Local band element a440 headed out to Chicago earlier this month eating cold SpaghettiOs and sleeping in a van. The unsigned band was traveling from its hometown of Phoenix to play Oct. 13 in the renowned alternative music festival Gothfest.
Being invited to the festival was an honor for the three-member electro-goth band. The otherworldly international event had unconventional entertainment like suspension — where a person is hung several feet in the air by hooks through back piercings — and industrial, dance and goth music.
"It went really well," singer Halo says, "We got a long set, and I think we did a great job."
A440 is the musical term for the tone that serves as the standard for musical pitch, and the band members say their name doesn't limit them to any genre because they are only an element of sound.
The band has been together since 2003, when the members played their first show at The Hard Rock Café in Phoenix. In 2004 element a440 self-released an album called "Selfish" and has played all over the Southwest promoting the album. But the Gothfest show was the first real tour for the band, Halo says.
Much like artists Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper, the band members use stage names. They say they go by their stage names to avoid retribution because of their religiously offensive music.
The band's sound is called melodic metal, and the lyrics deal with things like the band's distaste for religion, particularly Christianity. For example, the song "Godless" encourages listeners to worship things they can see, rather than things they can't. The music varies between aggressive and passive, with a lot of electronic harmony and distortion.
The band's diverse taste in music encompasses metal band Kitty and rock band Stabbing Westward. Halo says he still loves Pink Floyd and Nine Inch Nails but listens to newer music as well.
Now three years since the release of its first album, element a440 fans have been pining for a new album. Halo says shake-ups in the band have taken some time to get used to.
"We've been through a lot as a band," Halo says. "When we lost our old drummer it really set us back, and when we finally found Kat, it took awhile to adjust."
Now, with bassist Trick and new drummer Katatonic, Halo says the band is ready to get started on its second album. They plan to begin recording in January.
