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Interview with
LEIGH KAPOOR
from
BANISHED REALM

(21 September 2024)

Interview with Pete Gardner

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Watch to the full interview below

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Blog Post: BANISHED REALM gears up for Electric Eye Festival

As the excitement builds for the Electric Eye Festival, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Leigh Kapoor, guitarist for Banished Realm, to chat about their journey, musical influences, and what fans can expect from their upcoming performance. Formed in 2022, Banished Realm has been making waves in the metal scene with their unique blend of Death Doom, a genre they have wholeheartedly embraced.

Banished Realm’s Beginnings

Leigh, alongside bandmates Sean (guitar and vocals), Jared (bass), and another Sean (drums), came together after their previous bands, Population Control and Unravel, disbanded. Sharing a rehearsal room, the musicians naturally clicked, leading to the formation of Banished Realm. “I always wanted to do something in the doom genre,” Leigh shares, and with the band’s collective passion for this atmospheric, heavy sound, it was a match made in metal heaven.

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The Atmospheric World of Death Doom

Listening to Banished Realm is an immersive experience. Their single “Imperious Rumination” evokes a haunting atmosphere with its long, textured passages, a sound that Leigh explains is organic but deliberate. “We’re all fans of death metal and doom metal, so we write something we enjoy and hope others do too,” he explains.

With songs that push the boundaries of conventional track lengths — one song clocking in at 11 minutes — the band uses extended riffs and melodies to create emotive, atmospheric landscapes. “We’re consciously writing long songs with texture and atmosphere, leaning into the doom side of things,” says Leigh. The band tunes down to A standard on seven-string guitars to create a dark, brooding, yet melodic sound, adding elements like clean guitars and reverb to enhance their live performances.

Upcoming Album and Electric Eye Performance

With a new album on the horizon, Banished Realm is offering more of the same immersive, lengthy tracks that fans have come to love, with the promise of deeper exploration into the doom genre. “We’ve got a few longer passages and even violin on one of the new tracks,” Leigh teases.

As for their upcoming set at the Electric Eye Festival, Leigh reveals they’ll be showcasing a brand-new track. Known for their tight, energetic live performances, Banished Realm is eager to take the stage at Freo Social. “Jess has put so much effort into this festival. It’s awesome to be part of it,” says Leigh. Sharing the stage with heavyweights like Psycroptic, Crypt Crawler, and Suneater is just icing on the cake for the band.

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Metal Community and Influences

Banished Realm draws influence from both classic and modern metal legends. Leigh points to Black Sabbath as the cornerstone of doom metal and shouts out Hooded Menace as a major influence on their death doom sound. He also name-dropped Rush as a personal favorite and would jump at the chance to share the stage with them.

But at the core, Leigh and his bandmates thrive on the connection they build with their audience. “We put a lot of effort into our tone and live sound, and seeing people connect with the riffs we’ve worked on is incredibly humbling,” he reflects.

Electric Eye Festival: Don’t Miss Banished Realm

Banished Realm will be opening the Electric Eye Festival on October 5th at Freo Social. If you’re a fan of atmospheric, immersive metal, make sure you arrive early to catch their set. Tickets are available now on MOSHTIX.

Stay tuned to Amnplify for more interviews and updates as the Electric Eye Festival approaches!

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Follow BANISHED REALM
Facebook – Instagram – Spotify

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Watch to the full interview below

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AMNPLIFY – DB