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Losing September packs heavy punch
By John Benson
It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.
Sure, diehard fans know that’s a quote from 1999 feature film “Fight Club,” but it also acts as a mission statement of sorts for Losing September’s Bruce Fane, who in his life has been in some dark places.
Thoughts of suicide over a decade ago led this singer to find solace in music. At first, he wrote tunes on the acoustic guitar, but in his head he heard more of a metal approach. Slowly, over the next few years he assembled the band that could produce the music emanating from his mind.
Today, Bane is happy, existing with a “Fight Club” ethos in rising underground metal act Losing September. In fact, the band looks to the words of Brad Pitt’s character Tyler Durden for inspiration and guidance. Naturally, Bane can recite the eight rules of “Fight Club” by heart.
“We believe in ‘Fight Club’ all of the time; it’s one of the requirements of the band,” said Bane, calling from his Muncie, Ind., home. “When this band started, I went through a dark time in life. Suicide was one of those issues. That’s how Losing September came about. I made that decision in the month of September, but that movie helped me find some light in the darkness. It was kind of a crux to me to help me through those dark times. It was a blessing in disguise.”
Today, Bane and his band mates are hoping Losing September acts as a blessing in disguise for the hard-rock-metal scene. Its influences range from Pantera and Tool to Killswitch Engage, Mudvayne and Slipknot. Basically, the outfit exists in a melodic metal world that can break down into wrenching, screaming lyrics.
Such was the case with the quintet’s 2010 debut effort, “There Will Be Casualties,” as well as last year’s follow-up “Project Mayhem.” The latest album is decidedly heavier with more screaming. Bane points to the song “Complicated,” which boasts mixed meters with heavy grooves and brutal vocals.
“Our first album had songs that were more about pretty much [girls] and suicide,” Bane said. “It was very adolescent and more immature lyric-wise for me. For this album, we’re more focused with a common theme opposing the rise of consumerism and corporatism. Pretty much, we’re talking about trying to stand up against the corporate elite before this country becomes a plutocracy and is ruled by the rich. So it’s a lot more political album.”
He quickly added, “Also, it has a lot of ‘Fight Club’ ideals in every song.”
In fact, Bane said in concert the band plays samples of the David Fincher-directed film. Losing September will come to the Mahoning Valley on Friday for a show at Ace’s Fire Grill in Boardman.
Similar to how Tyler Durden was Jack’s imaginary friend in “Fight Club,” is Fane worried that on some level Losing September is a figment of his imagination?
“Yeah, sometimes I wonder,” Fane said, laughing. “There’s no doubt when you watch something repeatedly, the subconscious mind does grab hold after a while. But you never know.”