EMQ’s with BREAKTHROUGH EVEN
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Atlanta, Georgia based Modern Rock/Metal duo Breakthrough Even. Huge thanks to brothers Josh & Zach Turner for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Josh and I play guitar for Breakthrough Even. We play modern metal/metalcore. We got started way back in 2012 and initially started as a five-piece, went down to a four-piece, and are now a duo consisting of myself and my brother Zach. So far, we’ve released two EP’s: “The Step That Lies Ahead” (2014) and “Legacy of Dreams” (2015) as well as four singles.
How did you come up with your band name?
Zach originally came up with the band name. At the time he was a big fan of an anime called Bleach, and in the soundtrack for that show was a track called Breakthrough Even. We all thought it sounded cool, so we stuck with it!
What country are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We’re from the United States. Overall, metal seems to have taken a backseat here in terms of popularity, but there are still so many amazing bands finding their own way and taking advantage of the industry’s current climate to change what success looks like for bands and artists in this genre.
What is your latest release (Album, EP, Single, Video)?
Our latest release is a single titled Requiem. We featured the incredibly talented Christina Rotondo (Adelyn) on it. The instrumental was all tracked at our home studio while Christina recorded vocals at her place. We were stoked to finally release it as we had been sitting on an incomplete version of it for three or four years!
Who have been your greatest influences?
We’ve had a lot of different influences but I think the one that has stuck around the most is Linkin Park. Not necessarily in how we sound, but with how we approach our songwriting and our attitude towards our music in general. Recently, bands like Monuments, Northlane, and Thornhill have been huge influences when we think about what direction we want to go.
What first got you into music?
When we were younger – I’d say around 12 or 13 – and first discovered heavy music, we were constantly watching music videos of our favourite bands and always really enjoyed how absolutely badass these people looked and the spectacle, imagery, and storytelling that came from their music. Chevelle was a big one alongside Linkin Park. I specifically remember Linkin Park’s video for “Pushing Me Away” and Chevelle’s for “Vitamin R” both inspiring us to start learning how to play guitar and drums. I initially wanted to play drums and Zach wanted to play guitar, but when it came down to it, we ended up swapping!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Collaborating with a current band is too daunting at the moment, but I think another musician we’d love to work with is Jonny Craig. We think he’s an incredible vocalist and would love to feature him on a track one day.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Josh: Probably Wacken! Just because it’s always been my favourite to observe as a fan.
Zach: Honestly, I always thought Ozzfest was a really cool gig!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Fortunately, we’ve never been gifted anything we’d consider weird!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
That you don’t always need a message.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Josh: This one is unfair. There are just so many incredible musicians that have gone too soon. I think if I absolutely had to pick one, I’d say Chester Bennington.
Zach: Yeah, definitely Chester!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Josh: What I most enjoy about being a musician is just having the ability to express my artistic/creative side. It’s an itch that always needs to be scratched and I find if I’m not working out ideas or releasing those ideas out into the world then I start getting restless. What I hate is the constant self-doubt and nit-picking that comes along with creating something. We’re always in a state of self-reflection when it comes to our music and so we’re almost hyper critical of every single thing we do related to Breakthrough Even. When it comes time to release whatever it is we’re working on, it can be extremely difficult to let go as we’re always wanting to make sure it’s the best it could possibly be in that moment.
Zach: Literally what he said.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Zach: The industry? Man, I’m not sure I would change anything. It’s a good time to make music because of how DIY it has become. Yeah, not having a label means the ground work and promotional aspect is harder and can be expensive but I mean independent artists are getting more and more visibility because of the different platforms available and I think that’s cool as fuck.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Josh: Dream Theater’s “Scenes From A Memory” is definitely a top 3 all-time favourite beginning to end. It was my introduction to concept albums, and I remember it absolutely blowing me away. I wouldn’t change a single thing about that album. The music, the production, the story, the artwork, it’s all perfect in my opinion. I also have a huge amount of sentimentality attached to it because it defined a good chunk of my life. I discovered it when I started taking my guitar playing more seriously, and I remember it inspiring me to practice as much as I could and to also learn about recording and mixing.
Zach: Linkin Park’s “Hybrid Theory”. It changed music for me and is timeless. Just a lot there for me personally.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Josh: We both generally hold the same view on this. It’s never really mattered much to me. I think I’m too young to really appreciate cassettes, and even with the resurgence of vinyl’s popularity I haven’t gotten into that either. I still really like CD’s because that’s what I mainly grew up with while getting into music, and I remember there being an inherent value in being able to hold an album in your hands, to look through the liner notes, lyrics, artwork, and being able to more easily appreciate the work that went into all of it. I still dig that. Despite this, at the end of the day streaming is just way more convenient in terms of how accessible it is, and the fact that it’s not taking up a ton of space on a bookshelf or something.
Zach: Streaming is cool and all but there’s just something about opening up a new CD and getting a whiff of that fresh CD case smell. Shit be hitting different.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Our best gig was actually our last one as a full band. It was back in 2018. We opened for All That Remains at The Masquerade here in Atlanta, GA.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Josh: That’s tough. It’s hard to imagine not doing music. Zach and I both do videography work on the side, so I’d probably lean even more into that.
Zach: Yeah, I’d have to save we’d more than likely be leaning into another creative pursuit. Honestly though, I have no idea, that’s probably really bad!
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Zach: 5 people? This is a good question. I legit can’t come up with 5 people I’d desperately want to invite. I guess think of the 5 most famous people and it’d be them. You know…I just want to ask Jeff Bezos what it’s like having a bottomless pit for a bank account and I’d most likely just straight up ask for a cool few mil. Couldn’t hurt, we got music that needs funding.
What’s next for the band?
Zach: We have a playthrough of our latest single on the way, new songs in the works and are hoping to get some content out here soon!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Zach: You can find us on all social media really. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Tumblr!
www.facebook.com/breakthrougheven/
www.breakthrougheven.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/breakthrougheven/
www.twitter.com/breakthroughevn
www.breakthrougheven.tumblr.com/
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Josh: They’re biscuit-sized cakes. I googled it.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
To anyone that supports us or has even given us a listen, THANK YOU! Super grateful. 😊
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