eyes set to kill...in the eyes of a criminal

Eyes Set to Kill, a band hailing from the sun-scorched landscapes of Tempe, Arizona, has overcome an ever evolving and changing line up with a pair of sister being the only constant. Currently set with a group of members comprised of Alexia on vocals and guitar, Anissa on bass, Brandon screaming and playing the keyboards, Greg on guitar, and Caleb keeping the sound steady on drums, they have hit the road with determination taking no shortcuts in seeing their dreams realized. Although fairly musically uninteresting, what the band lacks in guitar riffs and lyrical strengths they make up for in scene-friendly style and enthusiasm.

The band name has its roots in the poetry of the band’s vocalist and one of the band’s fore founding members. According to Brandon, “Eyes Set To Kill is like seeing things through the eyes of a criminal…completing your goals.” Perhaps to get the complete meaning you would have to delve into the band’s personal artifacts and find the very poem that is its namesake.

Sisters, Alexia and Anissa, have always been the backbone of the band and have fought to keep it going. The band, as a concept, came together “about four or four and a half years ago…through the local music scene.” When members didn’t work out, they were replaced through auditions or by the ever helpful word-of-mouth campaigns. Brandon was in a different band at the time and when that fell through, the girls wanted him to be in their band. Caleb was auditioned in and with Caleb eventually came his friend, Gregg. And with that final addition, the line up was complete and Eyes Set To Kill as the scene knows it was born.

Music saturates the lives of the band members, as is present within the environment of any tour van. Without the baggage and street of “serious jobs” it’s their lifestyle. They tour nonstop and “it’s just a really awesome opportunity” for the five individuals. They get to “travel, hang out, have fun, and do what [they] want to do while spreading [their] music.” Meeting people that are affected by the songs they write, fuels the creative process and spurs the desire to churn out more emotionally aware lyrics. “Sometimes we’ll meet people,” explains Brandon. “and they’ll say that a song really helped them through a problem in their life.” It must be comforting to know that your efforts are making other’s lives easier. Brandon’s personal favorite song from Eyes Set To Kill’s material is Violent Kiss because “it’s really energetic and fun to play.” Running a close second, is Holding On, also because of its jovial nature.

First begun in the company of Alexia and Greg, the songs find life when they begin to “start off and just jam.” The guitars lay the foundations and then the skeleton of a song is taken to Caleb and Anissa. If Alexia doesn’t already have some vocal ideas then Brandon intervenes and places screaming amidst the lyrics already in place. The process is one of community and shared ingenuity.

The music is burgeoning with new acts on a regular basis and it can be hard to stand or hard to create a concrete message and place for yourself among the chaotic cacophony. Brandon hopes that the band is sending the message that “Hey, girls can be in the music scene, too,” he utters as he formulates the rest of his answer. “That’s one thing we are trying to push, that anyone can do it.” That and the fact that a band doesn’t have to easily fit into a genre or be pigeon-holed into a specific rack at the CD store. Eyes Set To Kill has some songs that are “super heavy” intertwined between those “that are poppy because you have to have a little more diversity in music…you don’t have to have an album with eleven songs that sound the same.” They have figured out how to mingle aspects from other genres into the unified sound that has come to represent their band.

Already boasting a record contract with BreakSilence Records and touring nonstop across the United States, Eyes Set To Kill has several achievements of which they should be proud. Brandon consults other band members in the van before listing what he considers to be the greatest on that list. “Man. You have really good questions. I’ve never had such intense questions,” he offers. “I just don’t know. We’ve been pretty happy with our album sales…it is our first album and all. And it’s on an indie label. We’re really proud of that. Just the doors we have been able to get in.” They haven’t won any awards, at least not at this point in time, but they are quite proud of the distances that the band has been able to travel – literally and figuratively.

Making friends makes their tour experience worth it all. “Pretty much every band we go on tour with ends up being really good friends by the end of the tour.” Brandon explains with a sort of kid-in-a-candy shop excitement in his tone. But there are downsides to making a tour van your home. “It’s basically like being homeless for six to eight weeks at a time.” So if you’re planning on attending an Eyes Set To Kill show let the intensity of the music overpower the scent of unwashed musical travelers. And you will have ample opportunity to see such a show, for in October and September the outfit will take off once again across the United States to greet eager fans. And for those not able to make a live performance, the video for Darling will soon be premiering, so you can see Brandon, Alexia, Anissa, Greg, and Caleb on a computer screen somewhere near you.