Getting to Know… October Changes | Interview 🎤

In the 397^th Q&A in our Getting to Know series, we get the inside scoop from international, electromelodic band, October Changes.

“We are October Changes, a combination of electronic elements and melodic sound,” Lhana, the vocalist for the band, October Changes, asserts. She expounds, “We call our music ‘electromelodic.’” Though responses from members Lhana, Luk (rhythm guitar), and Bert (lead guitar), we get the inside scoop on the collaborative, international, electromelodic band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… October Changes: Interview No. 397!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes October Changes distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Lhana: We are October Changes, a combination of electronic elements and melodic sound. Hence why we call our music ‘electromelodic.’ 

Luk: We like to blend musical styles/influences. Meaning that we combine for example modern metal with melody and add some electronic juices to it. Call it a mixture of within temptation meets Rammstein with a twist of electric callboy.

Bert: We mix up all kinds of genres in our songs. Some are on the heavy side, while others are more delicate. It keeps our live shows lively, so you’re not stuck hearing the same thing for a whole hour. We’re all about keeping it simple – throw in a cool guitar riff, add a bit of electronic flair, and top it off with a melodic vocal line. When Lhana, our vocalist, starts singing at a gig, everyone’s jaws drop, and we’re all in sync with the audience.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did October Changes form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

Luk: Long story short… I started the idea in 2019 with only the drummer as “really” original member. Since we had a clear view on the main idea we kept looking for the right members of the band. Bert joined on lead guitar, Lhana joined only last year in October who completed the band apart from a bass player.

Bert: I hopped on board with the band pretty late. I was just picking up the guitar, and joining a band seemed like the perfect way to level up as a musician. We hit it off right away and started rehearsing more and more. Unfortunately, with everything going on during the pandemic, our first gigs with the original line-up got canceled a lot. As a band, we’re aiming to grow big and acquire an international fanbase. The current lineup, just a little over a year old, got a boost when Lhana joined. We decided to start fresh, rewrote all our songs from scratch. Now we’ve got a brand-new setlist that goes on for over an hour, and we even recorded our debut EP with four of these new songs.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Lhana: We would like to spread our music as much as possible. Our goals and dreams are the same, in the sense that we know, we offer something special, and we want more people to know about it. 

Luk: Release a music video followed by an EP and aim for s lot of gigs, national and international. Currently, all is looking bright. We remain ourselves, not arrogant but definitely have our ideas and plans.

Bert: We’re still dreaming big. We want to build up a fanbase worldwide and hit the road for some international tours. Gigs, big festivals… we want to play it all. Our debut EP? We are very proud that we did that all ourselves, from the financing to the production. We were aiming for perfection. We recorded the whole EP at Sandlane Recording Facilities, the studio where Powerwolf and Epica have worked. Our album art? We got an international artist to sketch it out just how we pictured. And for the video clip, we teamed up with a Dutch studio that knows how to make things look top-notch. We are super excited with how everything turned out! Our goal now is to get all that hard work into the world and cooperate with international bookers and maybe try to get a record label.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Lhana: That is different per member. 🙂 For Lhana, Amaranthe, Tarja and Within Temptation were definitely inspirations.

Luk: It’s a total picture. We all have totally different musical influences. I am definitely more into death metal, deathcore, electronics. Bert is more the black metal influenced type, however we barely capture that style in OC. Wesley, the drummer is more the all-around guy.

Bert: I’m totally into the harder side of metal – black metal, Viking metal, brutal death metal… you name it. One of my big inspirations is Ihsahn. His solo project mixes up modern vibes with those heavy riffs that I love. The cool part about our band is that everyone’s into different artists and genres, so our music ends up pushing all kinds of boundaries. Some songs will sweep you away on a melodic journey, while others dive headfirst into the heavy headbanging side of metal.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Lhana: We were playing at a festival when all of a sudden, my sound was gone. I made a gesture towards Luk during our song that my sound was gone. He and Bert then pointed at my arm. The cable got loose and disconnected from the mic. That was my wackiest, silliest moment so far. 

Luk: currently the most “fun” thing that happened is that me and the lead guitarist swapped guitars during a gig since his high E string snapped :D. The other cool thing happened in Herentals, where we played at a small venue but the whole crowd clearly participated and for our cover we improvised since my in-ears failed but dayum. Bert and Lhana covered it, and the crowd went wild… 

Bert: Not too long ago, I broke my high E string right in the middle of the first song at a gig. I didn’t have any backup guitars since it was just a quick setlist, and there was no time to change strings. Since I’m playing all those lead parts and Luk sticks to the lower strings, I just told him to switch guitars with me. That move saved the whole gig for us.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Lhana: I think all of the songs have something special in them, but if I have to choose then maybe “Sleeping Beauty”, “Shutter”, “Lost Utopia”, and “From Another World”.

Luk: Personally, “Shutter”. It has power, beats, ambiance and is a crowd pleaser. It’s a pleasure to play it.

Bert: I love playing the song, “Feral”. It’s one of the heavier songs in our setlist and features a vocal collab with another band, Alveole. The riffs are solid, and when the song kicks in, the crowd usually goes wild, moshing and screaming. Another favorite is “Amor Fati”,  the EP’s closing track. Lhana’s epic intro always gives me chills, and the whole song just pulls me in. By the time I play the lead at the end of the song, I’m completely in the zone. It’s such an amazing feeling.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Lhana: I’m very into watching crime documentaries. It fascinates me. I love my plants and I have a gecko 🙂 

Luk: Nothing extraordinary.. love to support our football team, Royal Antwerp FC, hang around with the band for gigs and rehearsals. Record new music, write new things…. Love to watch good horror, thriller and action comedy. Perhaps we share more soon… 

Bert: I’ve got a bunch of hobbies on my plate. Besides rocking out with the band, I’m into motorcycles, shredding on the snowboard, and even teaching web design. I’m invested a lot in technology, so I’m usually the guy tweaking our live setup. We’ve automated everything – patch changes, backing tracks, you name it. Setting up at a venue is a breeze; the sound guys usually like us because all they need to do is plug in a few XLR cables. Easy as that. Oh, and keep an eye on our socials – we might spill some of our setup secrets on YouTube soon!

Closing out, what is October Changes currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Luk: so much…

Bert: We’re in the final stretch of getting our CD’s and vinyls ready for a physical release. On top of that, we’re working on setting up a tour to get our album out there and play our music live. There’s a bunch more songs waiting that we haven’t even played yet. 2024 is shaping up to be pretty exciting, and we’re ready to get our music out into the world!

Lhana: We work on a ton! Right now, the most important is to get our music out, visit as many venues as possible and to connect with you, Guys! 

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

Follow… October Changes: Instagram • Facebook • Spotify • YouTube • Website

Getting to Know… October Changes: Interview No. 397 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; October Changes; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu via Pixabay]