Saving Grace
Auckland's Christian Warriors
By: Greg Prato (Posted By: Bear Frazer)
Last updated February 10th , 2010

When you think of hardcore-metal, New Zealand is not usually the first locale that comes to mind. But as evidenced by the vicious attack of local favorites Saving Grace on their sophomore effort, Unbreakable, these lads certainly hold their own. Comprised of members Nick Tautuhi (vocals), Vasely Sapunov (guitars), George White (bass), and Ben Davidson (drums), Saving Grace originally formed in Auckland, circa 2005. 
    
The idea for the band can be traced to a phone conversation between Nick and Vasely, when the singer sought to "Sing about my newly found fondness - not yet commitment - of the Lord. Shortly thereafter, Vasely touched base with two other friends, Bruce Reid (bass) and Mark Stitchbury (drums), resulting in the line-up that unleashed the group's self-titled EP - recorded in just over a month. Subsequent releases followed - including 2008's Behind Enemy Lines - before a more permanent line-up was constructed (featuring White and Davidson as the rhythm section).
    
To borrow a quote from the group's Myspace page, "The band's songs deal with many personal and social topics including addiction, betrayal, violence and abuse, with the main lyrical focus being one of friendship, hope, faith, salvation and redemption through the Cross on which Christ was crucified before he rose from the dead." It's hard to argue with a statement like that, so we'll just let Nick and Vasely take over from here.

101D.com: Who are some of the band's influences?

Nick:  Musically, man, so much. We listen to everything from Pantera to T-Bone Walker. Some major influences are bands and artists like Slayer, Carcass, Zao, Impending Doom, Damien Rice, Gary Moore...the list could go on. But for me, I guess there are a couple of vocalists who amaze me big time, like George Fisher from Cannibal Corpse, Karl Buechner from Earth Crisis, B-Real from Cypress Hill. And as far as topics go, that's just life being life and me interpreting it really.

101D.com: Describe each band member's personality.

Nick:  Wow. Uh, George is easily one of my favorite people in the world. He is so gentle and considerate, his heart is so genuine. His sense of humor is killer too, also has great taste in music and comedy. Just a wonderful dude. Vasely is the most driven person I know. He went from being a drug fueled mess to cleaned up passionate edge virtually over night. He has put in more work for this band than I have put into anything in my life, his integrity is powerful and his convictions are true, and he can talk his way into or out of pretty much anything you can imagine. He is a total individual and I have so much respect for him. Ben is one of the funniest people I know. He can make anything funny and his laughter is so infectious, it's insane. He is more sensitive than you would think him to be and me...I don't know. I'm melancholic and morose. I like solitude. I try to be passionate and consistent but generally have a hard time with it. I'm extreme in every sense. No middle ground. Kinda all or nothing type deal...often works to my detriment, but it's ok. The Lord seems to use me despite this, and I love the things I love with everything I have.

101D.com: What is the music scene like in New Zealand, and specifically, the hardcore scene?

Nick:  Small. Pretty much everyone knows everyone or knows of everyone. It's tight knit in many senses, but there are always negatives to every scene, which I would rather not talk about. I guess it's the same across the board though.

101D.com: How would you compare Behind Enemy Lines to Unbreakable?

Nick:  Hmmm. It's hard to compare it honestly. I mean, we were kids when we wrote most of Behind Enemy Lines, a lot of that material is super old. I guess Unbreakable is more mature in a lot of senses, a lot more thoughtful. I feel like we have progressed a lot, both as musicians and individuals, and it comes through in what we do. But at the core of it, it's still the same thing. Four dudes writing music that we love and singing about something that matters and that is relevant. It's our livelihood.

Vasely:  The new record is heavier, bigger and more mature for sure. I think a lot of people will be surprised with Unbreakable, if they didn't think we could top BEL.

101D.com: Looking back on Behind Enemy Lines, how does it hold up today?

Nick:  I still think that it holds it's own well. It serves the purpose that the Lord gave it and I believe that it will continue to do so.

101D.com: What was going on during the recording process for Unbreakable?

Nick: Honestly, it was a tough time for me. A lot of conflict in some very close friendships and a lot of instability in my work life. A lot of tears and anger. A lot of difficulty within my relationship with God. Yeah, some hard times. But recording was great, Zorran is an awesome friend and a great guy to work with, very honest and very encouraging. I also put a lot more work into my vocal patterns this time around, which is new. I usually just open my mouth and let it fly, but this time I had been listening to a lot more Cannibal Corpse and was very inspired to push my boundaries (laughs)!

Vasely: The only regret I have for that album is the lack of promotion it received in the US. I would love to see that record re-released in North America, it's still some of our best work in my opinion, and I am really proud of what we did on it.

101D.com: Which are your favorite songs on Unbreakable, and why?

Nick:  "All, But The Archer," "Where it Rains" and "The Determined Drunk." "Archer" because of the importance of the message that I was trying to portray, you now? Child abuse is a very real and very present thing. And I just wanted to give an honest take on the effects it has, but the hope that lies in the light and love of Jesus Christ. I live with my experiences every day. Every single day. And I'm not going to lie, it sucks. But my Lord gives me peace and hope. He has shown me His ability to use the worst that this world can do for His glory and to help others. My trauma was not in vain, because I was able to put it into the hands of Jesus and the same applies to everyone. EVERYONE. We are a generation of Gidians. Called from the bottom to rise, despite our wounds and handicaps. "Where it Rains" because I wrote it for my wife, she has insomnia and I so wish that I could take her to the place that I describe in that song. The place is heaven. It's about hope and who our hope lies within. The Lord. And "Drunk"...I don't know. It's real, you know? It's hard hitting and epic. Just listen I guess. I put heaps of work into that song too so I guess thats another thing about it (laughs)!



Vasely: Some of my favorites would have to be "Unbreakable," "All, But The Archer" and "Oaxaca," because they are some of the most timeless songs we have written, and the lyrical content in each of those songs is really special to me and hopefully will be to many of the people who hear them.

101D.com: What can fans expect from seeing Saving Grace live?

Nick:  Energy. Maybe a bit of spit. And I like to think that our Lord will show up. We have had some amazing experiences at some of our shows. No two are the same really. Come and see for yourself!

Vasely:  You get to see four dudes playing heavy music the only way the have ever known how. Legit - with no gimmicks or synchronized crab dancing.

101D.com: What are the group's touring plans in support of the new album?

Nick:  Well, we are playing Parachute Music Festival on the 29th and 30th of January with some great bands like Underoath, and will be doing a short stint in the North Island of New Zealand the following week with our great friends from Australia, Bloodsport, starting in our hometown and going up to Auckland and Whangarei. Then off to Australia in April for Easterfest to play with the likes of As I Lay Drying. New Zealand is pretty limited because it's so small, you know?

Vasely:  After that we plan to return to the US to hopefully hit cornerstone as well as a decent package tour, and if all goes well we will be in Europe later this year and possibly even Asia.

101D.com: How do you think Saving Grace fits in with the modern day metal/hardcore scene?

Nick:  Well, both the metal and hardcore scenes are so diverse, I think there is room for anything nowadays. So yeah, I'm fairly confident that we can bring something interesting to the table...God willing.

Vasely:  We are the only dudes on our tours who are still rolling 3XL tee shirts, fitteds, bandanas and jerseys - if anything we probably don't fit in at all anymore (laughs)! We keep it real though, we just play the kind of music we would want to hear. Our albums have breakdowns, blast beats, death metal riffs and rap grooves all in the same song. I don't think there are too many bands doing that these days, so hopefully we stand out a fair bit amongst our peers on the shelf.

[Tags] Rock, Metal

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