A Conversation With BeaconFire
Following the release of their debut album, "Sudden Trauma", I reached out to BeaconFire to ask them some questions about the creative process of the LP and much more.
Hi Pal,
If you’re new here, welcome to this space. I hope you stick around.
About BeaconFire: They are a metalcore band from Western North Carolina, around the Asheville area. Many different influences have aided in the creation of their music, including bands like ERRA, TesseracT, Volumes and Veil of Maya, drawing inspiration from djenty and groovy sounds.
Eli grew up in WNC and started writing lyrics at 6 years old, then transitioned into poetry before finally fully jumping into creating over 40 lyric sets with hopes of putting music to them one day. After trying multiple avenues, nothing seemed like it would come of it.
Then along came Stephen, who grew up near Orlando, Florida. He had played in bands that played alongside other bands like Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, As I Lay Dying, etc. and had a background in worship music and music production.
Together, in 2019, they dropped their first single “Mend & Repair” and created their first EP “The Real”, which differs from their metalcore sound, taking on a more alternative rock approach similar to bands like Circa Survive. Nothing came from those products, partially due to COVID and an inability to play local live shows.
Then in January 2021, they released their single “Emm Kay”, which began their growth into a naturally heavier sound. Since then, they worked on and finally released their debut LP Sudden Trauma.
Introduction
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to give more attention to metal and metalcore in the newsletter. There are many genres and subgenres that I enjoy within heavy music, and multiple Christian artists that are creating great music.
Progressive metalcore happens to be one of my favourite subgenres and is the best expression of metalcore, in my humble opinion. It’s a genre that is quite technically expressive and layered, and as such, requires quality production and skillful guitar work to be able to pull off successfully.
This is where BeaconFire won me over. Before I paused to deeply explore their lyricism, I was taken aback by the sheer quality of the music and the way it matched up to what is obtainable on the scene globally. I realized that it could not have been easy to achieve this, and I wanted to have a conversation with them in celebration of this body of work.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The Conversation
Q: Hi guys. 2025 feels like a big year for you, with the release of your debut album. How has the year treated you so far?
What’s up! Personally, it’s been a good year for both of us, filled with the normal life challenges with work and family life. Musically speaking, it’s been very cool. We’ve been ecstatic to see how many folks have given our music a listen and even more so if they’ve gone the extra mile to read the lyrics.
Q: Before speaking about the new album, Sudden Trauma, what is the inspiration behind the name BeaconFire?
So Stephen’s wife came up with it in 2019 when we started tracking music, and we all dug it. Originally, off the bat, it did not have a definitive meaning behind it, but since then, it’s been great to see how our Creator has utilized that name and given a meaning to us.
Beacons of fire have been used throughout history as a signal to warn people of any approaching enemy, which would allow for defense systems to be put in place. The spiritual application of that meaning we’ve haphazardly inherited is that our music can be taken as a warning of the persistent attacks of the spiritual enemy we all face as Christ followers.
Q: I’ve spent a few hours with Sudden Trauma and as a huge fan of progressive metalcore, it’s been one of my favourite albums of the year (so far). Can you share the inspiration behind the record and bits about the recording process?
First of all, thank you so much for truly giving it a thorough listen. That truly means more to us than I can put into words. Also, we’re beyond stoked that you’d throw it in the list of contenders for your AOTY considering all the killer music that’s been dropped thus far this year.
So this record has been quite the work-in-progress for some time now, considering we only have the time to devote to it one day a week, especially considering the responsibility of our full-time work and family lives. Naturally, with us being followers of Christ, allowing His Holy Spirit to guide us makes it fairly simple for the creative juices to flow musically and lyrically.
The latter end of the process became a more daunting task. This involved tracking our ideas and layering everything in production, thoroughly mixing every track to where we want it, with constant revisions while comparing to our favorite albums in the secular space.
