Photo Credit: Michael Albano
Stainless was never built to fit neatly into one lane. Formed in Portland in 2022 by musicians with roots in bands like Black Breath and Nightfell, the group treats classic hard rock and heavy metal influences less like a blueprint and more like raw material, pulling from all over and refusing to sound like a straight homage to anything. Their new record, Lady of Lust & Steel, doubles down on that range, swinging from '70s-soaked grooves to leaner, meaner cuts without ever losing the attitude that ties it all together. I caught up with guitarist Jaime Byrum over email to talk about lineup changes, Portland's grip on the band's sound, and why irreverence is baked into everything Stainless does.
Jaime: The band no longer features anyone from Ripper or Long Knife, but to answer your question, it was just a product of all of us being connected in the music scene in Portland. Our common language is rock 'n' roll.
You've described the band's relationship to classic influences as "kind of unorthodox in this day and age." Can you unpack that? What does it actually look like when you're in the room writing, and what are you actively trying to avoid?
Jaime: What I meant by that was that Stainless is not trying to be an obvious enactment of anything; that's something we avoid. We combine influences from a large assortment of bands across multiple genres into one song, and that's something I don't hear a lot of people doing in traditional hard rock and heavy metal currently. I'm not trying to imply our sound is particularly original, either. I just think our approach is unique right now.
Nocturnal Racer introduced the world to your sound, but Lady of Lust & Steel feels like a much wider statement. What changed between those two records creatively, personally, logistically?
Jaimee: We had a pretty major lineup change, which had a massive effect on the songwriting and recording process. We were able to enlist our friend Clifton Martin to play bass on the record and help me arrange the rhythm section, and I played drums as well as guitar on the album. So we were able to do a lot of things musically that we couldn't have done in the past.
"Restless An' Ready" was apparently built with live performance at its core. Is that a philosophy that shapes how you write in general, or was that track a specific exception?
Jaimee: Ideally, we can do everything we do in the studio on the stage, but that being said, I don't think the live performance needs to be identical to a recorded performance. I'm happy to do things in production that are impossible to do live if it's going to make the album better.
There's real variety across these eight tracks, the '70s textures of "(Don't Cross Me) Fool" and "Take A Listen Mama" sitting alongside leaner, meaner cuts like "Danger in the Night." Was that range intentional from the start, or did it emerge naturally from the sessions?
Jaimee: It was fairly intentional, but it's also just how I write naturally. I get pretty bored listening to albums that sound like one track from start to finish, so we want to avoid that by making every song its own unique piece.
Titles like "Whorefrost" and "Vitamin Tease" and the album name itself occupy this gleefully irreverent space. How much of Stainless's identity is built around that refusal to be polished or restrained, and where does that impulse come from?
Jaime: We just try to have fun with the music and not overthink things.
Portland's underground has always had a reputation for feeding bands with something to say. How much has that scene shaped Stainless, and do you feel that community around you?
Jaime: Portland has always had a great music scene, and living here has had a major influence on us. We're friends with many musicians in town and fans of many bands from here, both current and past. Portland bands tend to be a bit rawer, a bit grittier, and usually have some kind of punk DNA, and I don't think Stainless is any different.
For a band only a few years in, Lady of Lust & Steel sounds remarkably fully-formed. Where do you want to take things from here? Is there a direction you're already pulling toward for what comes next?
Jaime: I don't see the band straying too far from where we're at currently, but who knows. We just want to write the best records we can, have fun doing it, and play some great shows.
Jaimee: Ideally, we can do everything we do in the studio on the stage, but that being said, I don't think the live performance needs to be identical to a recorded performance. I'm happy to do things in production that are impossible to do live if it's going to make the album better.
There's real variety across these eight tracks, the '70s textures of "(Don't Cross Me) Fool" and "Take A Listen Mama" sitting alongside leaner, meaner cuts like "Danger in the Night." Was that range intentional from the start, or did it emerge naturally from the sessions?
Jaimee: It was fairly intentional, but it's also just how I write naturally. I get pretty bored listening to albums that sound like one track from start to finish, so we want to avoid that by making every song its own unique piece.
Titles like "Whorefrost" and "Vitamin Tease" and the album name itself occupy this gleefully irreverent space. How much of Stainless's identity is built around that refusal to be polished or restrained, and where does that impulse come from?
Jaime: We just try to have fun with the music and not overthink things.
Portland's underground has always had a reputation for feeding bands with something to say. How much has that scene shaped Stainless, and do you feel that community around you?
Jaime: Portland has always had a great music scene, and living here has had a major influence on us. We're friends with many musicians in town and fans of many bands from here, both current and past. Portland bands tend to be a bit rawer, a bit grittier, and usually have some kind of punk DNA, and I don't think Stainless is any different.
For a band only a few years in, Lady of Lust & Steel sounds remarkably fully-formed. Where do you want to take things from here? Is there a direction you're already pulling toward for what comes next?
Jaime: I don't see the band straying too far from where we're at currently, but who knows. We just want to write the best records we can, have fun doing it, and play some great shows.
If you had to pick one track from this album to hand to someone who's never heard Stainless before, which would it be and why?
Jaime: Probably "(Don't Cross Me) Fool." It's got melody, groove, really tight, precise playing, and a shit load of attitude. All the attributes we strive for.
Jaime: Probably "(Don't Cross Me) Fool." It's got melody, groove, really tight, precise playing, and a shit load of attitude. All the attributes we strive for.
(This interview was conducted via email and has been lightly edited for clarity.)
Stainless' album is out now! Go give it a spin if you haven't had a chance to yet!
Check out my review of Lady Of Lust & Steel here: Lady of Lust & Steel - review
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