OMÊKA interview

Hi! What does the band title represent for you as a band, and how does it capture the essence of the band’s sound and mission?

There's no special meaning behind our band name. We just needed a new one! We think it suits us well.

Moving from 'Fall of Them' to OMÊKA must have been a significant shift. In what ways did that transition push you to explore new creative possibilities or break away from past patterns?

From the beginning of Fall of Them our sound was different and over time we started transitioning towards a different style. After several band member changes it felt right to upgrade our name and start fresh.

When creating a song together, what does the collaboration process look like in the band? Is there one person who typically drives the idea, or do you all bring pieces that come together organically?

One of our guitarists will bring an entire song to us. We'll listen, learn and jam it and then start picking it apart to see what works and what doesn't. The rest of us wil add our own little ideas, but for the most part the songs don't change too much overall.

How has being part of OMÊKA influenced your personal growth, both as musicians and as individuals? Have there been any realizations or shifts in how you approach music or life since the band’s formation?

For most of us we'd been in other bands previously and some of those bands had played some big international support slots so we're already pretty well accustomed to the lifestyle. We all approach music with an open mind and understanding that each individual has their own influences.

What have been some of the most defining struggles for OMÊKA, and how did they shape the way you move forward as a group?

Losing band members as we transitioned over to our new and current name put the future of the band in question, but we're lucky to have found some great musicians who have stepped up for us to allow us to continue on.

Being based in New Zealand, how do you feel the culture and landscapes of your homeland influence your music – whether through the sound, themes, or your approach to songwriting?

We're proud to be a metal band based in New Zealand, but we don't incorporate any of the culture into our music.

The lyrics in your songs often explore deep themes like isolation. How do these themes speak to your own experiences, and do they reflect a broader commentary on the world around you?

We leave the lyrics to mostly be written by our vocalist. Sometimes they just draw on fiction more than anything, but of course the everyday struggles of life are an easy topic to source inspiration from.

Collaboration with Koert Wegman: How did you approach the collaboration with Koert Wegman, and what did he bring to the table that you couldn't have achieved on your own?

Koert is from a fantastic New Zealand band called Pull Down The Sun. We have been lucky to play many shows with them around the country. We had a chorus written for our song Hikikomori that needed some clean singing. We asked if he'd be keen on providing the vocals and luckily he said yes.

Are there any sounds or ideas you're especially interested in delving into for your next project?

We have several other songs recorded already that don't sound like the songs we've put out. Each song we come up with sounds quite different from the previous one when it comes to the metal genre. They range from fast to slow, death metal to groove, melodic to thrash. Just a large melting pot of heavy metal inspiration!

The landscape of the music industry has shifted drastically in the digital age. How have these changes affected your approach to releasing music or connecting with your audience in new ways?

It's a tough wall to break through. We definitely need to step up our social media presence in order to connect to new people so we can grow our audience. Locally we feel that if you come to see us play live you'll leave a fan. But growing our audience digitally is a challenge and does require spending money. It's just the age we live in and we have to accept that and hope our music finds its way to someone new.

When people listen to your music, what do you want them to walk away with? Is there a particular message or emotion you're hoping to evoke through your music, whether in the lyrics or the overall sound?

We just want people to leave with a catchy melody, a riff that hooks you or a vocal presence that sticks in your head making the listener come back for more.

Can you recall a specific moment in the creation of one of your tracks where the song evolved unexpectedly, and what started as one idea turned into something completely different?

For the most part all of our songs have stayed true to their original incarnation. One in particular went through multiple rewrites with different outros until we landed on something that suited the overall feel of the song.

"Hikikomori" touches on themes of isolation, which resonate with many today. How do you see your music responding to societal changes or challenges, and does it reflect your thoughts on the world’s current state?

That song in particular is based on a culture quite prevalent in Japan and we found the topic quite interesting. It can definitely reflect the state of a lot of people all around the world today stuck in a similar situation. It made for a great song topic and perhaps people can relate to it in ways and preferably draw something positive from it

Looking ahead, where do you see OMÊKA in the next few years?

We have enough music to put together a full length release so with any luck we'll have our first album out in the next few years. We also recorded an EP of songs with our previous vocalist that we've slowly been putting new vocals to and releasing as singles. Perhaps we'll complete those and put an EP as well.

https://linktr.ee/omekaband