Montreal metalcore band Now And On Earth are starting things off with a bang: the band's debut album, Blacked Out, is coming out on punk heavy-hitter Epitaph Records (Bad Religion, Retox, Raised Fist, and many others, from the great quiet-rock of The Weakerthans to modern metalcore bands like Falling In Reverse and Bring Me The Horizon). Quite the start for the band, who are ready to make their particular strain of metalcore known to the masses. Even if they don't really embrace the "metalcore" label.

"We don’t see ourselves as a metalcore or 'scene band,'" says Now And On Earth vocalist Marc-Andre Fillion. "We all have different music backgrounds and influences, so that’s exactly what makes us special."

Fans of modern metalcore (let's be honest, despite bands never wanting to admit they fit into genre classifications: between the breakdowns, vocal glitches, and good cop/bad cop singing, Now And On Earth are metalcore) just might think that Now And On Earth are special, or at the very least, are capable of becoming upper-tier material. The songs on Blacked Out display a rock-solid tightness and skill level that shows that these young pups know what they're doing. Apparently, Epitaph thinks so too.

"We got signed a couple years ago with [previous band] Skip The Foreplay," says Fillion of how the union formed. "Half of the band left and after a long talk we decided to create a whole new band. We’ve all evolved and that is what started Now And On Earth. Since day one Epitaph has been there for us through it all; they’re just amazing."

And speaking of Epitaph, the label makes a point of mentioning the album's dark lyrical content; that alone when talking about a heavy band is about as unique as saying they're either a four- or five-piece, but considering that Skip The Foreplay were known as being a "partycore" band (with dubstep elements, which may or may not be true; I ain't going to investigate claims like that), it seems like it's worth bringing up. But when pressed, Fillion doesn't give much explanation as to why it's dark. But he says that it's part of the whole package.

"The lyrics are very theatrical," explains Fillion. "We wanted to create a whole dark and dramatic experience through every aspect of the album."

So onwards the band goes, attempting to navigate the crowded and congested sea of modern metalcore in the somewhat odd position as a Canuck outsider with the backing of a big label behind them. But Fillion says that when it comes to music, geography doesn't matter.

"Well, being a Canadian band doesn’t change anything, really," he says. "I think people want good bands to listen to; where they come from doesn’t really matter."

And no matter how excited Fillion is about his band's first album (and he's excited: "We’re feeling fuckin' great about the album; it’s a new beginning for us," he enthuses), he is also looking forward to the future, as any member of any young band should be, really.

"We‘re all really proud of what we have accomplished with Blacked Out," he says, "but this is just the beginning. Be on the lookout; we have much more to come!"