SINGAPORE — For a band that has only just released its debut EP, Vivienne’s Verdict seems to have many supporters. The five-piece hard rock band, which consists of lead vocalist Dezimon Chen, guitarists Vincent Lee and Jay Kwek, bassist Reuben Wu and drummer Kenneth Tay, has more than 10,000 fans on Facebook. The band also played to an audience of more than 200 when it launched the said EP, Depiction at Hood Bar & Cafe on Saturday night.

It’s quite the achievement, considering how the band is still relatively unknown, and only has one original music video on YouTube so far.

“We are currently a brand ambassador for Stereo Electronics. We do a lot of collaborations and promotions, so that is how we get a lot of fans,” said Lee, who is also the leader of the band. “On YouTube, for some reason, we’ve also got a very good response to our music video, and someone from Japan did a review on us.”

That said, Vivienne’s Verdict has been playing since 2009 under the name Take It Apart. With Depiction, the band hopes to travel regionally this year, and to play at this year’s BayBeats Festival.

“Take It Apart was more of a cover band, we didn’t do originals. We were doing covers for a long time, so we decided that it was time to do our own songs. New songs, new identity — so we came up with a new name,” Chen said.

For its first five-track EP, the band decided to address themes such as war and self-empowerment with a combination of hard-riffing numbers and soulful ballads. The band has also written other songs that it hopes to release in a second record.

Identifying himself as the “screamer” of the group, Lee said he has spent time practicing the technique at home — using a pillow, of course.

“There is a technique to screaming,” he said. “I was trying very hard to find out how screaming works, because I listen to a lot of hardcore metal bands (and) I can hear that most of the vocalists, when they scream, sound very different. Some sound as though they are shouting, some sound as though they are growling. So it was trial and error to see which one suited me.”

And when they don’t feel angry enough for a good “scream”, Lee says the band draws on their experiences and imagination.

“You have to put yourself in that situation ... it’s just better when you are angry,” Lee said. “Like if someone bullied you when you were young, or if your boss abused you ... you just have to visualise or imagine the situation.” HON JING YI