10 Horns with Corsair
Pirates have a long and vibrant history. From the ocean raiders of the Aegean in 14th century BC, to the classic buccaneers of the Caribbean, to today's motorboat marauders in the South China Sea, these nautical thieves have endured for generations. Their cutthroat adventures have also provided us with countless hours of entertainment in theater, television, film, novels, comic books and video games. Pirates have even inspired music, including a handful of heavy metal bands who’ve willingly walked the plank.
One of the newest bands to heed the murky call of Davey Jones’ Locker is Corsair, a progressive, adventure metal act from Minneapolis. Their second album, “Horizons,” delivers an energetic and impassioned mix of heavy styles to tell 10 tales of a pirate crew's journey through myth and struggle. The record is full of death-thrashy riffs, core-based breakdowns, monstrous growls and towering melodies, all accented by the sounds of the storied sea.
I talked to Corsair about recording and releasing “Horizons” in a pandemic, telling pirate tales through metal and who in the band has the most convincing pirate accent.
1. Pirate-themed metal is often associated with bands that embrace the silly, fun side of piracy. But Corsair is lot more Black Sails than Pirates of Penzance, with a style that blends death, thrash, melodic metal and more. What inspired you to create pirate music with a heavier, more eclectic approach?
Well, the pirate concept was added on after we had written the music for our first album. The lyrics were even written after we had started recording the songs. We’ve all been heavily influenced by progressive music in general and primarily write what we think sounds cool. The pirate theme honestly just comes from the name “Corsair.”
2. The Corsair website mentions your band originally formed in 2006, disbanded in 2010, then started back up in 2017. What caused the hiatus? And what led to the band's return in 2017?
Corsair was Craig’s high school garage band and once everyone went off to pursue college life, they naturally disbanded. Craig and Jarod started jamming in 2017 and decided to start up a band with Wilson, and just went with the existing name.
3. You're based in Minneapolis. What's the local metal scene like in your city? How has it changed since 2006?
The metal scene is rather diverse. There are quite a few bands covering many different styles of metal music. It has obviously been greatly impacted by the current pandemic, so we’ll have to see how things end up down the line. It’s hard to say from our perspective how things have changed in the greater scene from 2006, since Corsair was just playing local teen centers in the suburbs.
4. Corsair released its first, self-produced album, "Content with the Chaos" in May of 2019 and chased it with a live, in-studio performance of the record in the spring of this year. What was the experience like recording your first album independently?
Oh, it was quite the adventure! It was certainly a learning experience for all of us. Wilson and Craig both went through the audio production program at Hennepin Tech, so they had done recording and mixing projects before. It was Jarod’s first time doing any sort of production. It was very much DIY. Drums were recorded in Jarod’s bedroom. Guitars, vocals and bass were recorded in Craig and Wilson’s homes. The entire mix and master was done by Wilson in his home studio. “Chaos” was recorded before we had really gotten tight as a band, hence the quick release of the live performance follow-up. We wanted to have a snapshot of the songs following a summer full of live shows.
5. Work on your second album, "Horizons" began in the fall of 2019, pretty soon after you dropped your debut, but despite the short time between records, the new LP has a different energy to me. It feels more epic, but also more nuanced and more progressive than its predecessor. The production is also a lot more vibrant. How has the band grown as songwriters and musicians in between albums?
So, while Wilson and Craig were working on finishing “Chaos,” Jarod was bored and started writing new songs. He was in a music theory class at the time and began applying what he was learning, as well as expanding his musical influences to film soundtracks, ambient, pop, rock and progressive bands. The main area of growth for us has been in the process of working out songs and arrangements. We’ve kept a fairly regular practice schedule that has helped facilitate band chemistry.
6. "Horizons" tells tales of a pirate crew's journey. What were some of the ideas and story elements you knew you wanted to capture on this second LP?
One concept that came up early on was the idea of a mutiny. That idea was somewhat implemented in “In the Shadows.” The story really comes from the music. The journey of “Horizons” begins in “Edge of Sky and Sea” with the captain seeking after a distant land that he has heard holds great treasure. Driving the crew hard in “Relinquish” leads to the rumblings of a mutiny forming, but that is interrupted by the arrival on shore in “Mirage.” The adventure continues on from there.
7. There are some great standout moments on "Horizons" that really strike me when I listen to the record. That loopy, playful part five minutes into "The Collapse," for example. And that hopeful, siren guitar on "The Far Horizon," really raises my sails (pun intended). What are some of your personal favorite moments on "Horizons" and why?
Jarod is quite the fan of the guitar solo in “In the Shadows” and its emotional impact. “It combines the best of both worlds of metal and ambient music. It really gets me going.”
Wilson really enjoys the layers of production put into the epic ending of “The Far Horizon.” “Because it’s musically dense and yet pleasing to listen to.”
Craig loves the vocal delay in “Whispered Fate” (specifically the line “to the end”) and the vocal hold on the line “…of strife” into the breakdown hit in “The Far Horizon.” “The textures in the vocals are just so tasty.”
Corsair (from l to r): Jarod Edwards on drums, Wilson Reinke on bass, and Craig Sorenson on guitars and vocals.
Honestly, the pandemic actually helped with the production of “Horizons.” Since all of our live show plans were cancelled over the summer, we could focus on really polishing the album (especially since we were producing it ourselves again). Thankfully, we are also technically savvy and had the resources to do a number of livestream performances via YouTube and Twitch. We have started producing more video content in order to stay connected with our existing fanbase and continue to expand it.
9. In 2020, Corsair joined the Here4LYF family alongside other bands to bring mental health awareness to the Minneapolis area. How did you get involved with Here4LYF and what does the cause mean to you?It was kind of a fluke that we crossed paths with Here4LYF. In August of 2019, Here4LYF was organizing a show at The Amsterdam in St. Paul and had a band drop off the show. Needing to fill the spot they reached out to Catalyst Music and we were recommended. Malcom was impressed by our set and started a conversation from there.
Mental health issues are something we have all had first-hand experience with and believe community is a huge part of dealing with some of those issues. Coming together with other like-minded musicians is a special thing.
10. Last question. I just gotta ask... who in the band does the best, most convincing pirate accent?Jarod: “Guarantee it isn’t me.”
Wilson: “Yar mateys.”
Craig: “YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!”
To donate to Here4LYF visit https://here4lyf.com.
To find out more about Corsair visit the band’s website at https://www.corsair.band.
Corsair Media Pages:
Spotify
Soundcloud
Youtube
John saw it "rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." (Revelation 13:1)
Send 10 HORNS inquiries to Markisan at markisan@metalheadspodcast.com