As Born Of Osiris bring their Through Shadows tour to London’s Underworld, guitarist and producer Nick sits down with us downstairs at Revan Records to discuss European crowds, sax solos, Spencer Chamberlain collaborations, and why movie soundtracks are the secret weapon behind their game-changing sound…
Words by Felix Bartlett | Jan 19, 2026
Back in 2013, a little something slid out of my copy of Metal Hammer, one of those covermount CDs packed with fresh singles. As I flipped my straightened fringe to one side (don’t judge, it was a look), I clocked a track from a band called Born Of Osiris. The song was ‘Divergency’, and I was instantly hooked. I’d never heard anything like it before.
Fast forward thirteen years, and twenty years into a career that helped define progressive deathcore, Born Of Osiris are proving they’re nowhere near done surprising us – especially not me. Tonight they’re set to take over London’s Underworld, but first, I’ve caught up with guitarist and producer Nick downstairs at Revan Records to chat about the Through Shadows tour, the evolution of their sound, and why sometimes the best creative inspiration comes from the most unexpected places.
So it’s been a minute! How does it feel to be back in the UK?
“It’s been really good,” Nick begins. “We’ve actually felt that a lot of our best responses to the Through Shadows music have been on this tour. There’s something different about these crowds.”
You’ve got a killer lineup with you – Within Destruction, Aversions Crown, and Our Censure. How did you all come together?
“Within Destruction was kind of an easy choice,” Nick explains. “In 2023, we did an Asia tour with them and that was the first time we met. They’re just awesome guys. At that time they weren’t our label mates, but they’ve since become Sumerian Records label mates, which is awesome. Howie, the other guitar player – we connect a lot, we talk about music and everything. We also had them in the States at the beginning of 2025 as direct support and it just always goes great with them. We like their music, we like what they do, and they’re really easy to get along with and hang out with.”
The Slovenia-based band has become more than just tour partners. “It’s crazy because sometimes you get really close to people and they become friends, and then you don’t know when you might see them again. It’s not that close to where I live in Phoenix, Arizona. So we try to stay in touch on the internet and keep the connections warm. But there’s something special about making lifelong bonds and friendships.”
Aversions Crown brought their own energy to the package. “I’m not totally certain how that came about, but I’m super happy to have them because again, they’re just awesome guys. They’re from Down Under in Australia and we’re going to Australia in a couple months here. It’s been a while for the band, so we’ve been talking to them a lot about what to do, the fun things to see, fun things to check out. We’ve just homied down with them hard.”
The final piece of the puzzle came through a personal recommendation. “Our Censure – interestingly enough, I think our friend actually in North Carolina, back in the States, he’s a promoter there, and they’re from there. He recommended them to our manager, and they seem like they’re really popping off and blowing up. They’re also amazing guys, and it’s been fun to have them along for the ride. I think it’s their first time over here, so it’s been really awesome to be able to do that for them.”
You produce the band’s material now. Can you give me a rundown about the process? Born Of Osiris is known for having so many different layers and I’d love to explore that.
“It’s changed a bit over the years, especially from my personal perspective writing music. It used to be just pick up the guitar and just riff – that was it. But technology has changed so much, and methods and all these kind of things have come up. There’s really a million ways to do it now.
“I’m a big electronic music fan as well, so a lot of times these days, it starts more from maybe soundscapes or interesting samples, just kind of chopping things up and then maybe adding a guitar to that. I think you have to find this happy medium – there’s so much technology out there, but people have seen what the technology can do. Now I think people are wanting more human elements as well. So we’re trying to find a balance between having that old school feeling, you know, when the band first started.”
He pays tribute to founding member Cameron Losch’s pioneering work. “Cameron is kind of the mastermind behind the band, and he kicked everything off with what a lot of people would maybe say is a game-changing sound. He did so much amazing work and I was inspired by him before I joined the band. Especially these days, sometimes we like to look back at the older albums and be like, ‘Oh man…’ Because you’re just young at that point, and it’s like, ignorance is bliss and you don’t really – you’re just making it because you make it. I don’t know, it just kind of falls that way.
“Going back to that childhood spark and re-investigating what you did is important. Then you can bring in all these crazy elements of the modern world and all the crazy options you have available to you while you’re producing. Right now it’s been a lot of utilizing soundscapes, trying out interesting things with chopping up samples and whatnot. And then once we have a vibe going, then we just hit it hard with the real band elements and bring that all in. It starts different every time, but that’s what makes it fun.”
Movie soundtracks have become an unexpected but crucial source of inspiration. “Movie soundtracks are a big inspiration for me. Sometimes it’s hard – we’re playing shows, we’re playing heavy, aggressive, distorted guitars, we’re hearing that so much that sometimes I just want the source of inspiration to come from something totally unrelated to the metal world. That’s not to say that it doesn’t still come from the metal world. When I grew up, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom – those original metal bands have always been ingrained in me as my guitar band source of inspiration.
