This Is The Time For Nothing More

Where did these guys come from?!  After hearing them for the very first time last week, and getting the chance to view their music video ("This Is The Time") I was instantly hooked on Nothing More!

"When did we become these sinking stones?

When did we build this broken home?

Holding each other like ransom notes

Dropping our hearts to grip our brother's throat

You can't see because you don't know

You're caught below, beneath your own shadow."

The four piece group consists of:

Jonny Hawkins - Lead Vocals | Daniel Oliver - Bass

Mark Vollelunga - Guitar | Paul OBrien - Drums

"When we first started, we branded ourselves on the arm after each year of touring, so we’ve all got these scars now, reminding us of the commitment we made to each other. We want to be a church for people who don't believe the things that churches believe."

The group released their self titled debut album on June 24th, 2014 via Eleven Seven Music.  Apparently, the label has shown extreme interest in the group and have the intention to keep them around for quite some time.  Well, however long 5 albums (and tours) will take to complete.

"Every 10 years or so, there is a band that sonically and lyrically shakes things up and cuts through the clutter. For true rock fans that moment has arrived with NOTHING MORE. That is why we signed them to a five-albums-guaranteed contract." -Allen Kovac (Eleven Seven Music Group CEO)

1. Ocean Floor
2. This is the Time (Ballast)
3. Christ Copyright
4. Mr. MTV
5. First Punch
6. Gyre
7. The Matthew Effect
8. I'll Be Ok
9. Here's To Heartache
10. If I Were
11. Friendly Fire
12. Sex and Lies
13. Surface Flames
14. Take A Bullet
15. Jenny
16. God went North
17. Pyre

While doing some reading of my own, I noticed that front man Hawkins wasn't initially the first choice for vocals.  It was more of something that he took upon himself to establish his band and their image.  He of course did a fine job and really honed into his own sound that compliments the precision of the band's music.  Billboard conducted an interview with the group and had this to note about Hawkins:

"Hawkins' ability to destroy self-imposed limitations parallels Nothing More's first radio hit, "This Is the Time (Ballast)," which reached No. 4 on the Mainstream Rock chart dated July 12. Its video depicts Hawkins drowning in an ocean as he tries to free himself from a boulder shackled to his ankle. (The exertion wasn't all acting: The rock kept pulling him to the bottom of the pool where the scenes were shot, which he says was rather nerve-wracking.)" -Billboard

You can read the rest of the article here.  While even new to myself, I am rather excited to see where these guys go..if anywhere.  We have to be real and understand that A LOT of hard rock and metal has been over saturated and it takes that much more to get noticed in this specific genre(s).  Let's hope the group is able to rise above this.  Seeing their headlining tour coming in August, as well as an opening slot for Five Finger Death Punch it just might work for them.



Be sure to catch them on their headlining tour (here's the link for the Toronto date) along with Sleepwave (featuring Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath):

Loudwire: Jonny, music can lift an audience and take them to a different place. Emotionally, where does it take you when you’re on stage playing it?

JH: Tough question! It depends on the night and how well we’re playing to be 100 percent honest. I think some nights it’s hard to get your head into the game. But, most nights I think for me personally and the guys, I think it takes us to a — I don’t know what the right word is. A place of inspiration and overcoming, where we usually write a lot of our lyrics and songs out of kind of a darker place in our lives. We’re generally happy people, but I think music has always been an outlet for our struggles in life. So, a lot of our songs revolve around challenging circumstances and music has always given us the strength to overcome those things. So we like to write about that.