A uniquely enigmatic artist, Olēka is one of those rare newcomers whose social media pages aren’t filled with shameless self-promotion or self-indulgent biographies. Instead, they’re open spaces where the music takes centre stage in a refreshingly authentic way.
Recently, Olēka released their debut EP, simply titled ‘Driftwood’, and while is a searing slice of melodic groove metal that defiantly stands on its own two feet, pulling no punches and taking no prisoners, we wanted to know a bit more about the band behind it.
Thank you for this opportunity, it’s great to have the chance to learn a bit more about you and the EP. Let’s dive right in with ‘Driftwood’, can you tell us a bit about it?
“Olēka's Driftwood is the product of three years of on and off writing. We aimed to make the EP lyrically very potent with subjects like addiction, the death of loved ones, missing home and the current state of the rat race of capitalism. We wanted every song to have its own special little part that set it apart from the rest of the other tracks while maintaining a signature sound.”
Where does a release like that start? How did it all come together?
“It usually starts with just merely doodling around on my fretboard and I'll find a combination of notes or rhythms that snowball into a full riff very quickly. Often my best ideas (especially lyrically) come in the wee hours of the morning or just before I drift to sleep. Me darting to my guitar or computer to write some lyrics is extremely common.”
When you’re tackling some heavy themes in your songs, what’s the most important thing for you?
“I'd have to say it’s to make the emotion we want to convey with that song whatever that may be. We aim to be very intentional with the songs message and contents.”
How did you guys start as a band, where did it all begin for you?
“I bought my first guitar at the tender age of thirteen after watching my best friend play ‘Crazy Train’ on his guitar. I knew after that I wanted it to be a part of my life. Still playing seventeen years later!”
The new EP has obviously been a long time coming, how would you describe its main sound?
“Overall, I'd absolutely describe our sound as groove metal at heart with some melodic death metal beats here and there.”
What inspired you find that sound, who have you been listening to?
“Lamb of God has to be our main influence as it’s what we grew up on. In Flames and Chimaira have also played heavy influence.”
The big question then, what’s next for Olēka?
“Gigging and continuing to release new media to keep up momentum is absolutely our main goal.”
I know your journey as a band is just beginning, but what has been your greatest moment as an artist so far?
“Getting the EP ‘Driftwood’ back fully mixed and mastered was a truly moving moment.”
Finally, before we let you get back to the music, is there anything you would like to say to our audience?
“We sincerely hope you enjoy Olēka's EP ‘Driftwood’ as much as we enjoyed making it and sharing our labour of love. Expect more from us soon as we are busy tinkering away with exciting new offerings (and music of course!) Stay metal folks and we look forward to you enjoying what we have in store. The whole EP is available for your listening pleasure.”
A titanic release that showcases the visceral sound that Olēka have crafted, ‘Driftwood’ is an EP that well and truly deserves to be heard. You can stream lead single ‘Pulse’ above alongside it’s official music video, or you can head over to Spotify and Bandcamp where the EP is streaming in full.
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