If you are attuned to the world of rock music, then you’ve probably been there to witness the meteoric rise of Sleep Theory. The Memphis band exploded onto the scene with powerful singles like “Stuck in My Head” and “Fallout” and appealed to fanbases of bands like Breaking Benjamin and Bad Omens alike with their clever mix of pop, R&B, and heavy rock. With their first LP, Afterglow , the band built upon the magic of their previous singles and EP to give fans a taste of what it’s like to get a bigger helping of their musical nourishment. Frontman Cullen Moore gave me a peek into how anime played its part in the writing of Afterglow , his Naruto tattoos, and how anime taught him to be a better person. So you have a new album, Afterglow . It's the debut full-length. How exciting is it to have that out in the world? Cullen Moore : It's been something that I've been anticipating for so long. We dropped all these singles, but I'm so ready for everybody to hear all the rest of the songs on the record. Because there were so many good songs that I wanted everyone to see beforehand but we couldn’t. I am so excited everyone can finally hear them. The EP and the singles almost introduced you to the scene like Vegeta, where you’d get limited doses of him before he became a full part of the cast. Moore : It's been something that we've been working on for a minute, and I feel like it definitely gives Sleep Theory fans on both ends, whether you're a rocker or you're more melodic, something to latch onto. I feel like all of our songs are melodic, but you know what I mean, like more ballad-y or lovey dovey. I think we're offering both ends of what people would want to hear. A lot of people have always seemed to think that every time we release a new song, like “Stuck in my Head” for example, that it is our “new sound.” But we only had a handful of songs out at the time, so what would you expect us to do? There’s a lot more we have to offer! RELATED: The World Through the EYES of "Spinner" Was there anything different in your approach to writing and recording a full length as opposed to singles or an EP? Moore : Not really. I think that I've always been the same way when it comes to being very detailed with anything. So when it came to the EP, I was super detailed with that one and writing it with our producer. I've always been very detailed of what I'm looking for and what the sound I'm going for should be, and what the meaning of each song will be, and this or that. So I don't think there's really been any difference. I think the album is more well-rounded. The EP to me… we talk about the EP, but in my brain it's an album. I'll listen to it even as an artist, and I'm like “these are kind of good.” You can definitely see the throughline of the vision between the releases! Does anime play a part when you're in the studio when you're writing songs? Is it kind of always on? Is it in the back of your mind? Moore : We actually got to the point where we either play Lord of the Rings , Star Wars , or anime like Dragon Ball Z on the TV that's in the studio on mute. We’re not actively watching per se, but it’s on in the background and it’s got at least a little bit of our attention. Actually, the song “Just a Mistake,” originally the drum pattern was the exact same as the drum pattern from the first Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba opening song. We ended up changing that, but the chorus was still very Demon Slayer influenced. Now that it's gone through so many changes, you wouldn't think that. But it was. It's definitely Demon Slayer that got that song going. Where did it all start for you? If anime is playing that big a part in the studio, it must have had a profound impact on you. Moore : I was, how old was I? There was Toonami whenever I was a kid. Whenever I got out of school, I would watch Dragon Ball Z . That was my thing: Dragon Ball Z , Pokémon . They are obviously anime, but something about them really appealed to the American audience. But you know anime for a while was not the cool thing to do. Dragon Ball Z got the pass. Pokémon got the pass. Yu-Gi-Oh! got the pass. But if you watched anime, you were weird and were looked down upon in some ways. So I watched those, but my real introduction really came from when Adult Swim came on, and then it was late at night. I would watch Yu Yu Hakusho , but the real one was Inuyasha . I loved Inuyasha . Those two were the first anime that really got me in. But then also Fullmetal Alchemist . Believe it or not, I never finished it. But I’ll never forget the episode like when the sacrifice and these kids are sacrificing their body parts. As a kid I was like this is freaking creepy stuff. This creepy figure and these weird doors? I was like what the heck is happening. But I was locked in. That's when I really got introduced to anime. I would watch Inuyasha and not fall asleep. The ending song would then almost function as a lullaby. The anime songs, especially in Inuyasha , they're super sweet. I don't know how else to explain it. It's very nostalgic for me, so it's not unusual that you hear me on the tour buses blasting those songs. Late night Toonami is when you fully realized that this was different from traditional cartoons? Moore : Yeah, it really, it started there. But the one that really stuck to me the most, and I kind of grew up with it, was Naruto . That is the show that was with me from childhood to adulthood. Most of my tattoos are Naruto influenced. No matter what else I watch, I will always go back to that one. I watched a whole bunch when I was a kid, you know, like I never finished Bleach , and that's