Songs are such a great way to express the emotions felt by impactful situations, but with only two verses, a chorus, and a bridge, it’s not possible to “fully” describe the thoughts and feelings of even a single event.  

Years ago, one of my best friends found herself in a bit of trouble and basically hid away and cut everyone off. I thought, “I’m her best friend; surely she’ll let me through”, but she cut me off too.

  It hurts when you care about someone and they won’t let you help them; in one sense, it’s frustrating. To vent that anger, I wrote the song “For You”, but that wasn’t the only thing I felt. There was also a bit of desperation; a longing to reach out to her and help, and pleading that she would let me. That’s why I wrote this song, “Say That It’s Over”.

  This is still an alternative metalcore song, but where “For You” is more aggressive, this one’s soothing and desperate, and a bit on the lighter side.

  If you’re one who’s trying to help a friend, give them some space, but don’t give up on them; try reaching out from time to time, and eventually, there may be a breakthrough.

 If you are the one who is hurt and cutting everyone else off, take some time to gather your thoughts and compose yourself, but please don’t leave them hanging. It’s a special thing to have someone love you enough to be concerned for your well being; don’t waste that.

Say That It's Over [OMB Version]

This is a song about perseverance and "not" giving up. When I think "perseverance", I think "skateboarding", which is what inspired the album artwork.

The main riff of this song was actually inspired by the band Protest The Hero; they had a very "sporadic" nature to their music and I was trying to mimic that while remaining "catchy". I initially wrote the music years ago, but later made refinements and just got around to recording it and writing the lyrics this year.

I wasn't sure what this song would be about at first, but I had the idea of writing about chasing my dreams and "politely" blocking out the nay-sayers and "alternative" career options. However, when I got to the bridge/breakdown, I wanted something powerful, and I came up with the phrase "Don't back down; stand YOUR ground". Originally, the lyrics were from my perspective, but because of that one word (your), I changed the perspective to be talking to someone and encouraging them. So essentially, this song is meant to be encouraging, and hopefully motivates the listener not to give up.

Get Up Again [OMB Version]

I actually wrote this song back when I was first learning how to "tap" on guitar. I believe I found a video on YouTube by JustinGuitar called "Finger Tapping Basics" where he teaches an A Pentatonic tapping exercise. I thought it'd be more "satisfying" to write a chord progression to go with the tapping pattern, so I used the note groupings of each section to help me find a chord that matched well. This ended up becoming a fun song to jam on with friends.

Later, when I was a more experienced guitarist and had become a fan of progressive metal, I wanted to make this song more technical, so I wrote the intro riffs and refined the bridge/transition riff. I also tweaked the tapping section so it wasn't exactly like the exercise I'd learned, and I extended it into a more complicated solo. I don't usually write instrumentals, but it felt right for this song to be one.

"OMB" stands for "One Man Band". On my YouTube channel, I'm planning to release "One Man Band Music Videos" more frequently; because of this, the mix is not quite as polished as an "official" release, but the quality is still quite good, and you can still enjoy the song for what it is.

Hard Goodbyes [OMB Version]

In early 2020, my younger brother (who was 24 at the time) wanted me to go see "Frozen 2" with him. I figured, "Sure; why not?". As we were watching the movie and this song ("Into the Unknown") was playing, I started drumming along on my lap and doing double bass with my feet when I thought, "This could be a metal song..."

I was a bit resistant to the idea at first cause I thought it might be gimmicky and I don't really like doing covers, but I also thought it might be a good opportunity for me and I should at least try it out. I made a rough draft and thought it sounded pretty cool, so I decided to go through with it.

Of course, producing it ended up taking longer than I'd hoped, and eventually I wasn't really sure when to release it, but December seemed like an appropriate time to do so. I've since learned that there have been other metal covers of this song, but I only drew inspiration from the original track itself.

Hopefully, this gives you a sense of what my style is like; I hope you like it!

Into The Unknown

I originally wrote this song back around 2011 or 2012. A friend of mine found herself in some trouble and I thought she'd let me through to help her, but she cut me off along with everyone else. It hurts when you want so bad to be there for someone, but they won't let you through, and so I turned to music an wrote this song. I worked hard on this one; definitely my best mix to date.

Sam is helping me with my music now; it's tough with some of these older songs since most of the parts are already written, but he helped out quite a bit with the drum arrangement, as well as some backup screams. He programed some patterns, then sent me the midi to run through a custom kit I made in Logic Pro.
For guitar, I used my Schecter Hellraiser Solo 6 and recorded directly into my DAW running through my Behringer interface and my Presonus TubePre. I used the LeGion amp sim by LePou Plugins for my rhythm tone and the NC_8505_ Lead by Nick Crow Labs for my lead tone.

For bass I used my Washburn XB100 and recorded directly in my DAW through the interface; the tone was made with mostly stock plugins. I recorded vocals with the Audio Technica AT2020.

For You

I wrote this song about 8 years ago; I want to make more of an effort to release my songs and I've decided to start with some of my older songs and work my way back up to where I am as an artist today. However, I was able to use my experience and knowledge to tweak this song into something better than what it was originally.

I programmed the drums using a custom kit in Logic Pro. For guitar, I used my Schecter Hellraiser Solo 6 and recorded directly into my DAW running through my Behringer interface and my Presonus TubePre. I used the LeGion amp sim by LePou Plugins for my rhythm tone and the NC_8505_ Lead by Nick Crow Labs for my lead tone.

