LORE
Elderise is an ecumenopolis (a city-planet) where people can only dream of clear skies and endless fields of grass.
It’s a polluted, dense, overdeveloped cluster of skyscrapers where the richer you are, the higher you live.
At the very bottom of these towers are The Slums. Abandoned buildings, lawlessness, dirt roads, no sunlight, no hope. Just factories, industrial farms and lawlessness. Bandit, Vera and Mads come from The Slums. Together, they formed the band Empire Fall.
The Authority rules Elderise. It’s a college made of the 12 richest people alive. The Authority’s leader is Lord Rentoth, a mysterious being whose physical appearance is unknown. Myths and legends about him are numerous, yet none have been truly verified. Some believe he came from the Slums, while others discard this story as a “fairytale meant to keep us in line and make us dream of making it big, just like him” (as Bandit says).
During their early days, Empire Fall started setting up guerilla type shows. They call their music "CyberCore", a gritty mix of pop, metal and electro.Their audience first consisted mostly of friends, people Vera and Mads worked with, and Bandit’s questionable "customers". As the events grew in size, they started to be a catalyst for people to come exorcise their demons and frustrations with the stark reality of Elderise’s class system. After the show, people would discuss ideas. Soon, Bandit, Vera, and Mads started to really get into the idea that the Elderise government was corrupted and needed to be overthrown. This is how the “EF Militia” (their makeshift record label) was born. As the band’s popularity keeps growing, so does their ambition. What if they could actually affect societal change? What if their artistic endeavor could lead to something more tangible?
Bandit (Vocals, Production):
An orphan since he was 7 years old, Bandit grew up in an orphanage in the Slums of Elderise. People there came up with his nickname, which became his official moniker, because he was always acting up and getting into a seemingly infinite amount of shenanigans.
Once he turned 18, he was completely on his own.
Bandit makes money selling drugs (Flux is the drug of choice in the Slums).
One of his favorite spots to deal is in front of the factory where Vera and Mads work. This is how they originally met, although the other two don’t partake in Flux consumption. Bandit tries to avoid it… most days.
Brash, driven, passionate, very smart but subject to tantrums, he can be his own worst enemy.
Bandit struggles with his past and what he’s had to do to survive. How bad was it? No one really knows.
In the songs, he talks about being selfish and ruthless. He tries to be the best person he can be now. But the rage is always right beneath the surface, and still takes over from time to time.
He taught himself music production. His approach is the polar opposite of Mads' academically sound knowledge, which yields great results for the band... but isn't always smooth sailing.
He plays a little guitar. Nothing like Vera, but enough to get songs started. He’s great with melodies.
Feeling like his lyrics could be better early on, he took it upon himself to read more and work on it.
Big workout guy. Super competitive. Vera likes to tease him for his bro-like tendencies.
Vera (Guitars, Production):
Vera grew up in a musical middle-class family in an intermediary section of Elderise.
As a child, she would jam on her guitar or the piano for hours with her parents, older brother, cousins, aunts and uncles.
Everyone was a natural, but her mother stood out as a legitimately brilliant jazz vocalist.
When her mother became ill and her dad lost his job, life got gradually worse for the whole family.
They eventually moved down to the Slums and Vera took a job at a tech plant where she met Mads - and then Bandit.
Her mother passed away shortly after that, and her brother moved out, in search of a better life for himself.
Tenacious and hardened by circumstances, Vera is a badass. She loves metal. She’s also an avid reader and a movie buff.
Bandit openly admires how cultured she is, and never misses an occasion to ask her
for recommendations on what to read or watch.
She plays a custom 8-string guitar she built with her father, and loves to write sneakily intricate guitar parts and breakdowns
for the other guys to write and produce around.
The best proper musician in Empire Fall, she’s constantly looking for new artists to listen to,
new genres, and obscure playlists to study. Her and Mads often get together to reverse engineer the songs they love.
Mads (Drums, Production):
The more mature member of the band, Mads is from a modest but loving family.
His parents put a big emphasis on school (very rare in the Slums), and they made sure Mads was the best student he could be:
They spent money they didn’t have to get him great tutors after school as well.
He’s passionate about music production and strives to get better each and every day. He became known around the Slums for working with local artists and making great sounding records for no money.
Mads is the kind of guy that will tell you why THIS piece of gear is much better than THAT one
(nobody can really tell the difference, it’s fine).
A man of a few words, he is very articulate and thoughtful when he chooses to speak... pretty much the polar opposite of Bandit in that regard. The two clash often, but have a deep mutual respect and (secret) admiration.
Mads admires Bandit’s leadership qualities and drive, but cannot stand his impulsiveness and the shady situations he often finds himself in.
Vera and Mads love to nerd out on music, books, and movies together, but their tastes don’t always align. He’s much more of a “rational thinker” than she is. When they create music together though, it’s like they’re two complementary parts of the same brain. Undeniable chemistry.
Volume 0 | Militia Underground: The Early Years
Volume 1a | Abundant Lawless Maelstrom
Volume 1b | Abundant Lawless Maelstrom (Muscled Up)
Volume 2 | In Progress