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Writer's pictureSammie Starr

UK Modern Metal Band COLLECTED Releases Fresh and Distinct New Single and EP "Say When"

Essex modern metal band COLLECTED brings a fresh and distinct take on the genre with their new single and EP of the same title"Say When."



For Essex modern metal band COLLECTED, the beginning of their journey started with their love of metal and cold garage in Clacton. While they never knew where these aspirations would take them, what materialized was a band that made a genuine connection that would take their passion to the next level.


“We wanna write music that people can relate to at the end of the day. Sometimes we are gonna want about fun topics here and there but a lot of the time (so far anyway) we do seem to bring up quite serious topics. Sadly, the reality is we all have mental health dips, toxic relationships with family members or romantic partners, etc. So we can all understand this and relate to it as a collective. Also sometimes, you just gotta get shit off your chest, you know? It’s as simple as that sometimes.”

While times have changed since the times of those memorable garage phase days, COLLECTED has taken those experiences and gifted us their new single and EP also titled "Say When." Always pushing to go outside the conventions of the modern metal genre, COLLECTED has brought something distinct and interesting with their fresh multigenre approach.


A truly robust and vulnerable experience of an EP, COLLECTED tows the line between progressive, emotionally heavy, beautifully atmospheric, all of which are their greatest strengths. Undoubtedly a solid listening experience from start to finish, If COLLECTED wanted to make a statement with their new EP this year, Say When definitely made an impression this month.


What started COLLECTED?

Haitch Barratt (Guitarist): Probably a shared love for metal and a cold garage in Clacton. Going right back to the beginning, me and Charlie started the band back in 2008 I think. We both started playing guitar around the same time and would always hang out and learn the same songs so we could jam, which eventually turned into deciding to start a band.


I met our drummer Artis after Charlie introduced us and he came round for a jam, there was instant chemistry, we all had similar music tastes and jammed Pantera, Metallica, Machine Head, Slayer, and Lamb of God for hours. We knew we had found the right person, we hung out all the time after that and regularly practiced together in my garage. Good times!

What are your musical influences? Even though you guys ride the genre line of modern medal within your latest single, we see these different influences of metal, hardcore, funk, jazz, and synth-wave sort of intertwined.

Haitch Barratt (Guitarist): That’s always a difficult question, there are so many, and it’s constantly changing! For instance, personally, I’ve always loved Synth-wave as a genre itself. But I go through phases, and Synth-wave has made another comeback for me. So I’m listening to a lot of Gunship, The Midnight, and Mitch Murder. But at the same time Loathe have been on my recent playlists a lot, maybe a bit of Pink Floyd, some Wu-tang Clan.

Honestly, though we have so many, I cannot pinpoint one specific artist or band. But for us as a band, it would have to range from Meshuggah, Thundercat, Coheed and Cambria, to Red Sparowes, and anything in-between.

What was the creative process like with this new single "Say When" and the new EP?

Haitch Barratt (Guitarist): Long. Most of the songs par the title track were written quite a while ago but we like to play a song in the practice room a bunch of times so we can get a real feel for where certain dynamics naturally ebb and flow. It’s a lot of trial and error. The process usually looks like this in its most basic form: The instrumental is written by either myself or Charlie (sometimes a combination).


We then record it and give it a basic mix so the other guys can get a good feel for the vision. Then Artis will change and add his own beats and percussion, Liam will start brainstorming ideas and melodies and Chris will go away and rewrite or learn the baselines. It’s a good system that seems to work for us for the time being. Certainly gets the job done.

Your new single "Say When," along with other songs on the EP talks about a myriad of deep themes dealing with mental health, relationships, and other fictional stories that capture the world and its real-life experiences. Can we talk more about that? Where was the headspace when you began to write this EP?

Haitch Barratt (Guitarist): We wanna write music that people can relate to at the end of the day. Sometimes we are gonna want about fun topics here and there but a lot of the time (so far anyway) we do seem to bring up quite serious topics. Sadly, the reality is we all have mental health dips, toxic relationships with family members or romantic partners, etc. So we can all understand this and relate to it as a collective. Also sometimes, you just gotta get shit off your chest, you know? It’s as simple as that sometimes.

"Say When" shows a mature and expansive sound for you guys. But what else have you guys taken from this single personally as an artist? Not just from this single but from the developmental process of this EP as a whole.

Haitch Barratt (Guitarist): I’d say for myself, probably that these things take time, and not only that but you can’t keep rerecording things or go back on yourself. Well, you can but you’ll be in the developmental stage for the next 30 years. Obviously, you're passionate about your art when it's being created and you want it to be its best. But at the same time, art is completely subjective. I’d say I have learned that you need to just express it, lay it down as best as you can, and then move on to the next chapter.

Now that the EP is out now, what's next for you guys down the line this year?

Haitch Barratt (Guitarist): We want to keep this ball rolling! We’ve seen a lot of support and it’s beautiful. We can't thank everyone enough from our amazing fans to all the publications (big and small). We definitely wanna keep pushing ourselves, release some new singles to keep things fresh, keep gigging and spreading the word that COLLECTED are here and you need our music in your life.



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