Date Signed: April 18, 2020
Label: Prosthetic Records
Band Members: Kristian Grimaldi, guitar, vocals; Craig Breitsprecher, bass, vocals; Kyle Quintin, drums; Yegor Savonin, guitar, keyboard
Type of Music: Melodic Death Metal
Management: N/A
Booking: N/A
Legal: John Mason - Copyright Counselors Publicity: Becky Laverty, [email protected]
A&R: Steve Joh, [email protected]
It’s 2020. And you’re probably sheltering-in-place. If you don’t have a full album ready to shop, what exactly are you waiting for? Take Fires in the Distance, for example. As bassist Craig Bretsprecher explains, having a package ready to release likely played a role in their recent signing to metal label, Prosthetic Records. “We already had the artwork ready to go, the CDs pressed. … They didn't really have to take on a whole lot of risk, because this album was definitely coming out.” And since the band had already funded their debut LP, Echoes From Deep November, they were able to use the advance money to reinvest in the album’s marketing, and boost their live stage presence, etc.
But how did Fires in the Distance get in contact with Prosthetic in the first place? “I noticed that Prosthetic Records followed us on Instagram,” Bretsprecher amusingly admits. “I was like, ‘I think I should hit these guys up!’” And while his band was humbly skeptical, Breitsprecher decided to reach out anyway. Prosthetic’s A&R rep Steve Joh confessed he was a fan who pre-ordered the album based on friends’ recommendations. Rather than rest on the band’s laurels, Bretsprecher seized the moment and sent Joh a Dropbox link of the finished album. Not long after, Prosthetic drafted Fires in the Distance a three-album contract.
Before signing on the dotted line, the group did their due-diligence, asking a contract attorney and a signed band to look over the offer. Explains Bretsprecher, “If the label wants to sign you, you're not gonna turn them off by asking questions or understanding it. A contract in its nature is a commitment. And while you may be excited in the moment, I think it's really important to take a step back. … It's one of the most exciting signatures you could put on a piece of paper, but I think it's all the more important to keep yourself grounded and level, so everybody involved in that contract is getting what they're looking to get out of it.”
As part of the deal, the band’s debut album, Echoes From Deep November, will now drop in September.
