Back with plenty to say, Taken reignite their fire through the various beatdowns that encompass With Regards To, their five song EP. Their combusting sound is led by piercing vocals, groove induced rhythmic patterns are furious, cracking the earth with a seismic emotional pull. The melodic leads keep the song’s beaming with a sense of harmony, twisting through the visceral vocals and gliding beyond.
New Noise Magazine is pleased to be bringing forth a look into the depth and meaning of With Regards To, the new EP from the legendary act Taken.
Regret
This is the first song we put out to the public and for good reason as it was our “oldest” song musically as pieces of it were written in 2010 when we were preparing for some shows in California, Canada and Japan. This entire EP is about my headspace as I navigated through my wife’s diagnosis of a rare form of cancer in late 2016. This song in particular focused on the moments immediately after we received the call from her doctor and the feeling of panic, bewilderment and shock. It’s bleak, it’s filled with feelings of being vulnerable and being scared of the future. It will be the hardest thing to play this out live as we plan on doing throughout 2018 and beyond.
Reflect
The most clear memory that I have after myself and my wife composed ourselves and giving myself a moment to pull my head together. It quickly washed over me that she needed me in the most dire way possible and I needed to be there for her. I know that may sound like a “No duh” moment but actually processing that thought was incredibly important for me. Also realizing that helping people is inherently something that I enjoy to do and giving my wife the space to be able to just focus on her health and that’s it. There’s also an element of confidence that I started to feel knowing that she wanted to fight back and claim pieces of her life from this diagnosis.
Realign
This song is strange as I had to mentally prepare myself for the idea that my wife, may indeed die and what my life would look like without her there. We have a son together and I not only needed to consider what his life would look like if the worst case scenario happened. Elements of this song was also eulogizing her while she was/is still alive. I felt like it was an important step for me to put this down lyrically as in a way, it felt like I could just put it in a place that down and freeze it in ice so I didn’t have to consider the thought any further.
Repose
I am burnt out. I am exhausted and I don’t feel like any of this will end. This song is those feelings personified. There were many mornings that I could barely pull myself together for my wife, let alone anyone else in my family or the world. Everyone goes through the low points in life but it just felt like too much for me to handle. My job, my family, death, school, life and all of the other elements that were happening at the time. I felt like a raw nerve ready to break at anytime.
Rejoice
–The joys from pieces of good news for my wife are like nothing I have ever experienced. The “things are looking good” sentiment shared by her doctors and passing tests elicit these blissful moments that elevate you to places that I frankly have never felt before. I hope that everyone feels that in their lives. The entire song is meant to describe those feelings but also temper it with the fact that bad news could be around the corner. For now, it’s not here and we hold that incredibly close.
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Photo Credit Mark Keraly
