GATECREEPER

CATTLE

INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST TRAVIS RYAN BY CHRISTOPHER J. HARRINGTON C attle Decapitation’s newest “Well, we seem to know now what an stuff. So, I’m finding the band to be record, Death Atlas (out now album needs to have a little more,” much more fun, and it’s become via Metal Blade), has the vocalist Travis Ryan laughs. “I feel much more a force as a creative feel of the future, and for all of us this is our most ‘realized’ record.” outlet of late. The last twenty minsentient life forms it’s not good news. utes of the record is, in my opinion, Anyone paying attention to the For all the propulsion of riffs and some of the best material we’ve band over the years knows that they grind, there are equal parts nightever done.” have been relaying socio-econommare spacescapes and psychologic and ethical warnings from the ical noise. This variation is someThose twenty minutes, starting with beginning. With Death Atlas, even if thing the band has particularly the track “With All Disrespect,” and you’re still in complete denial, the honed-in on since 2015’s The Anending with the nine minute “Death message is clear. thropocene Extinction, a record that Atlas,” package all of Cattle Decapis noteworthy for its immense tonalitation’s musical and conceptual “Environmental scientists and engiity and structure. The dichotomy is revolutions in a powerful way. Using neers now describe the current era even more severe on Death Atlas, technical prowess to stimulate the as planet Earth’s mass extinction,” and that’s the point. content the band relays, the last a voice echoes in machine tone four songs bend and twist like Robon the track “The Great Dying.” “Its “Personally, I did want the valleys to ert Patrick in Terminator 2: Judgment cause: humans.” be super low, and that means the Day. Of particular note, “Time’s depressing or slow parts need to be Cruel Curtain” shows how the band With their new album, Cattle Decapextremely emotional and depresshas created a completely unique itation rise to the challenge of coming,” Ryan says. “That’s honestly my way to blend melody with pure bining form with substance, the totalifavorite kind of stuff, ever since I grind, a feat that people are just ty of which is shattering, schizophrenwas a child and heard Beethoven’s now adjusting to. ic, and of course, headbanging. In Moonlight Sonata for the first time. I fact, as dark as the record is, it’s the fell in love with that kind of stuff im“It’s morphed from one or two peomost headbanging thing the group mediately. I’ve always been a fan of ple writing most of it, to the process has ever laid out. goth, new wave, ambient, and synth including everyone, even myself,”