How Immense Tragedy Informed Prepared Like A Bride's New Album

Gold Coast metalcore group Prepared Like A Bride's Overcomer is an album borne out of terrible darkness. In November 2012, roughly five months into the writing process, vocalist Ryan Bowles' father was suddenly killed.

“My dad was flying a light aircraft with another pilot, and basically there was an emergency accident that claimed both of their lives,” he recalls with a remarkable calm. “From there that just stirred up huge, different emotions and feelings, and all sorts of anger and a whole bunch of stuff that we just channelled into this album and into the writing process.”

The subsequent writing and recording process “definitely helped [me] vent a lot”, yet despite the devastating turn of events, the album wasn't simply an exercise in pain relief.

“I think it can be taken directly in my circumstance, but on top of that I've seen a lot of family members lose battles to cancer, I've seen friends lose their lives in terrible accidents, and I know a lot of other people have as well. It's not just me.

"The title Overcomer is not just for myself, but for absolutely everybody and anybody that has had to face horrible circumstances – many that are a lot worse than mine.”

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