Borders

Borders is a four-piece metalcore group from Lincoln, United Kingdom. The band forms around vocalist Jordan “JJ” Olifent, guitarist Gavin “Gav” Burton, bassist Tom Britton and drummer Daniel Hodson. The group develops from a meeting between Tom, Gav and Dan during university, when they bond over a shared interest in heavy music and begin a project together. JJ joins later after the band places an advertisement for a frontman.

Style and name

The band takes its name from a reference to social division and the boundaries between people in a connected world. Its sound combines metalcore with elements of hip-hop, grime, hardcore, alternative metal, and progressive metal. The group is also associated with djent, rapcore and nu metal. It draws on both metalcore and emerging tech/prog metal, while Gav’s interest in pop music and JJ’s interest in UK grime both influence the writing.

Lyrical themes

JJ writes from a personal perspective, and the lyrics often focus on serious and socially charged subjects. The debut EP, Diagnosed, addresses corruption in healthcare, including pharmaceuticals, and also deals with JJ’s mother’s cancer. The later album Purify continues with the theme of human corruption. The song “731” focuses on wartime atrocities in Japanese experimental camps, while other tracks examine political corruption and possible future consequences if current patterns continue.

Releases and activity

Borders releases its debut EP, Diagnosed, in April 2017 and its debut album, Purify, in May 2019. The band is signed to Long Branch Records, a partnership that follows a performance during a European tour in Germany, where the label sees the group live and later contacts them.

Live work and equipment

The band shares stages with Whitechapel, Faces Of Eve and Anti-Clone. Gav uses an LTD AW-7 guitar through a Kemper, Tom plays a Dingwall Combustion bass through a Darkglass B7K, and Dan uses a TAMA Superstar Hyperdrive kit with Zildjian and Sabian cymbals.