Ryan Hopewell - Roronoah 'An Introduction of Raw Aggression and Ferocity'

Brisbane’s own melodic deathcore force, Roronoah, are gearing up to make a serious impact on Australia’s heavy music landscape.

With their highly anticipated debut EP Accustomed To Hurt on the horizon (out July 25th) and an east coast tour set to introduce their powerful sound to new audiences, the band stands at a pivotal moment in their journey. We caught up with guitarist Ryan Hopewell to dive into the story behind Roronoah’s formation, explore the creative process fueling their upcoming release, and get an inside look at the ambitions driving this hungry, hard-hitting group as they prepare to carve out their place in the scene.

Whether you’re already a fan, or just discovering their relentless energy, this conversation offers a glimpse into the passion and determination that confirms why Roronoah are becoming ones to watch.

‍Hey Ryan, welcome to WoS. You guys are a pretty new act, so for the uninformed, tell us your origin story and why should heavy music fans listen to you?

‍Thanks Adam, yeah absolutely, we've only been around for 18 months or so, with only 12 months since we released our debut single. Kalani and I met through Facebook as we were both keen to start a heavy project, then Kalani was already good friends with Josh, so he jumped on, and we met Corie and Jude later on as they were coming to some of our first gigs and liked our stuff, so when we had former members move on, Jude and Corie jumped in and have done an incredible job.

It's the raw intensity mixed with our high standards of clarity that I think draws us apart from similar acts in the field. We take a lot of pride in being able to present our heavy sound with surgical-like precision.

‍Sounds like it was meant to be! Give us a roll call. Who makes up the band?

‍We have Kalani Weeks on Vocals, Jude Ridler on Drums, Corie Mathieson on Bass, Ryan Hopewell and Josh Eckersley on Guitars.

‍Roronoah is a unique and intriguing choice for a band name. Does it reflect your passion for One Piece, and what inspired you to express your love for the anime series through your music and branding?

‍Yeah for sure, One Piece was obviously the main influence for the name. We really dug the idea of a one word band name, we thought it would have a lot more sticking power than a longer name. Roronoa is a really strong/badass character in the series, his name comes from an old French pirate Francois l'Olonnais, We thought the idea of pirates listening to deathcore as they go about raiding ships was hilarious and really cool.

‍Deathcore pirates?! Now I won’t sleep at night, thanks. Your debut EP titled Accustomed to Hurt is dropping on July 25th. We've already been given a taste of what is to come with not one, but two singles titled 'Hush' and 'A Vice Like No Other'. These tracks are balls to the wall heavy and they seem to be somewhat of a step up from previous releases with the inclusion of new dynamics such as classical piano. Is this indicative of the music we are yet to hear from you guys?

‍Absolutely, it's really important to us that our songs have an atmosphere of fear surrounding them, we're not just here to slam the shit out of your ears for 3-5 mins. This EP was a great chance for us to explore musically and dive deeper into our roots as musicians, and fans of heavy/darker themed music/film, we were really able to paint a terrifying picture through the use of non-western influences and classical instrumentation.

The piano sections always remind me of that scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where Davy Jones is playing the organ with all his crazy tentacles, that's the vibe, there is definitely more of this to come.

‍What a frightening visual that would be to see on stage at a metal show. What is it from this upcoming EP that you are hoping listeners latch onto?

‍I think the melodic element and focus on songwriting is something that we hope listeners will appreciate, our goal with this EP was to deliver all the punches to the face that a deathcore fan could want, but wrapped in a neat and tidy package filled with levels of cinematic atmosphere and uneasy feelings.

‍Sounds like a deathcore fan's dream! I'm hearing influences from a range of vastly different acts within the heavy music realm when listening... From Slaughter To Prevail, to Kublai Khan tx and even an essence of Slipknot. How would you define your sound?

‍For sure, those guys are a huge influence to us. We strive to take elements of all of the above mentioned, as well as bands like Fit For An Autopsy, Thy Art is Murder, Shadow of Intent and Lorna Shore. To us, our sound is a dark blend of the raw aggression of deathcore, and the technical ferocity of death metal.

‍You guys aren't holding back, and are venturing out on your own headline tour down the east coast of Australia. Big moves! What can we expect at these shows? Any surprises?

‍You can expect a professional high- level show every night. We have been putting so much effort into making sure our sound is pin-point accurate and dialed in. We also have been lucky enough to team up with some mind-blowing acts in the scene, Arkangel, Okisma, Necrosis and Serpentry to name a few.

There will definitely be some cool crossover moments and lots of good times shared on this one.‍

‍Sounds like there’s a lot to be excited about. Looking past these shows, what can we expect from Roronoah as you guys continue on your path of an upwards trajectory?

‍EP number 2 will be out by year's end! We are super hungry to get more music out there and playing it live, we've been kicking at the door of the scene for a while now and with the release of our debut EP it's only made us more hungry to get ourselves out there.

‍Can’t wait to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to chat.

‍Interview by Adam Rice @riceyadam

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Pre-save Accustomed To Hurt here

Roronoah - Accustomed To Hurt EP tracklisting

1. You Love It
2. Hush
3. A Vice Like No Other
4. Tyrant Theory