Under a Hollow Sky: Capsize’s Return From the Edge

Under a Hollow Sky: Capsize’s Return From the Edge

After years of silence, shifting priorities, and the kind of personal upheaval that would have ended most bands outright, Capsize has re-emerged with a renewed sense of purpose. Their new EP, Under a Hollow Sky, marks not just a return, but a recalibration — a reminder of why their music resonated so deeply with fans in the first place. Frontman Daniel Wand speaks with a clarity that comes from surviving the chaos, rebuilding from the ground up, and rediscovering the spark that first pushed Capsize into the spotlight.

In this conversation, Daniel opens up about the creative process behind the EP, reconnecting with old collaborators, the emotional weight of their comeback, and why the MySpace-era metalcore scene still hits harder than anything that’s come since. It’s a candid look at a band that refuses to fade quietly, choosing instead to evolve, adapt, and return on their own terms.

We are here with Daniel from Capsize. First of all, let’s talk about the new EP. We’re going to go through each song. Let’s start at the beginning — The Fracture. Tell me the inspiration behind that opening track.
Sure. That song was meant to set the tone for the whole EP — not just because it’s the first on the tracklist, but because it was the first one we made to establish the overall direction. When we first signed with Adrianne and Roux + Ruin, the first thing we did was schedule a session with Matt Good. We went out to his place — he has a great home studio in Phoenix — and stayed with him for a long weekend. It was me and Andrew, our drummer.

We’ve worked with Matt multiple times before, so it felt like showing up at a friend’s house. It was honestly one of the least serious sessions ever — we were laughing the whole time and just catching a vibe.

For that song in particular, Matt played guitar and handled the production. I already had a handful of demos to show him where I was at creatively, but I let him steer the ship on that single. Then I used it as a north star when I went home — not to make everything match it, but to define the creative box I wanted to work within, especially since we were only doing five songs for the EP.

What is The Fracture about lyrically?
It’s not a story or a hyper‑specific moment from my life. The theme is about accepting full responsibility for anything you’re unhappy with — whether it’s something personal, financial, or just your overall situation. The only way I’ve ever been able to get out of things I hate is by taking full responsibility for them. Even if something isn’t my fault, I’m still the only person who can change it.

So the song is about refusing to blame anyone else and taking ownership of whatever needs to improve. It’s acknowledging that I’m the root of anything wrong in my life, and I’m also the only one who can make it better.

The next song, I think, is RiptheHalo. Tell me about that one.
That one was cool because I tapped back in with our former guitarist Shiloh, who’s out in Portland. We worked on that song remotely, just hanging out on FaceTime like we are right now. I let him take the lead on guitar for that track.

It was nice reconnecting with someone who’s been part of our creative process before. Even though we grew up on different bands, what we’re into right now is very aligned. We don’t even talk about music constantly, but whenever we reconnect, we’re inspired by the same things. So it was another instance of linking back up with someone familiar and creating something that felt natural.

And then let’s talk about Ember. Tell me about that one.
Ember was actually the first song I had a rough version of before we went to work with Matt on The Fracture. When we got home, I was able to finish it, and it became the first track I completed entirely on my own — no producers, no co‑writers.

It really captures the headspace I was in right after coming back from Arizona. Sonically, it reflects what we had just done with Matt, but lyrically, it’s more about emotion and mindset than a specific story. Our lyrics across different eras aren’t usually vivid storytelling — they’re more about feelings, perspectives, or thought processes. When you read them, you can probably relate to the emotion, even if it’s not tied to one literal event.

Everything still comes from my subconscious — whether it’s something I typed into my phone or a vocal line I punched in on the spot. It all filters through my brain, but that doesn’t mean I’m only pulling from my immediate reality.

