My Inspiration: Last Case Scenario – Devils

North-East alt-rockers, Last Case Scenario drop their brand new single, Devils. The single, with its dark, throbbing bass, crunchy guitars and soaring vocals, uses dynamics effectively to deliver the punch needed when the chorus kicks in from the lurking verses. The epic and satisfying guitar solo gives the song that added bit of drivetime satisfaction.

Here, the band tell us what inspired this latest release…

Ethan (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar): 
Devils is a song about overcoming your inner demons, opening your third eye and manifesting your dreams.
I wrote the song from the perspective of someone breaking free from a depression where they feel like their demons are the only thing keeping them going.
I had the lyrics for this written for quite a while then played the initial riff to Matty and we went from there, I recorded a rough demo and brought it into practice with Marv and Ben and then I think we jammed it for a couple of sessions and started to include in the setlist 
My favourite song to date, I think it’s a big contrast to our last single.”

Matt (Lead Guitar): 
“I first listened to the 3-note guitar riff that Ethan came up and I liked it a lot, and then began to build on it and it became the song’s main riff – it reminded me a lot of something that some bands from the 00’s or early 2010’s would typically play and write, and the sound of the finished song itself got the idea from Green Day, Paramore and Sum 41 in a sense! 
I got the idea for the chorus riff with octave chords from some Foo Fighters tunes such as Rope and Everlong, and a bit of inspiration from Ignorance and Misery Business by Paramore too! To help complement the existing power chords Ethan already plays in this part! 
I decided to keep the guitar solo fairly simplistic to start off with, but let it build up more towards the end with the inclusion of a pitch-shift “whammy” effect (á la Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine sort of vibes!) Deviating a lot from our commonly associated punk vibes and adding a little extra to our sound overall too.

Marvin (Drums): 
My drumming on the song Devils draws significant inspiration from Rush’s Test for Echo. The composition follows a deliberate structure, initially emphasizing the syncopated bass drum, gradually introducing the snare, incorporating a more driving bass drum pattern during the chorus, and then returning to the groove. This approach creates a compelling sense of tension and release within the track.
During the solo section, I inject dynamic drum fills and rhythmic variations that harmonize with the guitar, and it’s particularly enjoyable for me to incorporate drum fills inspired by my idols. The fill featured in this solo is a nod to Far Cry by Rush, adding a unique touch to the overall performance.

Ben (Bass):
Some of the most iconic rock songs start on the bass, setting the rhythm and groove for the rest of the track. We knew Devils was really well written from a lyrical perspective and wanted a bass line which carried on throughout. I’d say the biggest influence on this is Sure Know Something by KISS which has a similar bass line at the beginning and a simple but effective bass line throughout the song.