After more than 20 years as a band, British metal act Turin wanted to try something new and push the boundaries of what the band had previously explored. The result is the magnetic The Unforgiving Reality in Nothing– a powerful blend of deathcore and death metal with elements of symphonic arrangements and melody that challenged Turin to prioritize memorable moments over technicality. 

On the cusp of the album’s release on July 12, the band discusses the affect of COVID, signing to MNRK Heavy, and its relentless devotion to always pushing forward. 

There’s no denying that COVID has had a lasting impression on the music industry. From live music performances being cancelled to venues permanently shutting down, lockdowns across the world stifled the livelihood of musicians. 

Luckily for British metal act Turin, the pandemic didn’t stifle creativity. In fact, it had the opposite effect. COVID forced the band to take a step back and reevaluate the direction it wanted to take. 

Wanting to embrace something different and push creative boundaries, a new perspective was just what the band needed to bring in new ideas as a collective. “We got to really dig in and try something a little bit different and really work together as a unit instead of how we used to do it, which is a bit more isolated,” explains bassist James Kinnear. 

Last year was a pivotal time for Turin. With just a handful of demos before the idea for an album occurred, the quintet signed to MNRK Heavy– an influential record label in the metal scene that includes a roster of renowned artists such as Crowbar, Black Label Society, Underoath, and High on Fire. 

Signing the contract on the side of a van while on tour wasn’t glamorous, but it was a poignant moment for drummer Ben Adcroft. He had always wanted to be signed to a label, and now the opportunity arose with a band he joined in 2017.

“It’s just one of the best feelings in the world. You’ve achieved something that you’ve always wanted to get your entire life since you’ve been a young kid with your best mates, so yeah, it’s one of the best feelings ever,” Adcroft remarks. 

With an opportunity to shine a bigger spotlight on new work, they felt the pressure on themselves to deliver something truly memorable and veer outside of the technical deathcore and death metal output the band had previously created. 

“Especially when we got the deal with MNRK, we really wanted to show other people and ourselves what we are capable of,” explains Adcroft, adding that the label was “trying to push us and get the best out of us.” 

Lewis Johns- who assisted with producing and mixing The Unforgiving Reality in Nothing and was Turin’s gateway to MNRK- became a large influence on the album’s final form. When Kinnear received the produced demos back from Johns for the title track and “Hopeless Solutions,” he realized that it was exactly the sound the band wanted, and he immediately knew that Johns was the right producer for the job.

The track listing also received important input from Johns. When Johns suggested a different order for the tracks, the band couldn’t believe how well the songs flowed together. “We were just blown away with how everything from start to finish feels like a soundtrack that just flows through right to the end,” Adcroft says. 

The Unforgiving Reality in Nothing, which is an acronym for the band’s name, was made to have less of an emphasis on being technical. There’s still relentlessly punishing rhythms, and layers of harsh vocals, but with a melodic element that was purposefully implemented to add a touch of something new- and if there are some earworms, that’s great too. 

According to Adcroft, the band was “concentrating on actually writing memorable songs rather than your typical sort of death core, death metal, technical kind of stuff.”

Bands that combine the beauty of melody and the heavy dissonance of riffs and raw vocals -like Loathe, Deftones, and Whitechapel- have made their lasting impression on the members of Turin. Since COVID, the UK metal scene has also morphed into a diverse source of inspiration.

“Before COVID, everyone was kind of quite similar, everyone was going down similar paths, sounding quite similar, and now everyone seems to have got this real unique flair and is out doing their own thing, which is great. I think this time next year, there will be even more of that, and I think the UK metal scene will be back on its feet,” says Kinnear. 

With the European metal scene still going strong, the group hopes to one day play at revered festivals like Download, Hellfest, or Wacken to welcome as many people as possible to Turin’s ever-changing sound. 

Kinnear also aims to already be preparing for the release cycle of another full-length album or an EP. Whatever Turin does next, it definitely won’t be the same as before.