New Jersey's Where the Ocean Meets the Sky will release 'Empires' on Oct. 12 via CI Records, the same label which gave lift off to August Burns Red, who hail from nearby Pennsylvania.

"We are people who've been in bands almost our whole lives," vocalist Blake Martin told Noisecreep. "We love music, hanging out, buffalo wings and dollar sliders. We just want to play to anyone who will listen -- and even to some of the people who won't!"

Listen to 'Mettle of Men'

Like any young band, Where the Ocean Meets the Sky have had their share of membership changes, but Martin looks at it as a positive, saying, "That has allowed us to arrive at what we feel is our perfect lineup."

They're sort of like a modern Lynyrd Skynyrd or Iron Maiden in that they use three guitarists in their neo-metalcore mix of clean versus screamed vocals and enough breakdowns to warrant being committed to a mental hospital. "Our sound is nice mix of the clean vocals and screaming vocals as well as three guitars that all compliment each other well," Martin said. "We do our best to have prevailingly positive message -- there is no need to breed negativity in a scene that is already filled with it. With us, the bottom line is that we love the music we're making, we love the chance to spread our work to the masses, and we're excited for people to get to hear 'Empires.'" If you like As I Lay Dying or Chiodos, you'll dig Where the Oceans Meets the Sky.

Where the Ocean Meets the Sky are planning to tour this fall, which is a grassroots, simple approach that all new bands must take in order to turn people's heads. Martin said, "As a young band, we have to be smart. When we're home, we all work and bank our money to get ready for the road. The biggest way to make touring work is to play hard every night, be approachable and open to your fans, and to give them something to remember."

The band gives something more to the fans by being easily and readily accessible after performance. Martin said, "If we play a great show, [we] leave it all on stage and make ourselves approachable. Not only do the people want merch, but they tell their friends and talk about us. Merch is where almost any band makes their money, and that's how we eat, have a place to sleep, etc. So [we're] creating not just fans, but promoters, people who will speak about us to others will breed success for us on the road.

"The most important thing is being smart with money so that we're able to stay out there and play hard every night. Talent is only a part of being a successful band; you have to be humble, you have to be passionate, and you have to be open and approachable to your fans."

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