Interview: Illusions Of Grandeur

By Neil Shumate, OOTB Publications

Hailing from Los Angeles, theatrical heavy-rock band Illusions Of Grandeur have officially released powerful single “Midnight25,” along with a captivating music video that appropriately complements it, as being within The Witching Hour.

Their hard-hitting follow-up song “Curses” was fittingly released on Halloween.

Brewing together industrial, power metal and metalcore, with influences including Korn, In This Moment and Avatar, the band tells a story on stage and through the albums, monikered as The Siren Saga.

The band recently took time for this OOTB Interview to detail the official song release, the single’s meaning, live show elements, influences, plans for 2026 and much more.

Being introduced to your single “Midnight25” for the first time, I think the “Hear Them Chant/Hear Them Cry…” breakdown is phenomenal! The song has a lot of twists and turns, and it correlates fantastically with the cryptic imagery presented in the video. When you write music, what comes first—the music or the lyrics?

We are honored that you asked us to talk about our new single “Midnight25”—it’s certainly an exception in our discography; it’s a song that would not normally exist in the Illusions Of Grandeur writing style.

So, while in our writing process for our last record The Siren (2022), while CM [C.M. Carrol/bass] was in our recording studio, just warming up, Maggie [Maggie “The Siren” Carlton/vocals] was walking through working on some lyrics, just a basic writing process that we have.

CM began playing a riff, Maggie stopped CM dead in his tracks and said: “Play that again.” It was just a warmup, not actually in our normal tuning of A, but this time in B.

It sparked Maggie to start to write and arrange, and in about an hour have the bed track for the song “Midnight.”

Lyrically, while the idea for the song stems from and was inspired and written for the Netflix show Wednesday, there is a deeper meaning behind it.

Humans are the true monsters, and while we have seen many portrayals of “monsters” in our culture, people are truly scarier than the creatures of our stories.

“Midnight25” is a darker song, opening with the lyrics: “The stroke of midnight, all creatures come to life, werewolves and vampires, sirens and ghosts, stuck in time.”

The song walks you through our version of The Witching Hour, touching on the contrast between humans and our so-called “monsters.”

Being a band with theatrical vibes, when you write, do you think about the imagery the song might portray ahead of time? And how do you incorporate that?

Illusions Of Grandeur (IOG) live show—“The Siren Saga”—is a story of the journeys, perils, and triumphs of The Siren and her warriors.

The story mixes facts and fiction—combining Greek and Norse Mythology; Sirens, Gods, Archangels.

When we are writing the songs, we consider the theme and live show, but the song is king! We always look to write what we feel best represents the band.

Illusions of Grandeur’s fierce and energetic live show has gained a legion of fans dubbed as “The Siren Nation” who follow [us] worldwide—at live shows and on social media.

IOG’s influences range from: In This Moment, Korn, Alter Bridge, Evanescence and Avatar to Led Zeppelin and The Who. Those bands all influenced us in different ways, but mainly as story tellers and how they craft songs that carry emotion to the listeners.

What’s been the biggest challenge(s) you’ve encountered as a band and how did you or how are you currently, coping with that?

I would have to say the in balance of getting paid by streaming services. Streaming is the main way people now consume music, as it’s right on your phone, it should pay the way radio does.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music and performances? How do you want fans to feel?

I hope IOG will be remembered for our live show and constant tour[ing], we love being on the road.

I would also say for the diversity of our music ranging from hard rock, power metal to metalcore.

The main element we would like listeners to feel is a journey—a story and the excitement that goes with all music!

What would you say is your band’s favorite song to play live is?

I would have to say “Her Flag Means Death,” because of its groove; it really shows off the bands playing and updated metalcore-industrial style.

What are the band’s ambitions going into 2026? What is next?

Lots of new music!

New album The Siren Rises PT2: The Ascension is coming in early 2026, with blistering new tracks as well as US, European and UK tours! All being announced soon!

The first album, The Siren Rises PT1: The Witch, is available here:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/illusionsofgrandeur

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Come join The Siren Nation!

Watch “Midnight25”