UN: Beloved is one of the first bands to seemlessly blend metal, rock and hardcore. It's amazing how much you guys travel in a matter of minutes within your songs. Has it taken a long time for the band sound to finally come together or this what you had in mind all along?

Beloved: Since we've started, its pretty much been the same mindset as far as writing songs I guess one could say. We've definitely matured in the whole songwriting aspect of the band as the years have gone on, but I think we still have the same passion for melodic and aggressive music we always have.

UN: Would you say that Boysetsfire has had a big impact on you guys? I'd say that Beloved is an original band but the one band I hear similarities to is BSF. Do you think that sometimes they go overlooked for being one of the first hardcore bands to really throw in a lot of melody and dynamics? Their latest album was a bit lackluster, but they definitely don't seem to get enough credit.

Beloved: I know Josh and I used to love Boy Sets Fire back in high school. They were the first band that did the kind of stuff we're doing now that I really heard then. I do think they get overlooked a lot though. They kind of lost me after "After the Eulogy" came out. But I think they did kind of lay some groundwork for us as far as what a band like that should sound like.

UN: Would you say that the songwriting comes naturally for the band? What I mean is, you guys probably don't sit around and say ok we need a metal riff here and a clean riff here. It must flow when you guys are bringing up ideas.

Beloved: Yeah we're back in songwriting mode now, and it's definitely a pain in the butt. Ha. But it's a fun pain in the butt. We all seem to have different ideas when it comes to a new song, and we have to work through everything, and it seems like it just kind of falls together in the perfect way for us.

UN: Would you say that without Solid States support Beloved would still be a fairly unknown band? I'm sure a bigger label would have discovered the band eventually but Solid State just seems like the perfect home for the band. They seem to have really taken you guys under their wings too, and are doing whatever they can to get the name out there.

Beloved: The staff at Solidstate is full of wonderful people. Chad and Amanda have always stuck their necks out for us there, and I don't know of any other label that would do something like that. Since we've signed, the label has hired a few new amazing staff members who do nothing but kick it hard for us. The promotion for new releases has been getting better with each one, and we're really excited with whats to come with our new one next summer.

UN: Did it ever seem like you guys would be able to do this band thing full time in your EP days? It seems like heavier music and melodic music are just completely blowing up right now. To me it seems more like a passing trend, I think it just has more to do with the music being exposed to more people then it ever has before. It's hard to like a band if you've never heard them or heard of them before.

Beloved: Well back in the EP days, we were just getting out of high school (Josh was still in it), and Matt and I were doing college. So I guess we weren't really doing it full time then....but it came quickly with all of us dropping school. We just toured a lot, worked really hard, and I guess now we're able to do this full time.

UN: Are you guys excited about the upcoming UK tour? Is this the bands first time playing the UK? It seems like there is quite a hardcore scene in the UK. You pretty much hear of tours with every band you can imagine over there, and usually see package tours of 5 or 6 amazing bands.

Beloved: Oh yeah...we're definitely super stoked about the upcoming tour. It's the last tour of the year of the year for us, and we couldn't think of a better way to finish up. Coming over with Dead Poetic will be awesome too. We haven't met the Hurt Process yet, but just by talking to them, we're all ready to go overseas and rock it hard.

UN: Is there anywhere you'd like to hit with the band that you haven't been yet? I would assume that you guys would like to travel to Japan one day, but to be honest I really have no idea how popular this style of music would be there. I know they have a huge hardcore scene, but I'm not sure if the more melodic stuff is really well known there.

Beloved: I'd love to get to more of Europe sometime. As far as Japan goes, I know Stretch Arm Strong does pretty well there, and a lot of Solidstate/Tooth and Nail gets imported there and does well. I'd love to go sometime just for the sake of going, and I'd love to see how we could do.

UN: Do you think that the bands combination of heavy and melodic could almost be the musical equivalent of showing the dark side and the light side of everything? Your songs deal with some fairly heavy subject matter but the melodies that follow the heavier sections always bring a sense of hope into the songs.

Beloved: Yeah, definitely. That's a good statement. We're definitely not a gloomy band, and then again we're definitely not a light-hearted happy music band..ha. But the whole record for us deals with pushing on through times of failure, showing the hopefulness that comes through perseverance.

UN: Failure On has been since last year now. Has any thought been put into a new record yet? You guys still seem to be touring steadily though. Has anytime been put aside for later in the year to take time off to write?

Beloved: We really haven't had much time to write to be honest. But this tour we're on now with Between the Buried and Me and Glass Casket is our last one in the states for the year. Joe is getting married on November 13 too, so we're taking time off for that, and also getting a chance to write the new record. Hopefully we'll be recording in the early spring, and have the new disc out by summertime.

UN: You guys are on the bill for the Strhess fest this year. Are you guys excited about the show? I read over the lineup and it just blows my mind. It's definitely going to be a crazy turnout.

Beloved: Yeah, we're definitely super excited to be a part of this show. Our friends in Thursday invited us to play, and we're so stoked to come up and play with great bands like Converge, Finch, and As I Lay Dying. Derek Hess is an awesome dude, and is always doing great things for Cleveland, and I think this is gonna be the best thing he's done.

UN: Are there certain emotions you hope to envoke in people with Beloved's music? Do you want to touch people deeper then just having another cd added to their collection?

Beloved: Definitely. I think that if a band puts out a cd just to sit on a shelf, then its just a band being fake. Music is about emotion. If you put emotion and soul into your music, then you should definitely hope to envoke that same passion into the listener. I think that should go without saying. But I'm sure there are tons of bands that do just put out discs for the sake of putting out a disc.