Unprocessed: “We don’t want it to be a nerdy proggy show where you just sit and watch. It’s rock’n’roll!”

"I got a little bored of the more poppy sounds in a way,” says Unprocessed singer/guitarist Manuel Gardner. “It wasn't fun to perform the softer songs anymore. So, I really wanted to go back to the heavy roots – we wanted to create a record that has very heavy, dark sounds.”

Manuel is talking about his band's excellent fourth album, and everything in between. It's a record that sees Unprocessed using their two-headed guitar attack to show off their technical prowess and blunt, heavy roots. Their previous record, Gold, saw the band delve into the softer side of metal, with more pop sensibilities and songs tailor-made for softer palettes. But after going independent and taking their future into their owns hands, the band were left angry and wanting to delve back into much darker, brutal tones.

The German tech-metal quartet's blend of mind-altering riffs, far reaching melodies and brutally crafted prog leanings have them being compared to Polyphia and Bring Me The Horizon. But they've also got their own distinct personality. And besides, Tim Henson and Scott LePage from Polyphia even lend their talents to the futuristic track Die On The Cross Of The Martyr. Any comparisons to others, Manuel takes in his stride.

“Honestly, loads of people really hate to be compared to other bands," he says, "But I think it is a good thing to be compared to one of the biggest metal bands right now!”

Very much standing on its own merits, the album is a blistering assault on the senses, with Unprocessed really staking a claim as one of the most exciting new-ish metal bands around. Add to that frustration from navigating the music industry, and you get a band firing on all cylinders.

“I was pretty angry about some stuff that happened to us,” shrugs Manuel. “We were so young and people were trying to suck out the best things we had. We were promised loads of stuff, and these people didn't do what they preached.”

The decision to go it alone has reaped the rewards with and everything in between garnering them millions of streams, a rise in popularity and the step needed into superstardom. “It is the most successful record of ours. So it's kind of like a full-circle moment, which is super-nice.”

Once you add into that their extremely energetic live shows, you’ve got all the makings of a future heavyweight of the metal world. With some prog shows consisting of a crowd just standing and gazing at the band, for Unproccessed it’s all about putting on a big, bombastic, energetic experience.

“We want to have a full rock’n’roll show," says Manuel. "We want to get involved with a crowd jumping around. We have mosh-pits, we have crowd surfing – we don’t want it to be like a nerdy proggy show where you just sit and watch.”

If you're catching them on tour with TesseracT, consider yourself warned.

Unprocessed tour the UK with TesseracT from February 20

Read this next:

• Polyphia: “We can do whatever we want. That’s all I know how to do”
• “I had to grind cow lung to make dog food”: 13 Questions with TesseracT’s Daniel Tompkins
• 10 reasons why you need The Callous Daoboys in your life