Milton Keynes' Heart of a Coward have gone from MK heroes to become a household name in UK metal-core music.
Since releasing their debut album in 2012, HOAC have toured internationally with artists including Machine Head, Thy Art Is Murder, Sikth and Trivium.
And next month the band will make their third appearance at the Download Festival.
The quintet are also readying their fourth album, The Disconnect. It will be the first release to feature 'new' frontman Kaan Tasan.
The writing process for this album has been long and gradual - initial work began in 2017.
"The Disconnect was not an easy processes to begin with after such an extended hiatus, but once the wheels started rolling it was business as usual," says guitarist Steve Haycock.
"Kaan was really involved with the writing process throughout, which gave us a new element to focus on when writing."
Kaan said: "It was one of the most challenging and rewarding writing processes I've ever been involved with. Some tracks just clicked and fell into place, whilst other tracks really pushed us all creatively.
"It was important for us to get the best out of each other – we really did all go in on this together."
Discussing the more conceptual aspects of the record, drummer Chris Mansbridge added: "The Disconnect refers to the feeling of a complete lack of control over your surroundings and the powers that control your life.
"It’s the feeling of hopelessness, anger and an inability to relate to the world you live in. It's a record we are all extremely proud of, and this marks the next chapter of Heart of a Coward.”
Chris talked all things Download with Total MK...
How special is it to be back at Download - the British home of rock and metal?
We are majorly honoured to play Download again this year. We’ve done it in 2013 and 2015 and it doesn’t get any less special.
Download is THE rock and metal festival in the UK, no doubt about it. It's always special to us as it's a festival we have been attending since we were kids and it's been a major life goal for all of us. It is something we’ll never take for granted.
What can the Download faithful expect from your set?
We have new songs to unleash on the crowd as well as the classics. The hardest thing in the world is to try and work out which songs we should play when you’ve got four albums worth of music but only 30 minutes, it is actually impossible!
We’ll be bringing our A game to the stage. Expect intense energy and expect to get involved.
How will you spend the rest of your time on the site?
The beers tend to crack open the minute we get off stage, we’ll then be carted off to the press area where we have to do lots of interviews and stuff, which is normally good fun.
We’ll be chilling and catching up with our friends in other bands and trying our best to stay out of trouble.
Anyone else on the bill you'll be keen to check out?
Well, on Sunday I think we’ll be sure to check out Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Slayer, Enter Shikari, Black Peaks and some Whitechapel.
What three festival essentials should Download ticket-holders be sure to pack before heading to the site?
Baby wipes, antibacterial gel and spare pants for after our slot.
And festivals aside, what's going on with the band in 2019?
Our fourth album is out on June 7, and we are currently on album cycle with various summer festival dates to come, including shows in Slovenia and Ukraine.
The week before Download we set out on our UK headline run (dates below) and look forward to announcing more dates as part of the album cycle very soon.
04/06 - Rebellion, Manchester
05/06 - Classic Grand, Glasgow
06/06 - Waterfront, Norwich
07/06 - Underworld, London
08/06 - The Haunt, Brighton
Heart Of A Coward will play Download Festival on June 16.
Their new album ‘The Disconnect’ will be released on June 7 via Arising Empire Records – available to purchase here
Support for the June shows will come from Any Given Day.
To book tickets for Download Festival click here
Never miss news or leisure info in Milton Keynes - Follow us on www.twitter.com/thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
