Tiberius

Tiberius Limelight

Scottish prog-metallers return with second full-length //Mosaic// and explain why they like to unite fans in “weirdness.”

As Tiberius enter our video call one by one to a simulated scene of an amphitheater in the woods, //Prog// wonders what we’ve let ourselves in for. Having released their debut album, //A Peaceful Annihilation// on the eve of the Covid lockdown era, the Scots haven’t had the easiest ride. Despite that, once the world opened up the band made notable achievements including several festival slots at the likes of Radar Festival, Euroblast and Prog Power, which saw the cultivation of a dedicated fanbase. “At Radar [in ‘22] it felt like a lot of people were like, ‘Who the hell are these Tiberius guys?’ but the chatter afterward was really positive,” guitarist Chris Foster explains. Their return in ’23 saw a much more deliberate and dedicated congregation of fans of the band, who really wanted to witness the somewhat chaotic live show that Tiberius has become known for. Vocalist Grant Barclay tells us, “[It’s] such a joy to be in front of people who are as weird as we are and want to revel in that weirdness.”

New album //Singing For Company// was originally due out in 2023, but the collective realised they wanted to wait to get it “absolutely right”. Now due in March, the band believes their sophomore album deserves the “best possible chance” after the struggles faced with //A Peaceful Annihilation//. “We’re not releasing an album in a pandemic this time, so there is that,” guitarist Jahan Tabrizi says, “But there is plenty of global atrocity to go around which is taking up a lot of people’s brain space. That’s a very scary thing in itself. We’re hoping that music can be a bit of an escape from that.” Despite facing struggles with digital marketing, and the usual apprehension leading up to a release, the main feeling is one of excitement in the Tiberius camp. “The big thing that we’re excited about is just to showcase to everybody how far we’ve come as songwriters,” Tabrizi says, “I know you think we sound like Protest the Hero a lot, but we actually don’t.”

At the time of writing, the lead single from //Singing For Company/, //Tip Of The Spear//, is nearing 65,000 views on YouTube. “That’s the most views we’ve had on any single so far,” Tabrizi states. Meanwhile,//Mosaic// which has been out just four days, has exceeded 30,000 and looks set to smash that record. Tiberius recognise that the initial success of //Singing For Company//’s singles is down to their dedicated supporters. “The most important thing is our existing fanbase loves the new stuff, and they’re the ones that are stoked to see us live, or buying merch, or asking when they can pre-order. Really, that’s what matters,” Tabrizi explains.

Tiberius also put that success down to a deeper exploration of their sound. “I think the stuff we have on the new one gets much harder and much weirder, but it does it when it should,” Foster explains, “I think our songwriting has improved a lot.”

“I think there are a lot of Iron Maiden moments, and this time around I was really able to get across our Twelve Foot Ninja influence,” Tabrizi adds, “But if I don’t have people committing war crimes in the pit to the Mosaic riff, I will be very upset.” CF

PROG FILE

Line-Up: Grant Barclay (vocals), Jahan Tabrizi (guitar), Ryan Anderson (bass), Chris Foster (guitar), Nick Kelly (drums)

Sounds like: The anthemic choruses of stadium rock intertwined with the deeply engaging intricacy of prog, laced with riffs you’ll spin kick your nan to!

Current release: //Singing For Company// is out on March 21st.

Website: https://www.wearetiberius.com/

— Cheri Faulkner