A: We were formed back in early 2015. Wes and I (KC) had departed from a thrash metal project that kinda just lost its spark overall. Took some they had floating around and wrote Flatline, (last song of our self titled EP) and asphyxiation, which has currently been unreleased. Shortly after writing a few tunes we got ahold of our buddy Ben, who actually played drums for a band called Legions Requiem, and was also someone that Wes and I grew up in the sacramento metal scene with for quite a number of years. Having dabbled in guitar just a little, Ben picked up everything super fast, and quickly became proficient enough to help write. You’ll hear a lot of his stuff on Shrine of the Obscene. Sam and Casey were a bit tough to find, scouring craigslist and social media, we all got in contact with each other and it just worked perfectly. We have great chemistry and I couldn’t imagine having other band mates honestly. We’re all musically on the same page for the most part, so it’s nice to be able to work with like minded people. -KC
2.You have an ep coming out in October, what are some of the things you have done different musically with this recording that you where not able to do on your previous ep and demos?
A:Our upcoming EP has more experimentation with different orchestra instruments. We used the harp alot for our last EP, but we expanded on that and used a koto, viola, choirs, and of course more harp to keep the songs more interesting and dynamic. Our next EP also has a lot more character to it since everyone had more input and was more involved in the song writing process. The last EP was mostly just me and KC since it was older songs we had written before we found the right band members. Our single, Shrine of the Obscene is a pretty good representation of everyone’s hand in the songwriting process, and musically it creates something more interesting. - Wes
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
A: The lyrical content on our upcoming EP addresses a range of issues concerning darker aspects of human suffering. More specifically the effect of what this suffering has on the individual or society experiencing it. Most of the songs, besides the title track, are from the first person perspective of someone who experiences a traumatic or damage inducing situation; mental illness, addiction, etc. The title track is more of an overall portrayal of how we as a modern society tend to relish in the pain of others, as a form of escape from our own suffering. The “shrine of the obscene” is a physical representation of this worshipping of others suffering. Our older lyrical material was also expressed from first person perspectives, just of various different topics concerning similar types of pain people experience. -Casey
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Odious Construct'?
A: Ben had originally came up with the name. We were just shooting ideas back and forth and its actually super difficult nowadays to come up with something remotely creative. But it actually works with the lyrical content Casey puts out. Just kinda a general representation of humanity, and how shitty people can be. -KC
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
A: The EP title, Shrine of the Obscene was a name that we had already come up with before finding the art. The song, Shrine of the Obscene, was originally titled Desolate Shrine as a working project title. When Casey presented the lyrics, the song name had change to what it is now. We actually just randomly stumbled across the art, and it happened to fit perfectly lyrically with the track. -KC
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
A:We’ve played quite a number of shows so far, some super good, some unfortunately not so good. We’ve played with some pretty cool bands too. Unearth, Lord of War, Decrepit Birth, Cattle Decapitation, Intronaut and Entheos. Played to lots of people, and then maybe like 10 haha. But it happens right? Our stage presence is getting there. Especially with these new songs, they require a lot more concentration and focus. We currently in the process of setting up a light show though, which we think will be pretty cool. -KC
7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?
A: We have our CD release show set up with Decrepit Birth right now, a good friend of ours, Gabe Seeber (The Kennedy Veil) is dragging them out to Sac to headline the show, so were pretty grateful about that. As far as touring, nothing yet set in stone. We’ve talked with some label mates and might set up a smaller west coast run next year, but yea, nothing for sure yet. -KC
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of progressive, technical and melodic death metal?
A:The reaction to our music has been surprisingly well received from around the world. We had a guy from Norway buy our last EP and i think another one from Mexico, and several places outside of California. I really didn't think our music would reach outside northern california. I also saw some of our music posted on some weird russian website, so its getting out there. - Wes
9.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
A: Absolutely! We’ve already started writing for the full length. We’ve learned a lot from the latest EP, and were all pretty excited to continue writing and see what comes out. As far as i know we just want to keep writing and evolving our sound. I think everyone is pretty happy with whats going on now, so hopefully its only up from here! -KC
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
A: We all have a pretty diverse range of metal music we personally listen to, ranging anywhere from numetal to prog to brutal death metal to synthwave! -Casey
A: I think originally black dahlia was a big musical influence on how we wrote. But nowadays i dont think any of us really listen to stuff that has any influence on the way we write our music. Maybe we might reference some stuff from other bands if were looking for ideas on how to structure, but from actual like, progressions and stuff like that, at least to my knowledge i dont think there is really any modern acts that help us with that stuff.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
A: Im obsessed with yoyo’s . Im always yoyoing at practice during setup or breaks in between songs. -Casey
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
A: Not really man, we just hope this EP does well and people give it a chance! Everyone put in a pretty big effort to get this where its at right now, and were pretty proud of it! And thanks for having us! -KC
No comments:
Post a Comment