NOMAD – Five Questions With

Nomad shares their album, The Mountain

Hailing from Canada’s Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Nomad is a dynamic, progressive death metal band consisting of drummer/vocalist Bretton Melanson; guitarist/vocalist Matt Johnstone; guitarist/vocalist Jeff Mabb; and bassist Josh MacDonald. Having three vocalists creates a unique sound that is powerful, complex, and full-bodied. They have solidified their name in the local scene with festival appearances and supporting big-name acts, and now they are stoked to have their debut album, The Mountain, ready for ears around the world.

They share their excitement for the release:

“This has been a long time coming. After so many external factors holding us back, we are so happy to finally get this out to the world and start crushing audiences again. I think we have a more “Rural” feel than most metal bands. The music feels like being in nature, camping, etc. Johnstone’s old band called themselves “Bush Metal,” and that kind of feeling came over.”

Throughout the album, they confront personal and societal issues, explore sci-fi worlds and question authority. They seamlessly go from soft, clean ballad parts to raging, full-throttle death metal chaos. Drum and guitar solos abound, and the diversity in the vocal styles makes “The Mountain” an exciting and dynamic musical adventure.

The nine-track album was mixed by Bretton Melanson, mastered by Christian Donaldson, and the album artwork was done by Angela Grimmuza. A melting pot of different styles and eras, Nomad is recommended for Devildriver, Gojira, and Lamb of God fans.

Listen to The Mountain below and learn more about Nomad via our Five Questions With segment.

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello, we’re Nomad, a metal band from the North Okanagan in BC.

Tell us a bit about your most recent release.

We’ve just released the first single, “Burning Alive,” off our debut album, The Mountain. It’s the album opener, a nice straightforward rockin’ track to get people hyped for the full album. It was titled based on how ridiculously hot it was in our first jam space in the summer, the lyrics were added to decry the carless ignition of forest fires.

Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?

Ooh, all over the place. We’re one of those bands that you either put a million subgenre-prefixes in front of metal, or just say “metal.” We like to change things up and hit things from many different angles. Include bits of something chill, something groovy, something super extreme, you name it.

Do you have any upcoming shows or festivals you’d like to tell us about?

We’ll be looking to play a number of shows this spring and summer to bring the Album to audiences in its live form. Nothing specific we can announce yet.

What’s your goal for 2022?

Put our music in as many ears as we can.

Connect with Nomad:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram

Jenna Melanson

I’m Jenna, the founder and editor of Canadian Beats. I have had a strong love for Canadian music, which started many years ago. I have a passion for promoting these talented Canadian bands and artists, and that’s how Canadian Beats came to be.

Canadian Beats has grown to become more than media, and what a journey it’s been.