have been very lucky to have supported those amazing bands. We were always very well treated and had some of the best times of our lives on those tours, we made many friends for life. The audiences were loud and very receptive of our music! With our own tour, it was great because we got to assemble line-ups of bands that we love to play and tour with. There is a pressure when headlining a tour for sure, making sure we deliver every night and making sure that it goes smoothly for everyone. The audiences were even louder on our own tours, with more people singing to every word. It really was a fantastic feeling! Luckily, on each tour we had our manager with us to look after us and babysit us! Cheers Eddy! (laughs)
Hardrock Haven: So, with so much live experience under your belt now, are you still able to pick certain memorable moments from the road?
David Balfour: The first time that we played H.E.A.T Festival at the now defunct and legendary Rock Fabrik, Ludwigsburg. It was beyond special. We were treated like rock stars and the audience was absolute fire. Met many new friends and had an amazing reaction. Plus, I think we drank half the alcohol in the region that weekend (laughs). But also the entire Poodles tour was simply incredible from beginning to end. It was one long highlight reel and I wish I could relive it!
Ryan Sebastian Balfour: It has to be the first tour we had supporting The Poodles. We have had bigger shows since, but that first tour experience was something else. The good times, the places we travelled to, the days off, partying with the Poodles’ guys, the invaluable stuff we learned from our stage hand Pierre, meeting friends I will have for the rest if my life, and everything else that goes along with it… was just the perfect touring experience that could not have went better. Just an absolutely magical time that will stay with me forever.
Richie Diver: Ice Rock festival – just amazing two days. We had so much fun on stage, partied with lots of friends old and new… We got to hang out with Dream Evil there, I may have annoyed Pete though . . .
Hardrock Haven: I dare not ask why! (laughs) The band members’ Spotify playlists give insight into fair doses of your Hard Rock and Heavy Metal inspirations, but can you think of any influence of yours we’d be surprised to discover?
Ryan Sebastian Balfour: Two for me! First is Marilyn Manson, unbelievable songwriter, performer, and voice. He was the single biggest musical influence of my life. From the day I first heard his music and seen the imagery he portrayed, my life changed forever. Before Manson I was just a kid; then after him, my life became completely and totally about music. Fun fact: Manson’s “Coma White” guitar intro was the first thing I ever learned on an extremely cheap acoustic guitar my grandmother bought me! Second big influence has to be Disney music, hands down. Between songwriting, the construction of a melody, phrasing, arrangement, harmony and even instrumentation really helped me understand music and how it is supposed to be done. Just absolutely exceptional stuff.
David Balfour: As myself and Ryan had virtually identical musical upbringings and experiences, he speaks for me also!
Richie Diver: For me, it’s Eddy Jackson of Queensrÿche. Hearing how powerful yet groove-laden his bass was and how locked in he is with the drums, that was a game changer. It became a focus of mine to tailor my playing style to suit our drummers and add that extra depth to the songs.
Hardrock Haven: Interesting to see how those influences blend. So, is there any final message you’d like to wrap our interview up with?
David Balfour: Yeah, I want to give a huge, HUGE thanks to everyone who preordered our forthcoming album Ethereality. We opened pre-orders probably a year ago now with plans to record in April before Corona really took hold. We received overwhelming support (as always). Our fans literally allow us to exist as a band. Recording music properly costs a lot more than many people realize and these preorders make it possible for us to continue to record. Everyone has been so understanding about the delay we have had in finishing recording during the pandemic, but we want to do it safely and properly and we promise it will be worth the wait. So a HUGE thank you, not only for your generosity and faith in us, but for your patience during this very strange and trying time. Pre orders are still open so for anyone who wants to help us out, so please visit our BIG CARTEL shop! Ethereality is coming and Maverick will be back, bigger and better than ever. Thanks for this interview Alex. Great questions! Thanks for having us. Cheers!
Visit Maverick online: https://www.facebook.com/MaverickBelfastuk/