Then finally, with a breath of fresh air, we mastered the tracks to the quality standards of the metalcore scene. We did all of that ourselves with no outside funding. It’s been pretty challenging, yet so rewarding at the same time.
Concerning the inspiration behind the album, it incidentally came together quite nicely with the title of the album being “Sudden Trauma”. I say that because a lot of this album can be viewed as various sorts of traumatic events that many folks can find relatable, with the cherry on top being that even after all the trauma, your eyes and ears can be focused back to God knowing that He has always got your back.
Q: Concept albums are fascinating in their execution because when you pay attention, you can identify the elements that bring the project together. I love the choice to have the songs lead into each other, and I especially enjoy the triad Heart Seeking Spirit, Homesick and Gift of Saline. What are some of the creative choices that you made in the process of making the record?
When writing the album, we knew early on that we wanted it to focus on trauma. We had the rough skeleton of lyrics written before the music, which made it a fun challenge to match the tonality of each song to the lyrical theme. Because of that, we tried to repeat certain hooks or rhythms throughout to make the entire album feel like a full thought. We also set an order to the songs to invoke certain feelings.
The album opens with a declaration of Christ and ends with the judgment of Christ. Homesick is a song about missing the simplicity and beauty of being a child, and then goes into Gift of Saline, which is about ending life before it can begin. Removed From The Earth is about our loved ones who have died from substance abuse, and is then backed up by The Grieving, which, you guessed it, is about grieving. Each song plays off of the others.
Q: Do you have a favourite tune(s) and can you talk about why you love them?
Eli: Genuinely, it’s hard for me to choose a favorite. When creating the album, for the longest time, Sudden Trauma was by far my least favorite of the 10. Once we came back to it after finishing up all of the other tracks, we had a eureka moment, changed a few things and then suddenly it became a banger, no pun intended. I love how heavy that track is and the progression of heaviness in it. However, I believe The Grieving is holding a sweet spot in my heart as I go back and listen to it. I enjoy the half and half; with the first half being a somber, melancholic, yet beautiful experience, then it slaps you with heaviness, then a double time and back to the chorus to finish it off. Which is all fitting, since it’s the perspective of a grieving loved one, which we wrote because we both lost people we loved at the same time to substance abuse.
Stephen: I would say I love Sudden Trauma. It's a fun one to play, but also I think one of the best songs off the album. But my favorite off the album is Removed From the Earth. This song means a lot to me personally, and the music is just a groove that I love.
Q: What do you hope that this album does for the listener?
Eli: If anything, I hope that those who give it a shot will truly enjoy it for what it is: a metalcore album that is completely self-funded, produced, mixed, and mastered by us. From a spiritual perspective, I pray that somewhere in this album, good seeds are planted in the lives of those who hear it and subsequently lead them toward Christ.
Stephen: The hope is that people would turn to the Lord amidst their time of trauma, and also understand that trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, so be understanding of those around you.
Q: As you have grown in faith, what nuggets from scripture have you learnt along the way that has shaped who you are today?
Too many to count, truly. I will say that the multiple verses that seemingly conclude that with everything in life, nothing happens by coincidence. Keeping that in mind, sometime around 2014, a man whom I had never seen in my life prophesied over me while I was worshipping.
He said that he saw me as a mailman delivering letters that were marked with foreign postage stamps to the world. That smacked me at the time, and I knew that this guy didn’t know that I had written over 40 sets of lyrics to eventually be made into music — I didn’t know if these lyrics would ever become actual songs.
So 5 years go by, and I meet Stephen via a relative of a best friend of mine and began creating music with him. I’m beyond blessed to have witnessed a prophecy from the Holy Spirit come full circle like that. Praise God.
That’s all for today. If you’re new to BeaconFire, check out the links below.
Listen to Sudden Trauma:
Sudden Trauma (2025) — All Links
Connect with BeaconFire:
Feel free to leave a comment. Also, I am always open to hearing from you so feel free to send an email to me at stismavo@gmail.com