British Metalcore Quartet We Are Sovereign Announce New Album & Reveal Artwork

Following the success of their first two singles, ‘Bridges Burnt Lessons Learnt (Betrayal)’ featuring Fit For A King vocalist Ryan Tuck O’Leary, and ‘Nostalgia (Acceptance)’, British metalcore mob We Are Sovereign have announced that their debut album “Step Out Your Comfort Zone” is set for release on September 4th, 2023.

Speaking about the album, co-vocalist Laura Russell had this to say:
“It’s an album we feel everybody can sit and listen to and think, "I’ve been through that, I’ve felt that, and I’ve been there in my life." We had a real-life signpost crafted to represent the album concept! To me, it represents the concept of life being a road, sometimes the journey is unpredictable no matter what directions you stick to.”

Speaking about the artwork, Russell said:
“With the album name being called "Step Out Your Comfort Zone" we've really tried to capture and represent the chaos of emotions the album brings. The room is on fire and within that is unorganised chaos to represent the album title.

Each track has its own place on the artwork. 'Keep Going (Survival)' - survival kit, 'Nostalgia (Acceptance)' - cassette tapes, 'These 4 Walls (Torment)' - hanging noose, 'Don't You Dare Quit (Resilience)' - broken glass, 'This Farewell Is Our Fate (Heartbreak)' - toy with its heart removed, 'Reflection' - a mirror, 'Bridges Burnt Lessons Learnt (Betrayal)' - picture of a burning bridge upon the wall, 'Time Can Be So Short (Loss)' - flowers, and lastly 'Overcome' - a fire extinguisher to represent overcoming, with the concept of putting the fire out to bring the room back to safety and peace. We really wanted to make sure the artwork tells the story of what the album is about and what it stands for.”

The tracklist for the album is:
1. Keep Going (Survival)
2. Don’t You Dare Quit (Resilience)
3. Nostalgia (Acceptance)
4. These 4 Walls (Torment)
5. This Farewell Is Our Fate (Heartbreak)
6. Reflection
7. Bridges Burnt Lessons Learnt (Betrayal ft. Ryan Tuck O’Leary)
8. Time Can Be So Short (Loss)
9. Overcome

Life is a crazy and unpredictable journey, and We Are Sovereign want to take you through every part of it with their music. Their motto is, “We speak for those who feel like giving up, we speak for those who feel like they have lost the way, and we speak for those who fear the unknown.”

It all started in 2019 in an apartment bedroom of co-vocalist and founder Laura Russell. After suffering for years with Gender Dysphoria since being a teenager and spending many years battling mental health, Laura had a life changing operation to feel comfortable within their own skin. The emotions of Laura’s experience are where a lot of the inspiration for the music, concepts and lyrics come from. When Laura had recovered from a journey of healing and finding themselves, they began to recruit members.

Co-vocalist Ash Ho replied to an ad from Russell. They set to work writing and recording vocal demos while still hunting for the rest of the members. Despite setbacks caused by the pandemic, WAS headed into the studio with Ben Gaines at the Godhand Initiative in Derby to prep their debut album, “Step Out Your Comfort Zone”. Both ‘Bridges Burnt Lessons Learnt (Betrayal)’ and ‘Nostalgia (Acceptance)’ did well with the media, including securing airplay on Kerrang! Radio.

Kerrang! Magazine writer & On Wednesday’s We Wear Black Podcast host Sophie K said:
“Do you remember that time where no decent band had just one vocalist? Some of my favourite bands were from that era. Two voices that work well together can add so much emotion to a track and that's exactly what we get with We Are Sovereign. When I found this band trawling the internet (so you don't have to), I saw that they have had substantial support from Johnny Doom on Kerrang! Radio. This makes sense as they have such a standout sound and hail from the East Midlands. I loved the fact that at times this song, ‘Nostalgia’, reminded me of Killswitch Engage with Howard Jones.”

The band spent the remaining months of 2022 in the studio working on the album and preparing behind the scenes to hit the stage. The story and journey of the band has played out almost backwards. However, with everything now in place, the band are set to conquer in 2023, and are ready to hit stages across the UK. With a view to bring their message of inclusivity and autonomy to the masses. Their mission is to encourage people to stand up to be who they want to be and yearn for people to be comfortable within themselves.