Now, this title is very intriguing: The Scars You Left Are the Only Proof I Existed. Tell me about that one.
I really like that song. It’s probably the most throwback metalcore‑style track we’ve ever done. The riffs feel very 2003 — that early‑2000s era where everything was equal parts heavy and catchy. Not a lot of newer bands are writing riffs that hit the way those old ones did. That early‑2000s metalcore guitar style had this bounce to it — even when it was aggressive, it still made you smile because of how catchy it was.

With this song, I wanted to tap into that feeling and just have fun with it. Lyrically, it leans into that same direction — emotional, dramatic, and very much in that classic metalcore spirit.

And then we come to the final song, the title track, Under the Hollow Sky. Tell me about that one.
I actually had the EP title in mind before I wrote the song. The instrumental for Under the Hollow Sky had been sitting around for a while before I got to the vocals. Since it was the last track I recorded vocals for, I realized I hadn’t actually addressed the title directly yet — I just liked how it sounded and felt it matched the overall mood.

So I took that instrumental and thought, “Okay, this is the perfect place to make the title track.” I knew I wanted that phrase to be the main line of the chorus, and I built everything else around that.

You’re on a new label, Roux + Ruin Records. Tell me how that collaboration came about.
It was pretty out of the blue. We’d been doing our own thing — releasing singles or two‑song drops here and there. Right when we were about two weeks away from releasing A Reflection Found In Blood last August, Adrianne — the owner of the label — reached out asking if we had any plans for a physical release.

I explained that at that moment, the band was more of a hobby. We were making songs partly because we enjoy it and partly to honor the fact that people still care. She said she wanted to get involved and help speed up our climb back into the scene.

Outside of not playing shows recently, the only way I felt we’d been unintentionally shorting fans was the lack of physical media. We’ve always sold a lot of merch, but vinyl and physical releases? It had been almost a decade. This EP is our first physical release since our second album, which is wild to think about. So it felt good to take that step again.

Which brings me to my next question. There’s a 10‑year anniversary of one of your albums, A Reintroduction: The Essence of All That Surrounds Me. When you look back on that album now, what do you think of it in retrospect?
I think it’s exactly what it was supposed to be. I don’t listen to it and wish it were different or better. I’ve felt the same way about it since we made it. It’s hard to have perspective while you’re creating something, and even during the first year of touring on it, you’re still too close to it to see it clearly.

But by the time it hit the two‑year mark, I could finally look at that chapter of our band with some distance. I was happy with what it accomplished sonically and where it positioned us in the scene. It did what it was supposed to do. I still feel the same way about it now as I did eight years ago — it was exactly what we intended.

The last time I saw you guys was at the Vans Warped Tour. What was that experience like, playing that iconic festival?
It was insane. You’re in L.A., right? So you probably went to Pomona.

Yes.
Okay, yeah — that one was wild. Something happened on that tour where we started on the Full Sail Stage, and then when Atreyu had to leave early for something, the Monster Stage let us start playing on theirs. I’m pretty sure the Pomona show you saw was our last one on the smaller stage.

The energy was crazy. It felt like the same crowd that would show up for us at Chain Reaction, just at Warped Tour instead. And that was probably the only show where we were playing at the exact same time as a band that would normally take the entire crowd. I’m pretty sure at Pomona we were up against Pierce The Veil — which, as you can imagine, is a dominating force at Warped Tour. Even with that, I couldn’t have asked for more from what was happening in our corner of the event.

You mentioned Chain Reaction. Chain Reaction recently closed. What are your memories of that iconic nightclub? I’m sure you played there several times.
Yeah — and you might know this too — they used to put out all those live DVDs back in the day. What introduced me to Chain Reaction was Bury Your Dead. They put out a live DVD right after their first big album, and the show was insane. The crowd was losing their minds. I saw that when I was probably 16, and it blew me away.

At that point I was living in Texas, hadn’t even started a band yet, and the idea of Orange County felt like another planet. But after seeing that DVD, I thought, “Holy shit, I have to do that one day.” And sure enough, five to seven years later, we ended up playing sold‑out Chain Reaction shows multiple times. It was surreal.

