Citadel
Photo Credit - Nick Hargans
Brisbane progressive-metal band Citadel have released their second single, ‘Parasyte’. A cathartic and stirring track, that details the harrowing slew of emotions guitarist Nat Patterson dealt with during the ending of his engagement, coinciding with the death of a close family member and it is just the begining of the journey for this charismatic Australian band. We threw some questions at band members Nat and Russell to find out more about the formation of Citadel, the new music they are delivering including ‘Parasyte’ and the music that has shaped their lives.
For those that haven’t heard Citadel's music before, how do you describe your sound?
Nat: We like to describe our sound as BIG - big choruses, big riffs, and big breakdowns. We think there is something for everyone; strong, catchy melodies combined with heavy instrumentals, polarised by delicate moments of respite.
You have just released your second single 'Parasyte'. Tell us about your new song? What does the song mean to you?
Nat: Parasyte is an emotional one. It tackles a really dark time in my life - the end of my engagement and the death of a close family member. I wrote this song when I couldn’t find the words to say out loud, and for that it really does mean a lot to me. It's the most real and honest I’ve been in a song before.
'Parasyte' has an accompanying Video. Who came up with the concept for the video? Any memorable moments during the making of it?
Russell: Early on we shared the song with a friend of ours, and they shared some strong imagery that came to their mind. We workshopped the idea within the band, and came to Nick (Hargans, director) who helped us flesh out the story. It is filmed in the same location as our previous video ‘Sundered Souls’, which we feel works nicely.
At one stage of the video I have ‘wine’ poured over my face, which was actually pomegranate juice and it went all up my nose and burned for at least 30 minutes. I will never forgive pomegranates for this.
“we have a lot more coming”
Can we expect a Citadel EP or LP out soon?
Russell: Absolutely, we have a lot more coming… but we don’t want to show our hand too soon. We’ve been working on this since October 2020, so you’d hope we have more than a couple of singles, right?
You were all in other bands before joining forces to create Citadel, how did the formation come about?
Russell: Three of us were previously involved in another project that didn’t quite make it off the ground (Hemwick Lane, you can check it out on Spotify). We all decided that wasn’t our vibe, but we all enjoyed hanging and working together. Nat had just started writing some new instrumentals which he offered for us to take a look at, so it was a natural progression to do another project together. Once we found Dane everything clicked into place and Citadel was born.
Nat: We all knew each other, or knew of each other, through each of our previous bands, so it was easy to break the ice and get straight to work. We spent a good chunk of 2020 and the first half of 2021 working and reworking the songs to try and get them to a place we were stoked on.
Has there been any backlash from the fans of your previous bands or are they just as supportive of the new venture?
Nat: The feedback so far has been nothing but positive, which we are super happy with. At this level I’d consider all the “fans” of my old bands my friends, and they’ve all been stoked on the songs so far.
“We don’t lock anything in until everyone is happy so we make sure everyone’s voice is heard and considered. Some might say it’s democracy manifest.”
What does the writing /creative process entail for the band?
Russell: Nat obsessively writes instrumentals when he is in the mood (that mood is being depressed). From there we look over them collaboratively and flesh out ideas for the instrumentals. Once we’re happy with those we work on the vocals together. We don’t lock anything in until everyone is happy so we make sure everyone’s voice is heard and considered. Some might say it’s democracy manifest.
Do you play a part in the production side of your music?
Nat: I prepro all the instrumentals at home, but I have a very limited skill set so a lot of the songs really come together once we are all working together in the studio.
Who do you credit as your musical influences?
Nat: Most recently would be Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Loathe, and Holding Absence. I also try and take influence from bands outside our genre like The Naked and Famous.
Russell: Sleep Token is one of my primary influences at the moment as well. We all fell in love with them at the same time, and they inspired us to maintain a level of thoughtfulness when writing. After that, Dayseeker, Joji, and Jimmy Eat World are probably the next most influential on me for the last few years.
“It has become a little cliche to say it, but Linkin Park’s “Hybrid Theory” really was a defining record for me”
What was the first album or song you remember buying that impacted your life?
Russell: The first time I bought music I bought 2 albums: Avril Lavigne’s “Let Go”, and Eminem’s “Curtain Call”. I honestly don’t think about these albums too often anymore, but Eminem is one of the greatest rappers of all time, and that Avril album is timeless. It wasn’t until getting onto things like Memphis May Fire’s “Between the Lies” EP and Breaking Benjamin’s “Dear Agony” that I found music that started to shape me as as a vocalist.
Nat: Similar to Russell, I also bought 2 albums the first time I purchased music. Coheed & Cambria’s “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth”, and Green Day’s “American Idiot”. I’m not really a big Green Day fan to be honest, but I can trace my mental and emotional descent back to that Coheed & Cambria album for sure. It has become a little cliche to say it, but Linkin Park’s “Hybrid Theory” really was a defining record for me, and then the follow-up with “Reanimation”, especially the remixed version of ‘Crawling’, had a huge impact.
Where was your first gig as Citadel? Was it a success or flop?
Russell: Our first show was at The Zoo in Brisbane supporting Red Hook and The Dead Love, and it was sick! The vibes were off the charts; the members of both bands were some of the nicest people we’ve ever played with, both crazy good bands, and the hangs were great.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
Nat: I would shout out Julie, Russell’s wife, who has done a heap of work behind the scenes to help hone our imagery, videos, and general aesthetic. She’s an absolute legend, and we really would have struggled without her input and talent while gearing up to launch the band.
Russell: Yeah, Julie has been very gracious with the amount of time she’s put into Citadel. We should also shout out Nick Hargans who has been doing all our visuals so far, and we love working with him so will probably continue to do so into the future. He’s a lot of fun to work with, and pretty much as low maintenance as you can get.
Where to from here for Citadel? What's next for the band?
Nat: We’ve got a few more songs we’re hoping to have out by the end of the year, and have some sick shows lined up for the near future. After that, international festivals, maybe an ARIA or two, and billions of streams … or you know, something along those lines.
SINGLE: STREAM HERE
VIDEO: WATCH HERE
CITADEL ‘PARASYTE’ RELEASE SHOWS
Sat July 2nd Greaser Bar Brisbane
With Semantics, Bad Neighbour, Drastic Park & more
Thurs July 14th The Zoo Brisbane
With Glass Tides, Shangrila & Grizzlyshark
Sun Aug 21st The Triffid Brisbane
With Voyager, Acolyte, The Stranger & more
Single Art - Jacob Hickman
Interview by Michelle Symes
July 2022