For bass I used my Washburn XB100 and recorded directly in my DAW through the interface; the tone was made with mostly stock plugins. I recorded vocals with the Audio Technica AT2020.

A Place to Call Home - Single

A Place to Call Home

For guitar, I used a Schecter Hellraiser Solo 6 going direct into my Presonus TubePre, then into my Behringer F-Control Audio Interface. Tones were created using the Lepou LeGion amp sim and other various plugins.

For bass, a Washburn XB100 direct into my interface. Tone created using mostly stock plugins aside from a free downloaded cab sim.

The drums were created in Logic Pro 9 using Ultrabeat.

Ascension - Single

Ascension

This is one of the first songs I’ve written that “sounds like me”. Usually, when I discover an artist that resonates with me, I’ll write music to try and “recreate” what I like about their sound; I’ve written songs that sound like Killswitch Engage, songs that sound Flyleaf, and even this song has some strong influence from Chevelle and a little bit from Tool.

But, this wasn’t directly inspired by either band; I took the heavy, aggressive sound I like from Chevelle, and experimented with adding some of my Progressive/Technical Metal influences, while expressing the most important part for me… something heartfelt and emotional. I’ve always liked the sound of “Sad & Pretty” music, and so I feel that is a tone that will always find it’s way into most of my songs.

The song is about my relationship with God, and how the closer you get to God, the more He “refines” you, and makes you a better version of yourself. I’m not sure I really liked who I was as a teenager; I felt I wasn’t “good enough”, and I struggled with some things that I was ashamed of. I felt like a hypocrite, and all I’ve ever wanted to be was real.

But I learned you don’t have to be “perfect” before you can come to God; He loves you just as you are. That love made me grateful, and as I drew closer to Him, I overcame the things I struggled with, and became someone I don’t have to be ashamed of. The “refining process” can hurt sometimes, but it’s completely worth it.

Verse:
 Take me away, and break me into pieces
 Hit me with the truth, and don’t pull Your punches

Chorus: 
And I’ll brace myself for all this pain 
Erase myself, and start again

Verse:
Grab ahold of me, and throw me in the deep end 
Show me the flame that burns inside of me

Chorus:
And I’ll brace myself for all this pain 
Erase myself, and start again
And I'll face myself with honesty
Erase myself, and start again

Bridge:
I can’t remain without the Refiner
 It’s time to change what used to define me 
Resist the pain; I have to keep fighting
 Ignite the flame that’s deep down inside me

It hurts at first, but worth all the pain 
To see myself, and not be ashamed
 It hurts at first, but worth all the pain
 To see myself, and not be ashamed

Chorus:
And I’ll brace myself for all this pain 
Erase myself, and start again
And I'll face myself with honesty
Erase myself, and start again

Erase Myself [OMB Version]

A few years ago, my church used to have a segment that allowed for someone to share a “special song”; I would often step up to share songs that were meaningful to me, and many times get emotional during my performance. People knew me to be a songwriter, so afterwards, they would ask me if I wrote the song, to which I’d have to admit “I did not”.

I didn’t want to keep “disappointing” their expectations, and so I became inspired to write a song for church. However, seeing as I’m pursuing a career as a “metal artist”, I felt I should only use my time to write songs that would benefit my career. Sure, I could write a “metal song” and perform it for my church and be accepted and supported, but I wanted to share something I thought they might actually enjoy and appreciate.

So I thought, “Maybe I can write an acoustic song; I know other metal artists with acoustic songs…” And so I wrote “Love’s Not Fair”, which has a very melancholic tone with a glimmer of hope and gratitude, which gradually builds until the full band is playing with heavy drums and distorted guitars.

At first, the expression “Love’s Not Fair” sounds like a complaint, but actually, it’s a FACT. Love IS not fair; that’s what it IS, and that’s what makes it LOVE. Often, what we consider “love” is actually quite selfish; we always have conditions with our love: “If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you”, but anyone can do that.

What love actually is, is something we CHOOSE to give; and that choice is a lot harder to make when the recipient doesn’t deserve it. To choose to love in spite of whether or not it returns; that’s the same love that Jesus demonstrated for us, and that’s the kind of love that can actually makes a difference in the world.

Love's Not Fair

This version of "Love's Not Fair" features only the vocal and a single acoustic guitar. Although I am primarily a metal artist, I am planning to do more "Stripped Down Versions" of my songs.

This is a song about God's grace; at first, the expression “Love’s Not Fair” sounds like a complaint, but actually, it’s a FACT. Love IS not fair; that’s what it IS, and that’s what makes it LOVE. Often, what we consider “love” is actually quite selfish; we always have conditions with our love: “If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you”, but anyone can do that.

What love actually is, is something we CHOOSE to give; and that choice is a lot harder to make when the recipient doesn’t deserve it. To choose to love in spite of whether or not it returns; that’s the same love that Jesus demonstrated for us, and that’s the kind of love that can actually makes a difference in the world.

Love's Not Fair (Stripped Down Version)

I'm a One Man Band; I produce my own Music and Videos. Some of my biggest influences are Chevelle, Killswitch Engage, and Flyleaf.

Quincy Kane