been something that has been on my radar to do for years, but I've just been so busy doing this and that. I get so sidetracked with wanting to play a video game, or another show. My list is getting too long! Like for the longest time I told myself that I would never watch One Piece , but I finally started watching it and I’m really enjoying it. Didn't get very far, but I'm gonna keep going, though. I'm gonna keep going. Watching it actually made me a little impressed with myself for making it through Naruto . That show is long! I’m a binge watcher. If I'm watching, I can take down, and I kid you not, a solid 15 episodes in one sitting. If it's at night I could probably get through a solid 20 episodes easily. I can sit through it all day. I can wake up in the morning, watch anime, and then not do anything else. Make sure I eat. Make sure I sleep, you know, but I will watch anime, and I will go through the night. But some friends will be like, we’re two episodes in and I'm sleepy. I'm like, “Oh, my God! We'll be sitting forever!” I've watched a lot of other stuff since then though. One of my other favorites is Darling in the FranXX . Fire Force is pretty solid, obviously Demon Slayer . I have such a long list of ones I’ve watched and loved. Anyone reading this, please tell me your anime favorites so we can talk about them. The only one that everyone else seems to like that I don’t really like is Hunter x Hunter . I think that the idea for Hunter x Hunter is great. I think the characters were great. All the characters were great except for Gon. I did not like Gon. The power scaling and all that stuff was interesting, but I just felt like as a main character he didn't have… like he got all mad and stuff over a guy that he only just met! RELATED: Charmer's David Daignault on Their New Album's Closer "Galick Gun" When you were getting into all these shows, and you were kind of falling in love with anime, is that about the time you were getting into heavier music as well? Moore : They were separate interests, but I think it tied hand in hand whenever I would watch AMVs. And they would have these Three Days Grace, or like Linkin Park on it, and all these anime fights or Naruto scenes. I'm like, this is dope. Yeah, no, it definitely had a lot to do with it, but it was a separate interest. I found both on their own, but found them both together in a mutual way, on something that I loved. And kind of on the flip side, too, did the music from anime bleed into the music you were making? Moore : Not so much because, and I hate to admit it but it's not like it was whenever I was younger to where, whenever I finish anime, I go straight to the next one, and then when I finish, I'm on to the next one. I've slowed down on watching anime, not because I don't enjoy it. I love anime, and it's not because I don't have choices to watch. I think it's more so that I'm unable to sit still for X amount of time now, even though I love to binge watch. But now, I have my whole setup, my office here, set up to where I've got a TV over there, and I've got all these speakers and stuff to where I think that now I really have to make a conscious choice about what I’m doing. Am I gonna watch anime? Am I gonna go outside? Am I gonna game? Am I gonna stream? Am I gonna write music? I'm mostly watching anime when I'm on planes or, I guess at this point I wouldn't even say on the tour bus. But I'm gonna I think I'm gonna set aside an hour or two each day for me to just watch anime. But even in the business side of things, since I run the business of the band and such. Watching anime and watching some of these characters, and the way that they move, and the way that they think and the way they go about things, it helps shape you as an individual. That's the thing I love about anime. It's not brain rot like a lot of American cartoons. There's a story behind it. There's lore, and there's lessons learned that you can apply to how you should treat others, how you should stand up for others, and how you should go about doing this and that. So I think a lot of that has shaped me. I was raised in that environment already. Both my parents raised me in that environment. But I think, watching Naruto and watching all these different anime helped shape me into wanting to be someone that people could look up to, but also someone that is in a place where they can do something to help someone. Since I have that opportunity, I definitely am grateful to what I've learned from anime, because it definitely was like a second school, in a way because it teaches you morals. It gives you morals in a different way. You don't think about the emotion behind certain things. But anime makes you want to bring it out. And it's the main thing I love about it. Do you think that’s part of the reason why so many heavy music fans also like anime? Or do you think it's something else that draws those fan bases together? Moore : I'm not sure. It depends on the age group. Now, anime is like shoved in your face. If you don't watch anime, you're “weird.” Now I think people are watching anime because it's the thing to do, and while I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s true for everyone, people understand it more. And it's easier to digest. My selfish answer is I feel like anime is like a rite of passage, and it's so easy. I'm glad that everybody loves it. I really do, but I wish that people would have loved it when it was not cool because they potentially missed out on so much that could have shaped them into the person they probably want to be. Listen to Afterglow here . Follow Sleep Theory here . Catch Sleep Theory on tour .
