Gideon has evolved over the years. While each record showcases anger, their latest effort brought a new side of animosity as the Alabama metal giants have stepped away from their Christain roots, and more. Out of Control was released on October 11th via Equal Vision Records (order here), and since then, the group has been touring in support of their new music. While the band are scheduled to embark on their UK/European tour with Stray From the Path and The Devil Wears Prada, guitarist Tyler Riley had some time to talk to us more about Out of Control. 

I read that you guys moved away from being categorized as Christian metal. Can you clarify this switch and has your personal faith changed?

Yeah, that’s true. We’re no longer representing that community like we used to. We all have somewhat varying perspectives and reasoning behind that, but yeah it has definitely all either changed or at the very least been called into question.

What were some of the challenges you’ve faced to make this change?

Some of our family members weren’t aware of all of this until it was public. Having it all in the open means we’ve had to have a lot of difficult conversations with people we love and care about.

Can you talk more about the title Out of Control as well as the title track?

It’s kind of a statement about not feeling under control anymore. The title track has a lot to do with understanding where you are in life – realizing there’s things you need to break free of but also a token of appreciation for the part of you that you refuse to lose and that you use to push you in your everyday life.

Your new album seems angrier than your prior efforts, what happened between the new album and 2017’s Cold?

It’s truly not any angrier than anything else we’ve done. It’s just expressed in a different way. Some people would argue that swearing in your music is a dumbing down or pointless tactic, but now you really see the passion behind what we’ve been saying and all of a sudden people say we’re angry. We’ve BEEN angry.

Are there any songs on the new album that was more challenging to write?

Well from a musical standpoint, experimenting with new styles can be challenging, but this album is full of stuff that we’ve always wanted to do and it all just came together so well. Lyrically, we were able to do the same, and it felt good to express ourselves.

What plans do you have for next year?

We have a spring tour in the US with a bunch of friends, we’re planning to headline at some point, and we’ll be playing overseas a few times!

How have the fans been reacting to the new material live?

It’s been so sick. “Bite Down” is a heavy hitter, we love them all though.

Is there anything else you want to say or add about the new album?

Just want to thank everyone that bought the album or gave it a listen. It’s a piece of our hearts, so try to give it a spin!

Gideon will return for a North American tour this spring supporting We Came As Romans 10th Anniversary To Plant a Seed trek. Check out the tour dates here.