“But as I get older, I love just any good movie or TV show that has an amazing soundtrack. I like Hans Zimmer a lot and Ludwig Göransson – he did music for Mandalorian and that kind of thing. Those guys are just so cool. It’s a different thing. They’re not writing a song in a linear way with a verse and chorus. They’re just trying to create something sonic that matches the emotion of whatever you’re taking in with your eyes. There’s something special from that, and pulling little pieces from that and trying to drop it into the metal world makes it fun.”
Recent inspiration came from an unexpected source. “Most recently there was a show on Apple TV called Silo. I think at one point I kind of lost interest in the show, but the theme song for it triggered a whole thing for me. Just these chords and whatever synths they were using and all the melodies and stuff – it got me going on maybe three or four months worth of music. It just started a whole inspirational thing.”
The touring lifestyle itself feeds into the creative process. “A lot of times, just being on tour and taking in all the different sights and sounds – we’re so blessed to be able to go to all these amazing places far from home. I think the best way to channel all those things that you’ve seen and all the different aspects of the world is getting home and then pouring that back into your music.”
He shares a grin when mentioning another influence. “Ronnie, our singer, and I are big Lord of the Rings fans too. That’s just like a bedrock for us of anything epic, orchestral and just grand scope of things. We love that kind of thing.”
On that point, the sound especially it feels a lot heavier, more like the bands routes as you say. How’s that translated live? What’s the audience reaction been? How’s it been on your end putting out that heavier sound?
“It’s been really good. Like I said, we feel that a lot of our best responses to the Through Shadows music we’ve actually felt on this tour. There’s some different things for us – we experimented more with more big open choruses to kind of balance out the really heavy sound. That’s been going over really well.”
“Our sound guy, Steve – he’s an amazing guy, and he says he really likes to mix the Through Shadows songs as well, because there’s so many thick layers and fun elements for him to dig his teeth into. It’s just been great. It’s fun to see people sing along, but there’s so many chapters of this band, and really, at the end of the day, we’re just grateful that people are still coming out and still resonating with what we’re doing, 20 years into the career.”
I’ve got to ask about the sax solos. They always hit so hard in Born Of Osiris tracks. How do you go about integrating that? And will we ever get them in a live setting again?
“So we had Adrian Terrazas – he played sax in The Mars Volta, and if I’m not mistaken, also played with TRAM, which was like a supergroup between him and Tosin Abasi. They were on Sumerian for a bit. When we were recording Angel Or Alien, he was in LA at the same time doing some sessions and stuff. We just had some songs, he wanted to hang out with us, and we were like, ‘Did you bring the sax?’ And we were like, ‘Sure.’ And we were like, ‘Just give it a shot.’ It was pretty much as simple as that. It just kind of worked with the songs we had at the time.”
“We continued that on Through Shadows. We have it on a song called ‘Black Water’ and if I’m not mistaken, that was a friend of Cameron’s. I think he goes by Blood Code, and he was super stoked to be able to get that opportunity. It’s just a fun element. I feel like a lot of guitar players want to emulate what a sax player sounds like. It’s so interesting and has all these different textures to it. I think it’s something we’re always open to. I don’t know how we ended up doing that, but we like it now.”
As for live performances, there’s a story there. “One time – this was actually right after COVID – Angel Or Alien came out at a difficult time for all bands. It was like, you could argue we were still in the pandemic. We did a short run of shows in Texas, and we had Adrian scheduled to come perform. I think the song is ‘Shadow Moses’ – he was going to come and perform the sax solo with us.
“Our guy, Eras Vader – he did all our music videos for the Angel Or Alien cycle – was going to be at the show filming some live content. Like three hours before, there were crazy storms that day, it was raining at the venue, and Adrian was like, ‘Hey, my flight’s cancelled.’ We posted on Facebook, ‘Hey, is there anybody that can get our friend Adrian from’ – I don’t know, he was somewhere else in Texas – ‘to the show on time if you’re coming to the show?’ And someone pulled it off. I wish I knew their name, I wish I could shout them out, but if you’re listening to this and it was you, thank you so much.”
“He made it down and we did shoot a live music video for that. So anytime those people are around and we can do something fun and cool like that, we’re always open to it.”
Picking your favourite tracks is always a challenge but can you dive into perhaps your favourites from the new album and discuss the technicalities of getting that out there, but also why that track carries a certain weight to you?
“The first song that we put out from Through Shadows was a song called ‘A Mind Short Circuiting’ and we are playing that live on this tour. That’s been on the setlist ever since it came out, and we liked that one a lot because we felt like it was a throwback to the older Born Of Osiris albums, where it has some more interesting tempo changes and off-the-wall stuff.”
“Like I said, we’ve been experimenting with some more straightforward things as well, and we wanted to remind our fans that while we do like to try and do that kind of thing, we’re not afraid to go back to our roots. That song is just really fun. It goes over well live. It’s really heavy, it’s got a chorus in it, but it’s darker. We went for some Gojira-style vocal tones, so that’s a great one.”
“Then I think after that we went with ‘Elevate’ and that’s a really fun song. That one is more straight-ahead. But the most important thing about that song to me is that it has a very positive, uplifting message, and it feels powerful. It kind of has almost an EDM dance thing going on. We have a fun intro for it that gets everyone clapping and has that trance thing going on. So it’s just a blast to play. That’s been on the setlist as well. I like those two a lot.”
