In the modern world where music is constantly coming at you from all directions, the success or lack of for a new album can be as simple as choosing the correct marketing strategy.
While there are the obvious tried and true methods, some bands also look outside of the box and their comfort zone by trying new things to capture fans attention.
American rockers Nothing More have done just that and more for their sixth album, Spirits, which comes out on October 14.
In tying in with the album title, Nothing More designed and constructed an on-line Spirits test whereby participants answer questions about various moods and situations on a sliding scale basically from strongly agree to strongly disagree.
These answers are collated and depending on your responses you are given your Spirit Type which in turn translates to the graphic novel also being produced by the band.
It is an interesting and novel approach to generating interest surrounding the release and one which allows even the casual fan to become embroiled in the world of Nothing More.
HEAVY caught up with bass player and backing vocalist Daniel Oliver to find out more.
"Relieved", he offered when asked how it feels to have the album finally coming out. "Releasing an album really starts a new chapter of a band and for this last chapter to be during COVID and the world shutting down it was so long and so much stress and drama. We're pumped to be on the road again now and we're so stoked to be starting this next chapter of our career."
The press release calls Spirits Nothin More's most focussed, adventurous and intense work to date. Is this statement something that Oliver agrees with?
"Yeah, I think so," he measured. "This album is quite a bit heavier than the last one and as far as the soundscapes go I feel like there's a lot more epic tales on this record. When you go into writing a record you never really know what's going to happen on the other side, and on the other side of this one I think there were four six minute songs that are these awesome, epic, long tales. We were stoked to see those guys come around. Song writing is like fishing (laughs)."
In the full interview, Daniel talks more about the sonic direction of Spirits, the writing process, the extended version of Tired Of Winning and how it differs to the original, the Spirits test and where the idea came from, the graphic novel and what to expect, the infamous scorpion tail used in live shows and where the idea came from and more.