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Fast-rising Welsh riff slingers Root Zero have just released their massively engrossing debut album, Dark Rainbow. Guitarist Llyr Williams (and fellow fan of The Chicks) talks us through the background of the band:
What are the origins of the band, and how long have you been playing together?
So the band’s been going in its current form since 2022 when Giac moved to keys, and we brought in our bassist, Rob. Prior to that, we bought in Wren our guitarist in 2021, and the rest of us had been starting up since 2020, but Giac’s been writing music and trying to get Root Zero off the ground since about 2016, I wanna say? Our singer, Sasha, our drummer Josh, and myself (Llyr) had been involved in various line-ups back then, but we moved away and didn’t really get going until we were all in Cardiff.
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Root Zero?
Giac and Sasha like the term ‘ethereal metal’ which I think is a pretty good descriptor to be fair. In terms of how I interpret that, I’d say it’s elements of post-metal, prog rock, and some goth-y bits. Essentially just riffs, weird arrangements and too many genre influences to count wrapped up in a blanket of atmospheric vibe.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
Our first actual gig with a set line-up was a benefit show for a Ukrainian Aid charity which we were asked to headline. It came kinda out of the blue but we met some great bands that night, including our longtime friends in Karmen Field. Talking about our first time on stage though, we did a little warmup the week before at an open mic, and I think that definitely alleviated some of our nerves haha.
What are you working on at the moment that people can check out?
We’ve just released our debut full-length album, Dark Rainbow.
Regarding a similar audience, which band at the minute do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
There’s so many comparisons I want to draw like Porcupine Tree, Holy Fawn and Opeth (we called ourselves ‘bargain bin Opeth’ at Bloodstock for promo) but I think fans of Anathema would probably really enjoy our music. We try to go for that vibe but with our own modern riffy twist on it. Also probably fans of Church Road/Pelagic bands.
Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
There’s too many to count around our area honestly; Wales is so underappreciated in terms of its heavy music scene. I’d say Thrakian personally because their music fully scratches that post-metal itch in my brain. Our friends in Karmen Field and Painted As Monsters absolutely deserve your attention too but Thrakian for me is criminally underrated.
What frustrates you about the music business?
Social media navigation and the tendency towards short-form content for sure. I get that times change but if we get management at some point and someone tells us we need to do a tiktok dance or some other bullshit trend, I would vehemently refuse. Some bands do it, and that’s no judgement from me, but there are a LOT of bands in heavy music where the art matters far more than the trends, and the industry has sadly veered towards the latter.
What are your first musical memories? And what lightbulb moment made you say, “I want to do that”?
For me, it was a couple of things when I was very young: we had this local alt rock band called Epitaff play at my primary school once and it was the coolest thing ever (found their music recently and it hasn’t held up haha) and also seeing a Fleetwood Mac’s live film ‘The Dance’ on Sky when I was around the same age. Lindsay Buckingham at that moment was just the coolest guitar player ever, my grandad playing guitar, and me getting a guitar that Christmas was really a combination of stuff that led me to today. We were always a musical family, and I originally wanted to play accordion, so I had to learn piano, but guitar was just too cool to ignore.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
That would be the quarter finals of Metal To The Masses last week to support the bands. Mates in Karmen Field and Paradox To Stay were playing as well as Exaust and Nothing Minor, who are absolutely incredible performers. Sadly, Paradox To Stay and Nothing Minor got knocked out of the round, but the other two bands are gonna really bring it hard in the next round.
What current social issues are you particularly passionate about?
Root Zero is and always will be strongly antifascist and an inclusive band for everyone against hateful and oppressive views. Anyone who discriminates is not welcome in this scene.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Haha time for me to flex my pretentiousness; I’m a big fan of The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) thanks to my mum. They’ve got too many bangers across all of their albums so I’m gonna have to say The Essential The Chicks album which is just kind of a ‘best of’. Giac, Sasha and myself saw them at Cardiff Castle a few summers ago now and it was just amazing.
Everybody is a fan of something. Who or what are you a fan of?
Damn, broad question. Since we’re in the middle of it now, I’m a big fan of summer. The vibes of socialisation, hanging out, good food, feeling healthy etc, are unbeatable. If I could move to somewhere that’s summery and warm all year I 100% would.
What new music have you been enjoying so far this year?
Well, just recently the new Loathe single has been on pretty constant repeat for me, plus Johnny Booth and Fromjoy have also released equally crazy heavy tracks around the same time. On a technicality, I’ve been really enjoying the Apricity EP by Vower, and whilst the EP was released middle of last year, they have a live version coming out in a few days from now which I’m stoked for. I adore a good live performance video/album.
What does the rest of 2025 hold for Root Zero?
2025 I think is gonna be a year of just seeing where the album takes us honestly. I think we want to let it breathe, do a couple of shows and just enjoy having it out in the world. We’ve already got a bunch of new music ready to record so we’re gonna take our time and start recording later in the year with no big stress.
How active are you on social media, and where can people connect with you?
We try our hardest to keep up with the activity, but honestly, we just do what we can to get along, y’know. We’re on near enough all the big ones, other than Twitter, just search Root Zero on Facebook/Insta and look for pictures of people with too much hair headbanging (don’t mistake us for the posh Waitrose potato brand). Everything can be found here as well: https://linktr.ee/root_zero
ROOT ZERO are:
Sasha Bannister: Lead Vocals
Giacomo Fiderio: Keyboards/Co-lead vocals
Llyr Williams: Guitar
Wren Wood: Guitar
Rob Edwards: Bass
Joshua Powell-Gibbs: Drums
Photo credit – Stu Rowles Photography.
