Bring To Bear: 10 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

Bring to Bear is a UK Symphonic Folk Metal band on an adventure, playing their favourite styles of Folk Melodeath infused with Symphonic influences. Formed in May 2020 by long-time friends and bandmates Ian Tarboton and Hristo Nikolov, the determined duo wasted no time in preparing their first material and expanding the Bring to Bear clan.

By January 2021 the current lineup was clinched, adding Simon Jones on Drums, Nikiforos Rotas on Guitar & Izabela Smyt on Lead Vocals. In May 2021 the indomitable quintet entered the studio to record their debut EP (set for release in 2021), with the first single and video being ‘The Shadow Ruse’.

You probably don’t know much about the band, but today my aim is to change that…

Here are 10 Facts You Might Not Know About Bring To Bear

1. Ian and Hristo met while playing together in a Gypsy Punk Band, and from there they decided to start Bring to Bear.

2. Bring to Bear formed remotely during lockdown and met each other for the first time in person one month before recording their debut EP.

3. Bring to Bear recorded their debut EP before they had even had a single rehearsal together.

4. Bring to Bear collated a list of 40 songs to choose from for a cover, and then narrowed it down through a game show style knockout based on the merits and relevance of each song. The result surprised all.

5. Bring to Bear all originate from different countries.

6. A few years before Simon and Ian met, they happened to be standing right next to each other at a Turisas and Korpiklaani concert in London. They only realised this when Simon appeared on a short video Ian had taken of the show.

7. Simon plays a few traditional Thai instruments and once played in an orchestra with the princess of Thailand.

8. Hristo was the UK Masters winner for the last Warhammer Fantasy Battle event, and he was a national team captain (Bulgaria) for 3 years for the same game.

9. Ian has done all the artwork for the band so far and Nik has done the filming and photography.

10. Ian used to have a long goatee beard but he had to cut it because it kept getting caught in his accordion.

Well, there you have, 10 facts about Bring To Bear that you might not have known. I trust that you’ve learned something.

More info about “The Shadow Ruse”

The intro riff to ‘The Shadow Ruse’ starts strongly by demanding attention, which then settles into an energetic verse riff. This is followed by tremolo guitars driving in with the power and harmonies reminiscent of viking metal and accompanied by accordion played in a way that feels more serious than is often associated with the instrument.

The tension builds with blast beats that launch into a beautifully melodic and spacious chorus. The vocals alternate between singing and growling, a contrast that fits perfectly with the lyrical theme. The lyrics, written by Ian Tarboton (Accordion, Keyboard & Growls), ponder the relationship between ‘light’ and ‘dark’.

Ian shares that “in life, we often categorise things into good and bad, and colour them light and dark respectively, as we go through ups and downs. But, what one person perceives as good is often perceived as bad by another, and vice versa. So, what exactly does that mean? Who can say other than good and bad are merely perceptions?”

“Where there is light, there are also shadows, yet light looks brighter when it shines in the dark. Ultimately, it is all games in the mind and we either see through the game or we become the game. We evolve and grow as we learn to see through the game and find the balance.”

“The music for this song was mostly written by our Guitarist Hristo Nikolov, and was originally intended to be more punk in style. But, it was soon obvious that while it had all the energy of punk, it had a darker undertone that just had to be in a metal song. So, it became the first song worked on by Hristo and I and it laid the foundation of Bring to Bear’s style.”

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