When a band has two members dedicated to “theatrics” and builds a narrative around a serial killer, you can guarantee we’ll be intrigued. And British shock rockers Ward XVI don’t disappoint with a diverse, dark and moody metal sound that they describe as “mad, eclectic and innovative.”
The Preston collective started out in 2013 but got their big break around the release of their debut album The Art of Manipulation in 2017, which coincided with winning the Bloodstock Metal To The Masses competition. They were invited back to play Bloodstock again after the release of their second album, Metamorphosis, which saw them “step the show up another level.” And, after plenty of member changes over the years, the settled lineup of Psychoberrie (vocals, programming, keyboards and synth), Doktor Von Stottenstein (guitars and vocals), Wolfy Huntsman (bass and vocals), Bam Bam Bedlam (drums), Rico Rameres (vocals and theatrics) and Nurse Betty (theatrics) is fully committed and on the same page.
On the sound they’ve crafted, Psychoberrie explained: “I guess if you could put ADHD into an album, this would be it because our sound always changes, sometimes many times within the same song. We are a theatre band, we’re telling a story and the music is reflective of the mood of the main character in the story. So where it needs to be dark and moody it is, and where it needs to be erratic it is.
“We do bring a classic rock element to our music that I feel is missing a lot nowadays. Bands either sound like the old bands or they’ve completely moved away from it whereas we sound modern but we’ve still got more classic sounding clean vocals and the Dok provides some really eloquently crafted solos, especially on this album.”
That’s culminated in Ward XVI’s third album Id3ntity, which will be released in July, and our first taste of that is Blood Is The New Black, which was released today (4 April). It opens up with pulsing synth sounds that continue under stabs of guitar that gradually build pace before a scream of “blood is the new black” gives way to a cool synth over lively guitars and drums. The pace drops with vocals supported by stabs of guitar through the opening verse, developing into faster vocals and piercing synths building up to a chorus of “The Asylum must fall, And the Doctor must die.”
The pace drops after a second chorus with chilled guitars and synth stabs under laid-back vocals, which ends with heavy screamed vocals as Rico’s vocals take over. The intensity builds as Psychoberrie’s vocals return “Let the walls come down, Inmates free to raid the town, Paint our faces like motherfucking Beetlejuice clowns, I release you from your cells, Now go raise hell and pay it back, Time to paint this town red, Because blood is the new black.” That tees up a wild conclusion of fun synths and various vocal elements.
On the track, Psychoberrie told us: “We’ve pushed boundaries with this next album and this song is one we’re really proud and excited to release as the new era of Ward XVI. We’ve moved with the times; it’s electronic with a big dub-step djent-style breakdown in the middle. Those who have heard it so far have said this is the best song they’ve heard from us, and this is just a taster of what’s to come with the whole album.”
And on what to expect from the upcoming album, Psychoberrie explained: “The last album was about Psychoberrie transitioning from innocence to her first kill, which was somewhat justifiable in the circumstances. So it was very dark with lots of long buildups, but with this new album she is a fully fledged killer. It’s full of angst and revenge. It’s a much harder-hitting album, much heavier in places, but it still dips and dives into other genres throughout the entire album.”
The Ward XVI sound has been influenced by a wide range of artists from Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper and Skindred to Diablo Swing Orchestra and Electric Callboy. The band members’ time of life has also had an impact, as they tell us that the Frozen soundtrack and Cbeebies have managed to creep into their latest album.
On what inspires their music, Psychoberrie told us: “This is the third installment in a trilogy of concept albums about a female serial killer. In the first album, we explored her manipulative side, she manipulates a man to commit murder on her behalf. On the second album, we go back to her beginning and find out why she became the twisted personality that we met in the first album. You empathise with her on this album.
“So the third album bridges the gap between the two. She’s spent some time in an asylum for the criminally insane and is released with a new identity, hence the title Id3ntity. We have interludes on each of the albums, which are tape recorded interviews with Psychoberrie, so that’s the timeline that we’re following; it’s the order in which he asks her the questions. So in order to decide what the topic is that we’re writing about, I just need to ask myself ‘what would he ask her next?'”
Ward XVI’s third album Id3ntity will be released on 11 July. In the build-up to that, the band will be unleashing their new live show with gigs at The Royal Hotel for Whitby Goth Weekend on 26 April, a headline set at Breaking Bands on 25 May, and an album launch show at Manchester Academy 2 on 25 July (tickets are here). They’ll also be doing a full UK tour later in the year and will be playing festivals, including NWOCR LiveFest 4 on 27 September.
Psychoberrie added: “We really embrace our fanbase, we want them to be a part of the band and a part of the show. We’ve a couple of new videos coming out which our Certified Inmates have been a part of. It was a hard couple of days getting these two videos shot in one go, but I’m so glad they got to be a part of it. It looks great with everybody in their boiler suits.
“We will open up the certified Inmates packages again at some point in the nearish future, but until then we have a Facebook group, The Inmates of Ward XVI, which anyone can join and become a part of the band. We are hugely grateful for the support our Inmates give so I just want to say a huge thank you to all of them and hopefully welcome on board a few more.”
You can follow Ward XVI on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
Image credit: Christopher A. Maher
GigRadar 
Leave a comment