Page 17 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 109

BV109 pg 16-21 Conquer Divide Interview.qxp_BV109 pg 17 18/12/2023 21:49 Page 2

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oining Black Velvet live from a random rock sometimes, so this is a doddle for her! top gear, With this in mind, we begin by asking
Jcar park in Iowa is bassist Janel Duarte, As well as providing the bass for her band, what she thinks makes Conquer Divide differ-
who, alongside lead vocalist Kiarely Taylor, gui- Janel also helps bring Conquer Divide's power ent to other rock bands and why people should
tarists Kristen Sturgis and Isabel Johnson and with her vocal contributions. Unclean or dirty take the time to check them out.
drummer Samantha Landa, is taking a pit stop vocals, death growls, however you refer to It's genuinely lovely to see Janel's positive
on their present road trip across the States, them, when she opens her mouth on the reaction to our first question. Bearing a huge
where they are winning new fans and plaudits tracks, you listen. It's impossible not to ignore smile, she replies, "Well, I mean, the obvious
every night they take to the stage. her. one is that we're all females. It's very hard to
Demonstrating the height of professional- find that in general. Granted, there are a bunch
ism, Janel looks every bit the rock star on our nd the album starts with this, which in of rock bands who are all female, but it's really
video link across the Atlantic and jokes to be Aturn is a perfect way for us to open our hard to find one that is a metalcore band, so I
living the dream, as she shields herself from conversation, as the first words we hear on feel that, for sure, makes us stick out. I'm not
the wind behind an advertising sign. But, as 'Slow Burn' are Janel's screams of ‘We are not sure there is another all-girl metalcore band,
she'll tell us, it's not easy being a woman in the same’, as 'Atonement' blasts the album into so that's number one," she tells us.

CONQUER DIVIDE