New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The members of CHAOS THEORY are out to reveal the nuances of the world that others often miss. With a contrast of low, thick vocals and high-pitched screams, lead vocalist Rock Johnson doesn't like to miss a beat or inflection. Truly, the heavy melodic rock band from Canada is a sonic tide of emotion, one that becomes a satisfying flood when paired with the substantive message that lurks in the lyrics.
"It has a lot to do with the struggle between what we're shown as a world and what we actually see," Johnson said. With song titles like "Broken Dream" and "Save Yourself," the heart of their vision is readily evident. "How do you live with your shame," the lead vocalist chants in "Save Yourself," before gliding up the scale to shout, "You're delusional, delusional, you should save yourself." Subsequently, a striking guitar melody breaks out, all the while accompanied by hard bass grindings.
"Afterthought" opens with heavy guitar thumps again, before launching into a short guitar and bass pattern, although still accompanied by Johnson's voice. Then in "Remind," he sings: "Failure has brought me here, you don't have to remind, your position is crystal clear ...," as if regretting a past experience that resulted in righteous anger, anger that is adequately reflected by constant instrumental poundings. Even in "Dead Inside," indignation is evident when he sings, "Where am I, this doesn't feel real ... would you take my hand, hold me till the blackness ends."
A shifting sound
Johnson talked of the shift that has taken place in the music industry since the rise of the
Internet and how much harder it is to succeed at least in terms of traditional success. At the same time, he expressed enthusiasm for living in such a convergent and modern era. "The nature of the music industry now is you take all the opportunities you can to propel forward ...," he said, and mentioned that such endeavors involve reaching out to fans for support, as well as being willing to get hurt or rejected when your work or vision isn't appreciated. "We don't worry about things we can't control," he said. It is about finding people within the industry that are trustworthy and how, the act is not always easy, but is always worthwhile.
Engaging the moment
For Johnson and his four other band mates, the best part of playing for an audience is the feedback. "It's definitely ... the moment you know people are like 'wow,'" Johnson said, referring to raised hands and visibly engaged nature of the crowds for which they perform. He knows that when a band comes out on stage, the audience expects something of quality, and it's up to Johnson and the rest of the band to satiate that hunger with their authentic and pulsing oeuvre.
In terms of stylistic influences, Johnson mentioned
Avenged Sevenfold and Three Days
Grace towards the top of this list. If not similar to the grinding nature of these bands' instrumentals, then CHAOS THEORY resembles the nomad-like attitudes of traveling on and making it through to the end despite living in a world of evil and disappointment.
A chaotic, but solid springboard
When it comes to the future and the band's expectations, Johnson said "We're focused on moving forward and growing and using that as a springboard ..." He said the band is chasing after their dreams and that the mission isn't about catering to the next big thing. For CHAOS THEORY, it's more about seeking out the poignant moments of everyday experiences and transforming those moments into heavy intonations and gritty lyrics. The mission is more about extracting truth and lessons from all of life's moments, especially the complicated ones.
"I see [our music] as a real social commentary delivered with intensity," Johnson said. Considering that life is often more chaotic and confusing than not, Johnson and the members of CHAOS THEORY are likely to have plenty of substance to pair their passion with for years to come.
