Metalcore band Third & Delaware unleash one of their most heavily expressive tracks of date after their Generations EP, "Schemas."
Dallas, Texas metalcore band Third & Delaware was a side project founded in 2017 by guitarist Revin Wade. Working in another band previously, he wanted to form a band in which his contribution would combine ambient and heavy elements. He would leave this previous project with more ambitious and expressive goals in mind. Since 2021, Third & Delaware have established their first organized lineup. With a background in mental state counseling, alongside Richy's passion for mental well-being, the two would craft a collective message that would be imbued throughout their music: "Finding your solace."
"Schemas" was one of the first tracks we wrote after the Generations EP was released. I believe the most important lesson we learned from the writing process was the two-edged sword of perfectionism. With the pandemic halting our live game, which is an essential element of building a local fandom, we took the time to fully refine our craft and compose something we were proud of.
Emerging metalcore act, Third & Delaware's new song, "Schemas," is an eclectic combination of massively opulent sounds that successfully portrays who they are as a band. With inspirations ranging from Currents, Dayseeker, Polaris, Landmvrks, Aviana, Imminence, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Bullet For My Valentine, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi the band is dissonant in their approach to the genre. "Schemas" takes creative motivations from one of the biggest metalcore heavy-hitters in the scene, Currents 2017's album The Place I Feel Safest, as Third & Delaware artfully detail their own aggressive and melodic guise onto their new single. One of the first songs they wrote after their Generations EP, it provided them with the most beneficial learning experience in their creative journey as a band. While the band is still relatively new to the scene, "Schemas" demonstrates that the best learning experiences sometimes produce explosive rewards.
What started Third & Delaware? What made you guys want to start doing music?
Richy Xiong (vocalist) : Revin, our guitarist, established Third & Delaware as a side project in 2017. He wanted to form a band in which he could use both his ambient fills and strong riffs. The original vocalist had moved to another state after a year with their initial good lineup. I knew the drummer at the time via a mutual buddy (thanks, Des! ), and I was thrown in as the new vocalist right away. I can't speak for the others, but the reason I began studying music is rather amusing.
For whatever reason, witnessing Richie Sambora play a triple neck guitar at Wembley Stadium on YouTube was the best thing in the world to a 12-year-old me, and I was getting too good at Guitar Hero. So I took out the old acoustic guitar from the garage with TERRIBLE action, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, and taught myself how to play. During this time, I also began to perform in front of an audience, participating in school talent events and singing in middle school musicals. I played the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera when I was 13.
There is a vast aggressive palette that seems to surround these softer elements that execute the sound that is Third & Delaware. What are your musical influences and how did that affect the new single, "Schemas"?
Richy Xiong (vocalist): Rory from Dayseeker, Jamie from Polaris, Flo from Landmvrks, Joel from Aviana, and Eddie from Imminence are some of my most recent influences. Howard from Killswitch Engage, Phil from All That Remains, Matt from Bullet For My Valentine, Joe from Def Leppard, and of course Richie from Bon Jovi are some of my musical influences.
Whether it's a clear falsetto paired with a gritty chest voice, a powerful lyric writing ability with an anthemic sense of melody, or a powerful mix voice with a cutting mid-false chord scream (or all 6, calling out Rory altogether), I believe the most talented vocalists have many weapons in their arsenal to not only shape whatever emotion they want out of any part of any song but also showcase their ability and message.
The song "Schemas" was heavily influenced by a single from Currents' 2017 album. We try to have a lot of variety in our songs as a band. There is no "heavy" without "soft", no "brutal" without "calm". That is the primary reason for the abundance of peaks and valleys within our music. Not just our recently released tracks, but also the tracks to come.
What was the creative process going into this like? How was it different from "Pardon The Sun" and the "Generations" EP you worked on in the past?
Richy Xiong (vocalist): When I joined the band in the middle of 2018, "Pardon The Sun" and the instrumentals for the Generations EP had already been written and produced. When I first joined the band, my immediate task was to compose and record vocals for Generations in two weeks for release, as well as prepare for a brief tour in support of it. Because this was my first metal project, it was a fantastic challenge for me. I recall sitting in my college cafeteria between lectures and labs, brainstorming lyric and melody ideas.
It was difficult not just because of the time constraints, but also because I had never recorded in a professional studio before. I had only composed a few original songs up until that point. Before the band, I used to perform covers at parties, weddings, and nursing homes. As a result, I'd never needed to create many new songs because wedding guests preferred Ed Sheeran to my creations.
The process was probably pretty similar to ours now: the band member sketches up an awesome riff, and the band works piece by piece, rewrite after rewrite, to make a song out of it. Having my input on the instrumental material helps me feel more connected to it as a whole, as I suppose it would for any vocalist. " Mayflower," our forthcoming song, is my personal favorite of anything I've ever written, both lyrically and melodically.
What have you taken from this experience moving forward? I feel every artist has something personal they always take into each recording process. It may not be anything monumental, but it shapes who you are and who you are as an artist moving forward.
Richy Xiong (vocalist): "Schemas" was one of the first tracks we wrote after the Generations EP was released. I believe the most important lesson we learned from the writing process was the two-edged sword of perfectionism. With the pandemic halting our live game, which is an essential element of building a local fandom, we took the time to fully refine our craft and compose something we were proud of. On the other hand, it took four years to release the song when it might have been done in less than three. With socially distant studio sessions becoming accessible again once the epidemic had subsided following the initial major hit, "Schemas" began to teach us the lesson of whether we should invest the time perfecting/changing/tweaking a part of a song, or moving on to another.
Is "Schemas" a part of a larger release? If so, how is this single fitting into the general narrative of what's to come?
Richy Xiong (vocalist): We are currently focused primarily on single releases. We have a collection of songs that we could release as an EP, but we feel that releasing them as singles helps us not only fine-tune the remaining songs but also construct a campaign around the singles that are presently available. It gives us more opportunities to engage our audience and supporters. Why have one merch giveaway for an EP when you can have several freebies for single releases?
This collection of songs is based on an occurrence that occurred in my life in 2019. My writing is largely metaphorical, focusing on the feelings and realizations felt during and after the experience rather than the event itself. The significance will stay with me for the rest of my life, and we will eventually include each of these songs into a collective before moving on to new material.
What is next for you guys?
Richy Xiong (vocalist): We are playing with absolute legends Norma Jean on March 1st at Trees in Deep Ellum and hope you enjoy our new single "Mayflower." Be on the lookout for a reimagining of a previously released track, as well as a few more singles coming your way!