This year is already set up with some fantastic tours; Sleep Token, Wormrot, and the mighty Dying Fetus to name a few. The later which is the main feature of this issue. I am a late convert to the Dying Fetus camp but can not wait for the upcoming UK tour. With amazing support bands Nasty, Frozen Soul and Cabal accompanying them this tour will crush any venue in occupies. This issue also brings some great interviews with grindcore experts Implore, Stoner Kings Acid Mammoth and Lord Mountain as well as Deathcore titans Awake in Providence.
As always thank you for reading.
All the best ��
D. Gilmore
Out of Step UK
Doom from California is an interesting thing for me. Being that I have always (wrongly) assumed you had to be from the damp, dark and depressing British Isles to make decent Doom metal. Lord Mountain are one band that are rapidly changing my mind and with their debut record out now it’s only a matter of time before many the band have many more fans from that small island off mainland Europe.
I understand you are natives of Santa Rosa California. This isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking about Doom/stoner metal. Is there much of a scene where you are from?
Yes there are some great bands here in Sonoma County/ Santa Rosa. A pretty diverse metal scene really. There’s a lot of passionate music fans here that really go out of their way to support local bands.
Sabbath are obviously an influence. Do you have a favourite Black Sabbath record? Probably the debut. Mob Rules is up there too.
Your new record “The Oath” is nearly upon us. Could you tell me a bit about it?
The Oath is our debut full length. Most of the songs were recorded early 2020 but for obvious reasons it was put on the shelf. When the dust started to settle we got together and recorded a couple more songs. I feel it’s an interesting mix of some of our early songs, as well as newer material. You can get a feel for where we’ve been, as well as where we’re going.
Along the same lines, Ozzy or Dio as vocalist for the band?
I dig both incarnations of Sabbath. Dio is my favourite vocalist but the early albums definitely have that magic.
I love the name lord Mountain, how did it come about?
One of the first names we came up with was Lonely Mountain. As we wrote more songs they started getting heavier and we decided Lord Mountain just seamed to fit better.
I’ve heard you describe the record as a “quest like experience” could you elaborate on the meaning behind that?
Yeah that makes sense. Much of the lyrical content is inspired by Fantastic literature. “The Giant” and “Serpent Temple” have a very quest like vibe to them.
Lyrically you seem to lean towards fantasy and myth what are your main influences when writing a record? Would you ever over into lore contemporary subject matter?
Our music is strongly influenced by art, literature, and film. War, history, Norse myth are common themes in our music. This subject matter will likely continue to show up in LM songs, but we’re definitely not limiting ourselves to what we write about. Can’t say we’ll write songs about love or smoking weed as there’s plenty of other bands for that.
Other than Sabbath what are your other influences as a band?
Maiden, Priest, Manilla Road, to name a few. Pagan Altar and Cirith Ungol are worth mentioning as well. I could go on and on but we tend be inspired a lot by heavy metal bands from mid 70’s to mid 80’s.
How do you think you have processed as a band since your last release (2019 Lord Mountain)?
The ep was recorded back in 2015 and rereleased as a split in 2019. Our newer songs are taking on a bit more of an epic sound. A lot of the guitar work is becoming less pentatonic based, as we’re incorporating more minor scales.
You’ll hear both approaches on “The Oath”.
Could you describe the process you go through writing a record (is it a group effort or does one member take charge, do you write individually etc).
Generally someone will bring a new riff to band practice and it just takes off from there. I have a ton of riffs recorded on my phone so sometimes I’ll just bust that out. We usually have new parts and a song structure pretty quickly. I like to keep things pretty simple and not other think it. I usually write lyrics a few months or so after we have a song down.
Sounding like a herd of stoned behemoths trampling over you Acid Mammoth are an immersive and hypnotic group that march along the laylines of your mind. In other words they are a bloody good Stoner/Doom combination and with a new record on the way, a very chatty band at that. Ladies and gentlemen give it up for the prehistoric beast that is Acid Mammoth. I understand you are natives of Athens. Greece isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking about Doom/stoner metal. Is there much of a scene where you are from?
