Biography
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Years Active
2003 – 2006 (3 years)
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Founded In
Southampton, England, United Kingdom
Rather* is no longer active. This is their 2005 biography.
Rather* began honing their riffs in the summer of 2003, when a mutual love of heavy music, and a general weariness with the baggage that usually accompanies it, spurred them to forge a new evolution of metal.
All four members have thoroughly exorcised their demons of youthful angst, having been regular faces on the Southampton live circuit since the late nineties with their previous bands (Dilutral, Down:Time, Flatline and Counterpoint), so Rather* was conceived to inject a dose of positivity and a splash of humour into the UK metal scene. Far from being tortured souls, Rather* realise that there isn't a great deal that can be achieved by sitting around moaning about things.
Picking up where fallen heroes of UK Metal like earthtone9 and Vacant Stare left off, Rather* collide great slabs of metal riffage with funk-tinged grooves, flyaway melodies and the odd spot of math-core fret-board wizardry. With other points of reference including Faith No More, Mudvayne and Sikth, you can be sure that no point on the musical spectrum will be taboo for Rather*.
Lyrically, Kai shies away from the usual omni-directional hatred, leaning more towards cryptic social commentary, psychedelic contemplation and occasional bursts of specifically targeted invective.
Even in the aesthetic, Rather* are keen to distance themselves from the common-or-garden occultish or quasi-religious imagery. Apart from flicking the ubiquitous horns every once in a while, that is.
In the end, Rather* are much like a cartoon - they may be violent and a little crazy, but it is all done with the spirit of fun, nobody really gets hurt and everything is back to normal by the time the credits roll.
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