Bristol-based new metal outfit NO:IR are preparing to take the step from a promising band to one that captures a larger audience with the release of their EP Are We Really Alive on June 18.


The five-piece band follows the tried and true formula of rap versus metal but somehow manage to put enough variance on the music to give it that elusive edge in an increasingly cluttered market.


Vocalist Sam "Evvie" Davies and bass player Jake Gazzard spent half an hour with HEAVY earlier this week to discuss the album.


"It's a step up from everything we've done in the past," Gazzard offered. "We spent so long on this EP, were bloody sick of it (laughs) but we're gonna love it again once it comes out I think. It's just the evolution of the band and its higher quality, better writing, its more interesting than anything we've put out. If you've heard the single already the quality that we are doing is a step up. We wanted to put out something super unique and people would be able to see it as a certain body of work and not compare it to other stuff. That's really what we're going for. We're not saying we're better than anybody, we're saying that we're different from anybody. That's what we go for."


In the full interview, the lads talk about the transition from releasing singles to recording an EP, the blending of genres and how they make them work, standing out musically in the modern age, future plans and more.