Hey David, first of all thank you for this interview! It is true that Doom isn’t as big in Greece as it is in other countries around the world. I would say that traditional Doom, the likes of Candlemass, Solitide Aeturnus etc. Is more prominent than our kind of Doom, which has elements of stoner. The same cannot be said about stoner rock though, as there is a huge stoner rock scene in Greece with lots of great bands and a huge fan base! Our kind of Doom in Greece on the other hand is listened mostly in the underground circles. Sabbath are obviously influence. Do you have a favourite Black Sabbath record?
We love all Sabbath records with Ozzy (We love Sabbath with Dio and Tony Martin too, but that’s another story haha). If we had to pick one, that would be Sabotage, as it is the first rock/metal album we ever listened to in two different eras. It was the first ever rock album my father listened to back in the 70s and it introduced him to this world of music. Fast forward 30 years and he had me listen to Sabotage, and I was introduced to a whole new world of music, same way he did. It is an unbelievably magical album and it has a special place in our hearts!
Along the same lines, Ozzy or Dio as vocalist for the band?
Both vocalists are unique and amazing in their own way. Dio was great, everything he did with Rainbow, Sabbath and his solo band was the stuff of legends. Ozzy is also a legend in his own way, with the Black Sabbath albums he participated in being our favourite albums ever. I think we will choose Ozzy, not because we prefer him over Dio but because the albums he participated in are our main influence as a band and some of our favourite albums of all time.
I love the name Acid Mammoth, how did it come about?
From the moment we started this band, we wanted our sound to resemble a horde of mammoths marching towards you in full force! We wanted every riff to resemble the heavy footsteps of this ancient colossal animal. Therefore the mammoth implies the heaviness of our sound. The acid brings some psychedelia to the whole thing and a sense of magic!
Are there any plans at the moment for a follow-up to your last record (2021 Caravan)?
Yes, in fact we are currently in the process of finalizing the songs for Caravan’s successor! We are entering the studio next month to record it, and we expect it to be released sometime in 2023. We are in no rush to finish it though, we want to take our sweet time with it to enjoy the whole creative process of it as well as release the best album possible. The new album takes a slightly different approach to Caravan. Caravan was a melancholic album in a way, more melodic, more atmospheric. It reflected our mood during the time of its conception, when Athens was in a state of total lockdown and we were stuck inside four walls for an extended period of time due to the Covid-19 measures in Athens. The new album will be more aggressive and rawer!
Could you describe the process you go through writing a record (is it a group effort or does one member take charge, do you write individually etc).
Everyone brings their ideas to the table, at which time there is a sort of synthesis that takes place, as the ideas take shape and are formed into songs. There is no “recipe” with which ideas will come, sometimes one of us will bring an entire song, sometimes a single riff. Inspiration comes and goes randomly, and our priority is to keep the best ideas. Sometimes we write individually, other times collectively. We always focus on every single riff, every single vocal and generally every second of every song to mean something. We tend not to include filler, or generally ideas that we do not feel 100% sure about. Filler riffs and filler songs tend to taint the flow of a record and we try to avoid it, even at the cost of an album’s length if necessary. We prefer to release a great 35 – 40-minute album rather than release an ok 45–50-minute album!
Acid Mammoth is something of a family affair with father and son in the group. How does that dynamic work? Does Senior ever play the “I’m your father!” Card?
Playing in a band with your dad is amazing, you get to spend more time with him and spend time together creatively. We’ve always had a great relationship with my dad as he is the one who taught me this music, therefore it is only natural that we would play in a band together. The dynamic works great since we know each other so well and we are comfortable with each other so music comes naturally between us. Funny that you talk about the “I’m your father” card. Sometimes, yes haha. There are two relationships at play here, one where I am his bandmate, and one where I am his son. Most of the time we see each other as bandmates, talking about music and communicating about band stuff. However, as is the case with most parents, there are times where he sees me more as his son rather than his bandmate. But our relationship is great and I think it’s because we are father and son that we have connected so well as musicians.
Other than Sabbath what are your other influences as a band?
