Formed by Johnny Stewart in 2020, Pillars of a Twisted City return with Sentinel, the follow-up to their self-titled debut. The sophomore album still harnesses aspects of black and thrash metal but dives more into post-punk and gothic elements with beautiful atmospheric moments scattered throughout.
Inspired by time spent in the Pacific Northwest, Stewart composed Sentinel in Tofino, Canada, and tracked many of the instruments in an isolated floating studio in Clayoquot Sound. This beautiful backdrop influenced a lot of the sound and direction of the record as Stewart explains, “Thematically the isolation upon the ocean with only eagles, orcas, and meteorites inspired creative sounds. The songs came out naturally with additional influence and inspiration from events around us in the world over the last few years.”
Sentinel also finds Stewart incorporating banjo, accordion, and classical nylon string guitar into his compositions. The recording of these more exotic instruments took place in the aforementioned floating studio, housed in a shipment container entitled Sentinel, thus also serving as the inspiration for the album title.
Finally, Stewart states, “The goals of this band are to push boundaries, explore new sounds, and write good songs. Pillars of a Twisted city is an artistic collaboration celebrating freedom of creativity, removing consumer pressure, and concentrating on unique recording and songwriting experiences.”
Name:
Pillars of a Twisted City
Genre:
Post-punk/blackened thrash metal/Shoegaze
Latest album:
Sentinel
Latest single:
Subatomic Love
Latest video:
Favourite musician growing up:
Jello Biafra( Dead Kennedys)
Favourite musician now:
I love Link Wray
Guilty pleasure song:
I have to say that it’s Britney Spears, toxic
Live show ritual:
Soundcheck, two games of pool, One shot of tequila, and play.
Favourite local musician:
Sarah McLachlan
EP or LP?:
I don’t know, both have value, and both are great in this digital landscape.
Early bird or night owl?:
Early bird for surfing, Night owl when rocking.
Road or Studio?
Toured a lot of years back, so at this point, I would say Studio.
Any shows or albums coming up?:
Pillars Of A Twisted City album was released on October 14. I want to promote that.
Where can we follow you?
***
Rapid Fire Vancouver Qs
Favourite local restaurant:
Sula Indian
Favourite street in my city:
Main st. It’s out my front door.
Favourite park in your city:
Spanish banks
Favourite music venue:
Commodore Ballroom
Favourite music store:
Red cat records for buying music.
Rufus for buying instruments.
