Singer Patrick Mulock - who once fronted Eidolon with former Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover and ex-Megadeth/King Diamond guitarist Glen Drover - along with two of his former bandmates in Rampage (guitarist Tyson Emanuel and drummer Chris Lewis) make up the Mississauga-based Phear. BraveWords scribe Carl Begai recently spoke with the group about their origins and their new album, Insanitarium. An excerpt from the in-depth conversation is available below.

BraveWords: Is it fair to say Phear conjured up from the ashes of Rampage? If so, given there are three of you from Rampage in Phear, what made you guys decide that Phear would work where Rampage didn't?

Tyson: “Rampage was going through a transition and at that time I had some angry riffs brewing; a new attitude on what I wanted to achieve musically. With each stage or chapter you learn and grow; always striving. There are no guarantees and the name change gives enough creative distance, kinda like getting a haircut.”

Chris: “For me, I believe Rampage ended prematurely. We had some unfinished business.  There was some magic between the members of Rampage but it got away from us. Pat was offered a stint with Eidolon and he wanted to pursue that opportunity. The band dissolved shortly thereafter but we kept in touch over the years and still talked about doing music with one another down the road, and Phear is the result of that desire and determination to reform.   

Patrick: “I stopped music in 2004, after the last Eidolon gig, so I was pretty much retired. Being friends, we all stayed in contact over the years. The original Rampage members came to my house for a party and by the end of the night a reunion sounded possible. When it was time to start, only three of us were available. Rick Reid had prior commitments to his black metal project, Eclipse Eternal. Tyson, Chris and I got together to see what gas was left in the tank. As it turns out there was a lot left, so we decided to go forward without Rick. Graham (Stirrett/guitars) was already a friend of mine, so I suggested that we check him out and Phear was born. We do it now for fun, and the fact that other people are enjoying what we are doing is a bonus. I honestly don't know what to expect from the music business anymore. What I do know is that when I'm singing for Phear, I feel like I'm in a safe place. I can express myself with this music and have a blast doing it. I'm excited to see where this goes.”

BraveWords: Phear is a traditional metal outfit, at least on the surface. If I throw the cliché question about musical influences...

Patrick: "Bands that influence Phear is a very individual question. You will get a lot of different answers from the other guys on this one. For me personally, the classic bands that I will always be listening to are Maiden, Bruce Dickinson’s solo stuff, Priest.  However newer bands that have made it to my ears as of late include In This Moment, Rammstein - not new, but new to me - Slipknot, Stone Sour, and of course Soilwork and Threat Signal."

Chris: "We all have our own unique musical influences that have shaped us individually. For me, it was R&B, soul, and many of the artists that my parents were listening to when I was younger. Motown music was big in my household when I was a growing up. But as I aged, I started to discover such bands as KISS, Aerosmith, Queen, Rush and Triumph, and this was my first introduction to hard rock. It grew from there over the years to include such bands as Judas Priest, Rainbow, UFO, Thin Lizzy, MSG, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Raven and Riot. Then I discovered the more melodic hard rock, such as Mr. Big, TNT, Talisman, Richie Kotzen, and King’s X, the latter being my favourite band to this day. I love melody, groove, and harmony. That’s what pulls me in"

Tyson: "Melodic and heavy is always one of my more favourite combinations. I am inspired by pretty much everything and elements of that bleed out of every creative orifice. Each listener will hear what they know. The more open you are the better you’ll be in anything." 

Stay tuned for more Phear, coming soon.

Phear released their debut album, Insanitarium on May 22 via Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby. Check out their new performance video for the song "Heaven" below:

Insanitarium consists of 12 songs (+1 bonus instrumental track) and features the following guest musicans - Glen Drover (Megadeth, King Diamond, Eidolon), Bjorn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork), Stan Miczek (Harem Scarem, Honeymoon Suite, Sass Jordan), Jon Howard (Threat Signal), Travis Montgomery (Threat Signal), Kelly Kereliuk (Prismind), Rick Reid (Eclipse Eternal, Rampage), Omar Ales (Harem Scarem), Mark Ferreira, and Basia Lyjak.

Check out the artwork and tracklisting below:

Insanitarium tracklisting:

“Regan’s Dream”
“Don’t Scream”
“Fallen”
“Heaven”
“Delusions”
“Proud”
“The Drowning Man”
“Until You Die”
“Motive’s Unknown”
“Bloodline”
“In The Name Of"
“Sea of Lies”
“Snap”

Phear have also debuted the video for “Don’t Scream” below:

"Reagan's Dream"featuring Jon Howard from Threat Signal:

Visit Phear on Facebook here.