Our influences stem from a lifetime of experiences, filtered through our sensitivities and creative lens. When composing music, there’s often an element of randomness that allows our subconscious to guide the process. Yet, within this spontaneity, the echoes of meaningful encounters, personal milestones, and artistic admiration inevitably emerge. Whether it’s the provocative allure of Placebo, the brooding depth of Sivert Høyem, or the cross-cultural fusion of The Tea Party, each thread weaves into the fabric of our work.
Musical ideas can spring from the unlikeliest places, but we consciously look to other established artists and creatives for informal guidance at times. When the band first started in 2004, Phase’s mood board included The Doors, Rainbow, Anathema, Katatonia, and A Perfect Circle, among others. By the group’s second iteration in 2007, influences expanded to encompass Led Zeppelin, Placebo, Massive Attack, Portishead, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Depeche Mode, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, with a touch of Nirvana and Alice in Chains; an eclectic blend that shaped our evolving sound. Beyond music, writers and painters like William Blake, whose visionary works bridge the earthly and the transcendent, as well as literary figures like Charles Dickens and John Milton, provide enduring inspiration. Their exploration of human emotion, morality, and the sublime offers a timeless wellspring of creative fuel.
These influences are not static imitations but dynamic points of departure. They provide the baseline, the link to tradition, while enabling the leap forward. This evolutionary process transforms borrowed elements into something uniquely ours, shaping our music into a reflection of who we are and the message we aim to deliver.
Art, after all, is about building on what has come before, using familiar symbols and sounds to craft something deeply personal. It’s a conversation with the past, present, and future, bridging tradition and innovation in a way that resonates universally while remaining distinctly individual.
Phaseship - The Phase Archives 
A good post that throws light on different perspectives of influence.