Interviews About Albums: Fueled By Fear - Ordinary Evil (2026)

In this new interview, we sat down with the Swiss Metalcore/Melodic Death Metal band Fueled By Fear to ask questions about their album "Ordinary Evil". 

1. What can you say about this new "Ordinary Evil" EP?

Ordinary Evil is the result of about four years of work, scrapped, rebuilt, questioned, and rebuilt again. It's the most honest and mature thing we've ever put out. We took full control of the production process, which gave us the freedom to really experiment: with harmonies, dynamics, tempo changes, and arrangements we wouldn't have dared try before. There were moments where it would have been easier to quit, but pushing through that resistance is essentially what the EP is about. We came out the other side as better musicians and, honestly, a closer band. We're incredibly proud of what this became.

2. What is the meaning of the EP name?

The title is inspired by Hannah Arendt's concept of the "banality of evil" from her book Eichmann in Jerusalem, the idea that evil rarely announces itself as a monster, but instead creeps in through conformity, thoughtlessness, and the quiet abdication of personal responsibility. That feels disturbingly relevant right now. We wanted to issue a warning: this can happen again, and it starts with people switching off their critical thinking. The EP title is also a personal challenge to ourselves and to listeners: don't give up, don't let indifference win, stay defiant.

3. Which one is the composer of the EP?

Manuel, our guitarist, wrote the majority of the songs together with our singer, Marco. The process was very organic; most tracks grew around a central hook, with everything else building outward from there. Intros, verses, arrangements, they all found their shape naturally over time. We gave ourselves the space to experiment and never forced anything. Having too much material is always better than too little.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

Godmade best encapsulates the entire EP and reflects where we are as a band right now. It plays to our strengths in a focused way, reduced to what defines us, deploying these strengths exactly where they create the greatest impact. Evolution always requires courage, and sometimes it's difficult to leave behind things you love. But brutality isn't just created through relentless blasting and nonstop double bass; it also comes from the deliberate generation of emotions. We've given brutality a certain elegance, and we're going to push it even further. This is our new DNA.

5. Is there a special message in this EP? If there is what it is?

Several, actually. At its core, the EP is a confrontation with the world, with systems that keep failing people, and with ourselves. It's about how cruelty gets normalized, how power hides behind routine, and how indifference becomes complicity. But it's also deeply personal: we completely questioned ourselves during the process, musically and as people. The message is ultimately: don't look away. Don't give up. Face the repetitions, defend your own path, and refuse to let indifference win.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

The lyrics for Godmade were actually written before the music. Manuel had long felt uneasy about the Church as an institution, not faith itself, which he sees as something deeply human and meaningful, but the abuse of the power that comes with it: the exploitation of vulnerable people, the protection of perpetrators, the rejection of accountability. The anger and powerlessness of watching that happen repeatedly without consequences went directly into the lyrics. We're not attacking belief, we're calling out an institution whose foundation is crumbling under the weight of its own corruption. Godmade is that reckoning.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this EP? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

Musically, we draw from a broad spectrum, Pantera, In Flames, Heaven Shall Burn, Darkest Hour, Killswitch Engage, but we never consciously tried to sound like any of them.

It happens naturally when you let everyone bring their strengths: Daniel's hardcore-influenced riffs, Manuel's power metal melodies, the groove of Mauro and Josh, and

Marco's vocals on top. The result is something that's genuinely ours.

The biggest external influence on this EP was producer Oscar Nilsson (The Halo Effect, The Haunted). We had recorded and polished everything ourselves, but at some point, we asked whether someone could take it further. Oscar was the only name we seriously considered. We texted him, sent some songs, and he said yes. What he did at Bohus Studio in Sweden, the mix, the mastering, the sheer density of the sound, felt like the missing piece. He pushed us, challenged us, and gave the songs the intensity they needed to be complete. We owe him a lot for the new direction and perspective he brought to this EP.

8. Something to add?

Just go listen to it. We put everything into this EP, and we're not done. Ordinary Evil is a statement, but it's also a starting point. Whatever comes next will be shaped by everything we learned making this one, and we're already hungry for it. Thanks for having us.

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