What has the fan reaction meant to you since your comeback single Fading Face?
It’s been awesome. Honestly, I feel the same way about releasing Fading Face as I do about the songs we put out before The Fracture, and the ones we’re releasing now. Every time we drop a song — whether I have high hopes for it or we’re just putting it out because we want to — I’m equally grateful.

I’m just a person, and the fact that more than one other person cares about anything I’m doing at all is pretty special.

When the band broke up in 2019, did you ever think you’d get back together and release new material after that tumultuous time?
For sure. It was just a matter of life needing to… life for a while.  Even in my darkest “how is this happening?” moments, I never once thought, “I’ll never make music again.” That was never on the table. There have been times in my life — even when I was touring full‑time — where I didn’t feel like my musical output was where I wanted it to be. Honestly, that’s still kind of the case now.

But whether I’m touring 300 days a year or haven’t toured in three years, I just want to make more music. It’s expensive to do the whole thing, but regardless of what happens with the band — whether we get ten times bigger or ten times smaller — I’m not going to lose the desire to open Ableton, pick up my guitar, and create something.

You have a new EP about to come out. What do you hope 2026 brings for you and for Capsize?
My two main goals right now are to sell out the new release — to make sure everything goes as well as it can — and to get back on stage in some capacity. It probably won’t be a long tour, but we’re looking into what makes sense. Maybe start with a couple of three‑day weekends and see what doors open.

I hope we see you back on the road soon. Is it exciting to think about touring across the country again?
Yeah, definitely — though I’m not desperate to tour the way I used to be. There were years where I was on the road for over ten months straight. Between Capsize tours and other touring work — driving for bands, making videos, whatever I had going on — it stopped feeling like “going on tour.” It felt like I lived on the road, and going home was the rare thing.

So it’s not that touring doesn’t hold value for me, but I’ve fully experienced that lifestyle. We went to Europe almost ten times. I’ve done it 110%.

The main reason I want to get back on stage now is because I feel like that’s the best way to experience our music. Capsize isn’t exactly something you throw on at a party. It’s intense and personal, and I think it hits hardest live. Obviously people listen on Spotify and everything, but the way I write and the way we deliver songs feels better suited for a stage.

Why do you think the metalcore genre from the 2004–2010 MySpace era still resonates so strongly today?
I feel like that era was the last time the scene was truly alive based on the community itself — not just the internet. MySpace was the tool that connected everyone, but the people and the culture already existed. Social media had just been invented, so it finally gave that world a way to link up.

Everything after that wasn’t worse — just different. It became easier to stumble onto the aesthetic online and jump in without having lived in that original alternative community. Back then, being “scene” or “emo” wasn’t just a style. It was a deep identity. Now it’s more of a look you can adopt overnight. But in that era, it was who people were.

Do you have any messages for Capsize fans who have been following your journey from around 2010 until now?
They should know we’re incredibly grateful. No matter how much I’ve toured or how many people have listened, I’m just a guy. The fact that anyone cares about what I’m doing means a lot.

⭐ IN CONCLUSION

As Under a Hollow Sky ushers in a new chapter for Capsize, it’s clear that the band’s return isn’t about recreating the past — it’s about reclaiming their identity with intention, honesty, and a renewed sense of purpose. Daniel Wand speaks with the perspective of someone who has lived through the highs, the collapse, and the long silence that followed, only to emerge with a deeper understanding of why the music mattered in the first place.

The EP stands as both a reminder and a promise: Capsize is still here, still evolving, and still capable of delivering the kind of emotional weight that defined their earliest work. Whether they’re stepping back onto a stage, reconnecting with longtime collaborators, or simply creating because the spark refuses to die out, Capsize’s resurgence feels less like a comeback and more like a continuation of a story that was never finished.

For the fans who’ve stayed, waited, and believed — this new era is as much yours as it is theirs.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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