Other Doom bands in the scene, such as Electric Wizard, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats and Conan. At the same time, we are heavily influenced by 70s rock bands, as well as 50s-60s horror movies! Horror movies especially, they give us the appropriate vibes which put us in the mood to write music. There have been many occasions where we’ve watched a horror movie and afterwards we jammed, and the results have always been amazing for us.
Are there any Greek bands similar to Acid Mammoth that the UK fans should be listening too?
We do not have a lot of Stoner/Doom Bands in Greece, as most bands either follow the traditional doom approach or stoner rock. There are however bands with a similar sound, whether they are sludgier or more “traditional”. Make sure to check our buddies Seer of the Void, great monolithic Doom, with elements of old cult heavy metal! We are also big fans of Sadhus the Smoking Community who are on the sludgier side of things and have a great, filthy, heavy, crushing sound!
Are there any plans to visit us in the UK anytime soon?
Yes, there are!!! We are in fact planning to come in 2023! News about it will be announced in the coming months!!!
Symphonic deathcore. What a bloody great idea. Nobody does it quite like Awake in Providence. The Four piece from New York have just dropped one of my albums of the year (2022) in their latest record “Eternity” the lads are going to be big news sooner rather than later mark my words.
Hi guys thank you for your time, how are you today?
Doing well! Working on some upcoming stuff for “Eternity” while also working on the new album.
The new records out now. Could you tell me abit about the concept for you your new record are there any particular themes you drew influence from?
To sum it up, the album is a story about mental health told through a more “fantastic” lens. It’s the darker parts of mental health, the finality of the end, and the feeling of loneliness.
I love the use of orchestration on your last few singles (Godkiller and The Horror ov the old gods) how did that aspect of the bands sound come about?
Thank you, I’m glad you’re a fan of the change! I have been using sound design and atmospheric elements in our music since the beginning, the intention of moving towards an orchestra has always been there. The issue i always ran into though, I left the need of good quality samples the whoever was mixing us but learned every studio does not have high quality samples haha. This lead me down the dark path of buying library after library of orchestral samples, learning music theory to write better music that an orchestra would fit into, while also maintaining the thread of “Does this still sound kind of like AWIP?” (I don’t like writing the same exact style twice).
The new singles have an epic atmosphere to them. How do you start writing a track like that! Is it a case of building upon a rough framework and adding layers?
My process has changed really, when I starting writing “Eternity”, it was write a song, then add atmosphere with guitars, then I was heavily influenced by Fleshgod Apocalypse and the Dark Souls 3 soundtrack (among other classical elements). I then replaced a lot of the guitar parts with a more definitive orchestra unlike our previous releases that had classical elements like choirs or brass. Now it’s all written together at the same time.
You guys are part of a resurgence in Deathcore that’s happening at the moment. Why do you think this is happening now and are there any groups you think deserve some more attention?
I never think of us as being a part of what’s going on, I don’t think my band is that big haha. But! From a stylistic approach I think we are a part of something. I think we as creators were seeing the end of “deathcore” when bands like whitechapel, Suicide Silence, and even Carnifex started to depart from the sound they helped pioneer, I feel like that’s our job now with whatever is happening in deathcore now. You look at bands like, us (AWIP), Worm Shepherd, and Lorna Shore and yeah we are all doing some for of “Blackened deathcore” but there are differences (to me) that help each one stand out. I don’t have much of a recommendation as I tend to be out of the loop in the deathcore world haha
Do you ever write on the road or do you keep that sort of thing separate?
I guess we’ll see this coming year ;)
What are you listening to at the moment? Do you stay in the metal genre or are you more eclectic in your music tastes?
Right now, when I’m not listening to the new stuff I’m working on to fine tune stuff but, listening to Mozart, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino (The Batman score is impeccable), Dimmu Borgir, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Gaerea, and chill beats lol
With the release of your new record what’s next for the band?
Some touring of course and the new stuff I’m working on! We’ll see how everything turns out! Thanks for the interview!
The bands new record “Eternity” is out now.
