Had you ever wondered what would happen if you mixed the two-piece Riff Rock band Hipflask Virgins with power house singer/songwriter Ruben Seabright? No, nor had I. However, when this little collaboration was teased what feels like years ago, it’s all I’ve ever thought about since. Under the name of Kerberos, these 2 local forces released the EP Volume 1- Last Day on 18th October. Billed as “Rock Opera”, it’s the product of the alt rock duo Hipflask Virgins’ desire to explore a more cinematic approach to their next project. With the inclusion of Rubens vocals, they are able to add an “exciting new dimension to their sound”.
The name Kerberos refers to the three headed dog of Ancient Greek mythology, and nods to the three members in the band, Ruben, Jay and Will. Keen to learn more about the collaboration before reviewing it, I asked Jay of Hipflask Virgins- How did the Hipflask/Ruben collaboration come about? Jay– “It’s funny cause we were trying to work this out at the Paradiddles Final Chorus as I can’t pinpoint an exact moment where this became the Hipflask/Ruben EP. We’ve collaborated live before with Ruben, either through playing Nirvana covers or him singing our tracks, so we always had the idea to build upon that and release a song or something together. The project has shaped itself just as much as we have shaped it. The entire thing was written in a studio environment rather than in a rehearsal room jamming – which is a first for us. I think that approach really leans into the narrative driven aspect of it. At conception it was basically just Will & I tracking some riffs down into a project that had a really vague non-finalised structure. As we were tracking them there was some re-jigging of sections on the fly. Once we recorded these guitar riffs and ideas into a session, Will pointed out that it was approx 24 mins so it would be cool to do a last 24 hours on Earth concept. From there we kinda ran with the idea of it and added in the idea of it looping in to tie in with the cyclical nature of a day. Somewhere along the line we aligned the tracks to the four horsemen of the apocalypse – Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. There was definitely another happy accident here in terms of how “Gen-Ded (war)” has the gun-shot sounding drums, which again we leaned into to try and make the track sound like a war zone. I think in terms of where Ruben came in, it would have been when we first got the guitar rough tracks down as it was quite clear early doors that the sound of this project was a little bit different to classic Hipflask. I think you can hear the Hipflask in it but it’s also a bit different, hence the “Kerberos” alias. His voice just really suits the vibe of the EP and we’re all big nerds so it felt fun to write a sci-fi prog-grunge thing! When we got into the studio together to collab on vocals it was so fun – especially the gang vocals! Also, Ellie Williams needs a big shout-out too as she helped us map harmonies whilst we tried our best to do a Staley/Cantrell thing. She also played the keys for the synths sounds and some backing vocals.”
So, deeper into the EP we go, I ask Jay to summarise the premise of the 24 minute long release. Jay – ‘It’s about the last 24 hours on Earth as a result of humanity destroying the planet through various means – climate damage, war, resource depletion and the use of artificial intelligence. We’ve told the story through the use of the 4 main tracks having sub-themes aligned to the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and it’s narrated from the perspective of AI that is left on Earth post-apocalypse. It’s also a “never-ending” last 24 hours as the whole thing loops on itself. We’ve made it exactly 24 mins to mirror the last 24 hours. It’s quite cinematic in places and I think we’ve drawn on film/book influences just as much as musical.
I think it’s fair to say there’s a bit of an untrustworthy narrator or twist during the EP opening track The Sole Witness is a spoken track, an artificial voice speaking of its creation to serve and aid humanity, and how we’ve destroyed the planet leaving AI alone. All this over synth melody and deeper grunge background track. From the get go, it’s plain to hear that the Hipflask Virgins have not left the building for this EP, their seamless and professional sound is stamped throughout, familiar mixed with a different voice to create this triumph of an amalgamation. Straight in to Hu- bris (conquest) where Ruben hits the road running with screaming vocals narrating the arrogance of mankind thinking we can never die. Atop of familiar Hipflask Virgin riffs and sounds, smouldering slowed down final seconds that lead seamlessly into the catchy opening patter of Gen-Ded (war), the track that’s aims to depict a war zone. Words are broken down, a message being punched through with every pronunciation. With just a beat we are thrown into the chaos of Ragnarock (famine), a faster flow as humans do everything to access leaving nothing behind, ultimately screwing ourselves over. Crashing drums, deep whining guitar, the slowing tempo leading us to a “we told you so” statement from AI. Amongst the ruins of what is left comes Last Day (death), harmonies of the male and female voice narrating how we’ve destroyed our planet. Sexy guitar riffs between each line, the track ramps up as AI and human vocals layer over each other as a final battle for who takes control. The music scoops down and dirty to create the clash as humans realise what they’ve ruined. Ellie Williams’ soft harmony creates a haunting interlude, ethereal feeling of our souls leaving the planet. Rubens vocals throughout show the range we all knew he had, eeking every level out of him so that we hear it all.
The EP ends with a final note from the AI character in the form of Goodbye Earth, summarising how they were never meant to replace humanity but how they have now rebuilt the planet to a better version of itself, without the destruction humanity caused. All told over a track that blends all of the elements of the EP together, ending with a poignant heart beat.
The EP was performed live in full for the first time at this years WMF, so i asked Jay how this felt for him and the other guys. Jay– “From my perspective, same but different. Which I think is probably the best way to view this project. It’s Hipflask but not. It’s exciting that it’s the first release Ruben has out on the platforms too, and I’ve heard what else he’s been working on so watch this space! I think also “same but different” because of the fact we’ve performed with Ruben before but nothing like this. Hipflask has definitely been leaning into sets that link all the way though so I think it is a kind of natural shift for us into it. Although playing to narration was a fun challenge, as we had to be absolutely on point for tempo etc for each songs cue. We actually only had a less than a handful of practices for the gig so I’m really happy with how it went. We only had two practices with Ruben because of diaries etc, so he smashed it. From a selfish point of view, it was quite fun to not front for a night just got to rock out… although I didn’t know what to do with myself, so it seems like I ended up doing a Jack Black School of Rock power stance. It was really fun seeing the reaction from people who were hearing the project for the first time, as it is really different and weird. We hope to play it again at some point, just need to work out logistics with diaries as it is a bit more challenging to find a time where both artists can be free. When we do get “Kerberos” back out for live performance, I think it will be cool to see people watch it with a bit of context next time! It was also fun ito build hype about a new secret project that’s under a pseudonym. It ended up being a “not so secret” secret set, but in the build-up we loved seeing the excitement.”
I was lucky enough to catch this set, and as I stood at the front, I could see and feel the excitement mixed with nerves as the project was about to be released to the world. It’s fair to say The Marrs Bar was blown away and the now streamable EP exceeded all our expectations. I’ve always stated that the sound created by two piece Hipflask Virgins seems to come from far more members than appear on stage, adding a vocalist to this project hasn’t changed my perspective. The sound is loud, very loud. As a fan of both Hipflask Virgins and Ruben, this was the collaboration I didn’t realise I needed in my ears until it happened. It’s a masterpiece and I can’t wait to see what Volume 2 brings to the table.
By: Kate Fitzer