Singer James Hart will be the first to admit that the 2007 break-up of his previously successful metalcore band, Eighteen Visions, wasn’t his idea, but he’s slowly bouncing back with hard rock outfit Burn Halo.
After recording five studio albums and 12 years of climbing to the top of the scene, Hart wasn’t ready to give up all that he had worked for and immediately landed a record deal with Island/Def Jam to begin the next chapter in his career.
“Unfortunately, a couple of the other guys in the band just kind of were over it and I felt like moving forward with that band without them would just not be the same after doing so many recording and creating a specific sound and having the fans that we did and connecting with those fans as a group and as a unit. I don’t think it would have been right to move forward without them,” Hart felt.
“It gave me an opportunity to do something new and basically I just wanted to start a band and make an album that was more I think along the lines of stuff that I was into when I was growing up, which was ‘80s and ‘90s rock, which for the most part I was able to accomplish with the first Burn Halo record.”
Working with songwriter Zac Maloy, formerly of The Nixons, on the band’s debut self-titled album, he was finally able to showcase his vocal and musical range and write with more freedom than he ever had before, though it wasn’t all smooth sailing from there. After completing the record, his A&R manager was let go and the deal fell through, but he was fortunately allowed to keep the record and release it independently.
“It was tough to start over. 18 Visions had really built this brand and we were just starting to really, really take off on the international level as well, getting to go over to Japan and Australia, Europe, and the UK and touring over there and being successful,” Hart recalled.
“It’s completely starting over and rebuilding, and yes a lot of the fans followed me over to Burn Halo, but it’s just not something you can expect when starting a new band that’s something totally different than what you were doing in your previous outfit. So it’s a bit hard, but you just have to be patient.”
While proud of his first release, Hart’s 2011 follow-up, “Up from the Ashes,” helped define the band’s current sound and direction, which he believes is the perfect blend of Burn Halo and 18 Visions.
“What was coming naturally was great heavier, more metal-driven guitar riffs, and we said to ourselves, ‘Why hold back these great parts? Who cares? We don’t need to cater to a certain audience. We need to cater to ourselves first. We need to write the record that we’re going to be happy with.’ So we kind of flipped the script and started writing heavier songs and what came out of it was ‘Up from the Ashes,’” he said.
Being independent, however, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The last few months have been particularly rough for the band, parting ways with both their management and their booking agent.
“I think the main problem for us, and it’s been a nagging problem with these two records, is that we’re not on a real record label where there’s a bunch of promotion going on for different artists on that label, so we don’t get looked at quite as much and everything’s kind of more on the independent, DIY game plan,” he continued.
“It makes it hard. I think we rely too heavily on radio and airplay to carry the band, and that’s something I’ve never believed in. I believe radio’s a great tool, but I don’t think that you should rely on it for selling records and a fan base. I think that that’s what touring is for.”
Now, though, Hart feels they’re moving in a more positive direction as they continue to be embraced by fans old and new and rebuild his past success.
“My favorite of this whole thing since day one was probably going out on tour with Avenged Sevenfold and getting the opportunity to play arenas and play to that type of audience. I don’t know that we would be in the same position we are if we hadn’t done that tour. That tour did wonders for us and our fan base immediately, so that was a huge accomplishment and probably something I’ll never forget,” he related.
On tour again now, the band’s next stop will be at Three Kings, 603 Scranton/Carbondale Hwy, Mayfield, on Wednesday, March 21 with local supporting acts to be announced.
“For people that have seen us before, they’re going to see a side of the band that they haven’t seen before. We’re bring out a lot of the stuff off the new album, which is the heavier side of it, the more aggressive side of it, which is going to show them, I think, a side of me that maybe they haven’t seen since I was in 18 Visions onstage,” Hart emphasized.
“For people that haven’t seen us before, I think they’re going to be impressed with a very entertaining, crowd-engaged, energetic show.”