Mixing Grindcore, Death metal and punk, Implore are an eclectic mix of the extreme. Their latest record “The Burden of Existence” is by far their best record to date. To top that band leader and vocalist Gabriel Dubco is filling in of vocals for Metal legends Wormrot on their UK tour. Very the gentleman Gabriel was kind enough to fill me in on the latest developments in both bands.
How did you decide on the artwork for BOE? Its the first time we ve seen some colour on one of your record!
We were late to deliver the design cause we were not finding the concept that suited the album, until we came across Santiago Caruso and his watercolor series were fitting very well. Was nice and easy to work with him. We wanted to break the pattern of black and grey artworks and give the band a bit of a different image since we changed a lot from the first album to this one. It was a necessary step.
Theres a definite sound of progression on BOE. How do you think you have progressed as a band and as musicians since your first album (2015 depopulation)?
Exactly! We were always open minded musicians. The biggest change in the band was when petro joined in 2015. He and I wanted to take this band to the next level and we worked really hard non stop ever since. When the addition of Markus in 2017 we grew more and when he move to drums we became a whole different band. The core of the band is us 3 and we know very well what we wanna write and set no boundaries in terms of creativity.
I love your last record ( The Burden of existence) Could you tell me a bit about how this record came together?
Thank you so much! The way to the album was a hard road! We were struck by the pandemic, we had a lot of internal crisis during that time period. Our label fired us and our bassist quit the band, once we re organized ourselves and church road records showed interest in working with us we started writing new material from scratch and we were defining the new sound of the band and we were feeling great about it. We recorded this album in January 2022 in a hut lost in the woods of Austria. Markus (drums) petro (guitars) and myself (vocals) alone for 2 weeks only working on music and recording this album. Was a great experience, the best recording experience if you ask me.
Is everything a "group effort" or more of a solo thing as far as writing goes?
We write together normally someone brings an idea of a song pretty much cooked and we finish it together. But there’s a lot of practice room effort, basically we have to work together to make things happens and feel the chemistry while playing it
What are your main influences when writing the lyrics to a record?
I went through different phases throughout the years of writing lyrics for implore where I was concerned with different topics. I started taking over more social political issues and now I’m more focused on personal struggles and mental health. Maybe it’s part of the age, I started this band at 25 and I’m almost 35. I feel like I really lived those 10 years and I learnt a lot about the world and about myself. The burden of existence is a compilation of feelings I went through in the past 2-3 years with the pandemic and the modern world we live in. The burden of existence is the constant chase of finding a meaning to life and to live it to the fullest.
What was the music scene like when you started playing in bands, was there much of a movement where you grew up?
My first band was in the hometown where I went to high school in a small coast town north of Barcelona. I was 14 in 2002 and with some kids from high school we started writing our first songs, we got to play some shows and I wanted to go metal and they wanted to go punk so we went separate ways and I started a metal band with a guy from the city. It was exciting, everything was new and we were clueless about how to do things, everything was a milestone and I look back to good times and good memories.
What influences you as a band outside of music?
Definitely the love and friendship we have for each other, we are not exactly commercially successful after almost 10 years. Passion is what fuels this what we do and we enjoy sharing time together on the road or making a new album. We are a live band and playing live is the main influence for us to stick together. The value of our integrity is the main influence if that makes any sense to the question.
How, if at all, does Gabriel doing vocals for Wormrot on their upcoming tour impact Implore? Could this lead to him/you becoming a permanent member?
It will definitely affect the live activity of implore but this won’t stop us.
I’m a live musician and this is a great opportunity to me to learn more and expand, it’s on the guys in wormrot and the fans to decide if I should make a record with them or not.
How did the idea of you/Gabriel performing with Wormrot come about? Who approached who?
I wrote Rasyid and email and I said “hey if you need help for a tour let me know” that was basically it.
Finally, Are there any plans to visit us in the UK anytime soon?
We are hoping to make it back to the UK in July 2023, it’s been a lot time since we’ve played there with Vallenfyre in 2017.
Explores latest album “The Burden of Existence” is out now as is Wormrots latest “Hiss”
Words by Alex Newman