‘Activated’ featuring Spencer Chamberlain from Underoath marked the first vocal collaboration in Born Of Osiris history. What was it like finally hearing that track come to life, and has Spencer joined you on stage for any performances?
“It’s the first one of all time for the band,” Nick confirms. “We had talked about it on Angel Or Alien as well – there were people that we would be interested in, and I think there were a few but timeline and logistics and stuff, it just didn’t work out. Then we revisited that idea on Through Shadows.
“Ronnie, our singer, just ended up talking to Spencer on Instagram and just asking, and we never even met up with him. I’ve never met him in person. That being said, I’ve been a huge Underoath fan since I was – whenever they came out. I went to the first Mayhem Festival ever, which was a big fest in the States, and Underoath was like the odd man out. It was heavy bands like Slipknot headlining, really heavy bands, and Underoath was there. It was 2008 and they were playing, and I remember just watching them, being blown away. I was captivated by them ever since. I love his voice, love everything he’s ever done.
“One day we were just sitting there and we got an email, ‘Hey, what do you guys think of this?’ And it was just his vocal files. He sent them over and we just mixed it in. We thought the song ‘Activated’ was a good place for him to fit in. It’s a more melodic track, and we’re just super happy that that worked out.
“I’ve been selfishly hoping we run into him someday, and we can play it with him. I messaged him after the album came out, I just told him I appreciate you coming and sitting on our album. It means the world. I’ve been a fan for a long time, so there’s my little fanboy moment.”
“Whatever happens at some point, for sure – summer is around the corner, I know. I got my fingers crossed. These sorts of collabs popping up, it seems like it’s just fate surely.”
In terms of the legacy of this band, you’ve kind of carved your own path in this scene. Where do you see that connection to the legacy now? Do you feel like you see newer bands following your footsteps?
“I mean, I think we’ve seen a lot of bands come into this genre and there’s just so many nowadays. There wasn’t that many doing this kind of sound back then. But also, even though this is the Through Shadows tour, we are preparing to do a Discovery World Tour, which is the band’s third record. I think a lot of fans hold that album in high regard.
“We did not perform a lot of those songs for a long time. On this tour, we just brought back a big chunk because our touring schedule was so intense, and for us to learn all of this material and then just be home for two weeks – it’s just a lot to cram in and prepare the show for having all those songs in the setlist. So we’ve been playing a lot of that, and that’s been a really nice juxtaposition with the Through Shadows material.
“We’re trying to let fans know – sometimes people will come to these shows and they say, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever seen you. I got on board with you on Through Shadows.’ And then other people say, ‘I’ve been seeing you since 2009.’ So you have these two different generations of fans. We just wanted to let people know that we are fully connected to our entire discography. We’re proud of everything we’ve ever done, old and new, and just kind of cover all the bases there.”
Any plans for upcoming shows you can spill the beans on?
“Right after this we’ll be home for about two and a half weeks. Then we are going to prepare for our Asia-Australia leg, which will be part of the Discovery World Tour. So we’re going to be performing eight songs off that record, as well as a couple of fan favourites from some other albums. It’ll be a pretty comprehensive setlist.
“Then over the summer we have a little bit of a gap, but we’re going to look to fill that, hopefully with some more stuff. I don’t know exactly what’s going on yet. And then we are super excited – we’re going to be going out with All That Remains in the States as direct support. I’ve been a fan of All That Remains for a long, long time. Another influential band for me.”
The European festival circuit remains a dream destination. “We’ve done the UK festival circuit a couple of times. I don’t know that we have anything on the books for it, but I would love to return. I’ve always wanted to do Download. We’ve never done Bloodstock, I think. But we’ve done some great ones. We did Summer Breeze in Germany, and Motocultor. I think it’s all these ones I’m like, ‘Am I saying it right? I don’t know.’ But seriously, the Euro festival circuit is a very special thing to do. When I was a kid, that was part of the dream. Being able to have accomplished that, I’m so happy that we were able to do that.”
Rounding things off – you joined this band later on in its life and I’d love to hear what advice you would give to people perhaps in your position?
“I was always inspired by what the band did when I was doing my own thing before. It was just a big source of inspiration for me. When I was blessed enough to be able to come into it, you don’t want to just step into someone else’s world and try to blow up what they have going on. It’s not going to go over well, people might get mad at you and everything.
“I just tried to, first of all, connect with everyone so that I can call them brothers and family members like I do now. That’s the most important part. And then once that relationship is established, then just sharing ideas, not saying ‘I think it should be this way’ or anything, just saying, ‘Here’s what I have to offer and take it or leave it.’
“Just be the best person you can be, be kind to everyone. When you’re on tour, just try to connect with everyone, have a good routine, keep yourself healthy. Don’t do anything too crazy. Don’t make anyone mad. All of those little things that might seem like common sense – touring can be so intense. This isn’t a normal 9-to-5 job, so you’ve got to find ways to keep yourself sane and everything. I think just staying true to who you are and trying to be a good human and everything else will kind of flow through that.”
Through Shadows is out now via Sumerian Records
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