RENEGADES is a Melodic Metalcore band that is tearing up the Kansas City music scene! The band is made up of Chase Petersen (vocals), Seth Roberts (guitar), Myles Clayborne (drums) and Joshua Wood (bass). Throughout 2017 and 2018, RENEGADES has had a bunch of changes and have been working to climb their way to the top as a new band. With the release of their 2018 self-titled EP, “Renegades”, the band is ready to take the music scene by storm and spread their music throughout the country!
I was fortunate enough to chat with Chase Petersen and get some insight into his background and how RENEGADES came to be. Chase was playing in a Pop Punk band, Get Busy Living since 2010. The band saw moderate success, such as playing with bands like Knuckle Puck and Color Morale, playing their hometown date of Warped Tour and even got the chance to play in front of a Hopeless Records rep. Despite the success, the band did a complete 180 and changed up their entire sound and style. Chase stated, “2017 came and I found Myles our drummer through an online video try out; he was amazing. Seth, our guitarist, sent us his demo work and it was love at first listen. 2018 kicked off with the whole rebrand of RENEGADES and we needed a bassist. So we promoted some studio videos and our bassist Josh reached out. From then on we have been climbing from the bottom as a new band!” The biggest change of all for RENEGADES was the change in genre. Compared to Get Busy Living, RENEGADES is chock full of dark and heavy instrumentals, hardcore breakdowns, screaming vocals and deep, personal lyrics.
“Renegades” is an EP that contains so many different sounds and styles. I love the way the band was able to incorporate so many different types of sounds and instrumentals into just six songs. It takes a lot for a band to rebrand and completely change gears. RENEGADES did not fall back into the Pop Punk sound some of the members may be used to, and absolutely killed it as a Metalcore/Hardcore band! This EP is a prime example of a band that is fully prepared and ready to take on the challenge of building themselves up! “Renegades” starts with Deception, one of the most unique and interesting songs on the project. The song begins with a fast paced piano/electronic intro that leads into full band mayhem! I get a huge Crown the Empire vibe with the use of the different sounds and instrumentals on this song. If RENEGADES was looking to make a lasting impression with Deception, they one hundred percent succeeded. They introduced their new sound and style perfectly and demonstrated their uncanny ability to add such diverse sounds in their music!
Two songs that stand out to me on this EP are Hysteria and I.H.Y.M.S. Hysteria is another song that has a soft intro that leads into the hardcore/metalcore sound that is RENEGADES. The song is a demonstration of the deeper, personal lyrics that Chase had referenced. “Engaged the self destruction, be prepared for repercussions, too late to make amends, tell me how this ends. Feeling that I can’t win, crawling in my own skin, you’ll only break the cycle from within. It’s all in the function, destructive construction.” Another part that must be noted is the brutal breakdown; it is going to have the mosh pits going insane! I.H.Y.M.S (feat. Michael Martenson) is another song on “Renegades” that can be described no other way than a complete banger! The heavy guitar chords on this song paired with the infusion of the singing and screaming vocals will capture the attention of all listeners. Any true fan of metalcore and/or hardcore music will fall in love with I.H.Y.M.S. The song reminds me of a mix between The Ghost Inside and A Day to Remember because of the singing and screaming vocals, as well as the dark breakdown! “Just know you’ll never remember me, when I’m gone, I swear I’ll always be close to your heart, no matter how far or how long. Where did I go wrong? To make you feel that I don’t belong. Just know that you lost in the end, you’ll never call me yours again.”
“Renegades” finishes with Endless and New World. I really like that these are the titles for the two final songs on the EP. Whether it was done purposely or not, I like that it shows that the music is endless. No matter what path this band goes down, they’ll still be kicking ass! With the rebranding and new fight to make it as a new band, RENEGADES has somewhat entered a “new world.” I can’t wait to see this band soar and gain the success and recognition they deserve! Check below for some shows that RENEGADES will be playing, and listen to some of their music on the blog’s Spotify playlist; After Hours Review!
Upcoming RENEGADES shows:
May 17th – Davey’s Uptown w/ Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and RIVALS – Kansas City, Missouri
May 26th – Rocklahoma 2018 – Pryor, Oklahoma