1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Seems a bit paradoxical, but we’ve been taking it easy but also working really hard. Pierce and Brian are always nonstop at work with other bands that they are playing in. Kelly has been enjoying life’s freedoms by moving to the Oregon coast. He spends his time fishing, surfing, and living nomadically. I’ve been continuing my education. Just graduated nursing school but am working on getting my bachelors. Deconsecrate was a monumental effort for all of us. We really put everything we had into it so taking a quick second to breathe has felt nice. That being said, preliminary composition is in the works for the next big thing from us and I can assure that it’s going to be another big step forward.
2.You have a new album coming out in August, musically how does it differ from your previous full length and demo's/
Everything that we have put out so far almost feels like a warm up to Deconsecrate. It takes a few years to read each other and form something cohesive. Deconsecrate was a sonic leap for us in terms of production. We really nerded out on making everything sound bigger and better. There was lots of experimentation, trial and error, rejoicing and suffering that went into being particular about making Deconsecrate sonically expanded from our debut and demos.
Compositionally, we had to start from scratch. On our debut, we had songs that had been in the works for a decade that we composed individually and then modified to form something cohesive. This time, we had to be critical in making decisions. I would describe the composition as being longer songs for people with short attention spans. Every time we repeat a riff, we always want to make it subtly different from the last time we played it. The guitar parts had a major focus on standing out individually while remaining responsive to each other. The bass guitar is out of this world. After you listen to the entire album, listen again and block the guitar from your concentration. Brian’s ability to fill in every gap left by the guitars is unmet by anyone else I know. His ability to make every composition stand out in ways none of us thought could really takes us a step further than we thought we had. It goes without saying that Pierce is a ferocious drummer. The effort that he put into going faster, hitting harder, and keeping everything grounded while simultaneously intricate is masterful. Honestly, Pierce has the best work ethic for music out of anyone that I know. His ability to push out material is not human. The fact that he plays guitar and contributes to the guitar composition is a huge part of our overall equation.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
Pierce and Kelly hold the reins in this department.
Kelly likes to write a lot about accessing and wielding inner power and he explores psychedelic and mystical themes too.
Pierce's lyrics are more introspective and observational about the world within our own mind and personal struggles.
4.Most of the band members are also involved with other bands and musical projects, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Ænigmatum', that you are not able to do with your other groups?
Thematically tied to Ænigmatum all together, there is a bit more vagueness and obscurity when we compose. I think that we are willing to pull elements from music that we listen to and aren’t afraid to make a riff out of it as long as it sounds like “us.” When we’re working on the songs, we’re always identifying the riffs by the inspiration behind them. “Play that thrashy part, do the D-beat riff more palm muted, make that suffocation riff sound more loose.” There is much more experimentation. When we show each other a riff, we know not to let ourselves get too attached to it because everyone is gonna fuck with it. We are compositionally allowed to bring more to the table but there is a checks and balance system that everything has to go through before we keep anything. We’re all fairly opinionated with different opinions. Making that balance is how you get our sound.
5.what is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ænigmatum'?
It has a variety of meanings. The plural form of enigma. It can also mean labyrinths, puzzles, riddles, or mysterious games. We like that it has more than one meaning. The obscurity and vagueness of it is what drew us to it. Our music was always supposed to be "enigmatic" from the very beginning.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
It's probably no mystery to anyone in the know that Voidceremony's entropic reflections continuum is a sick album cover. We're friends with guys in Voidceremony and wanted to see if the same artist would do something that fit our theme a little more. Juliet Gunn (@julietegunn_) painted it for us. We wanted a temple within the shape of the brain as seen from the bottom. We gave her what was probably an overdetailed description of all these themes that we were probably too stoked about and she somehow made it happen.
Logan Williams from abiosis and brother to our drummer Pierce has been doing abstract paintings to be therapeutic to the seizures he's had. They mean a lot to him and a lot to us. The backdrop seen inside the album is made of his paintings.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We really enjoy playing. Honestly some of the most meaningful shows to us were shows that were smaller. When the entire crowd is a group of friends all enjoying the moment, the energy can be so much better. Somehow our songs have a tendency to go faster live. Going to see us live is a good time. We love talking to people who enjoy the music. We also have the tendency to make deep rooted friendships with all the bands we play with. It's all about community.
8.The new album is going to be released on '20 Buck Spin', how would you compare working with this label to your previous labels 'Headspit' and "Chaos Records'?
We wouldn't be where we are now without chaos and headsplit. There will always be love and support for both of them and everyone reading this right now owes it to themselves to check out some of the bands associated with either. 20bs has been there to help friends that we have. The resources available from 20bs has been huge in getting Deconsecrate to the level it's at. We feel a lot of love and support from 20bs. The other bands that work with 20bs are bands that we're proud to be among.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
We're blown away by all the positive feedback. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the avenues that people have to go through to find out about us are typically reserved for people passionate about this type of music. There's always gonna be some pretentious shit heads out there that won't get it. We compose selfishly. It's music that we would want to hear. We're just glad there are people who actually like it too.
10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
We jam in the same room as Diabolic Oath but haven't seen them around much. Sneaky mother fuckers already got their next release done and ready as well as a near album's worth of material for after that.
Pierce has been killing the game with skeletal remains and is even working as a hired gun for vitriol. Like I said before, best work ethic for music ever. More torture rack seems to be in the works too.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We want to push ourselves. The last riff of the song animus is an introduction of what to expect next. The best way I can describe the riffs we got brewing is that each riff is made of longer sentences. Where a line would traditionally end and then repeat, our riff keeps speaking longer. Get ready for music that is harder to follow but not overly wanky technical. It is still gonna sound like us but rest assured we're getting fucking weird.
12.What are you listening to nowadays?
Most of the music that gets played in my house is stuff that I put on when I am working on homework. I will usually throw on YouTube and choose a record company to settle in on. Obviously I am gonna suggest checking out everything 20BS is putting out. It’s awesome to see the bands we get to share presence with. But I will also put on some sentient ruin so that I can hear the new Disimperium. The new laceration album fucking kills. Those guys are long time supporters of us and we are long time supporters of them. Aseitas finds its way into heavy rotation on my turntable and they’re another PDX band. Izthmi was just doing some recording in the area and I can’t wait to see how that turns out. Leprotic limb has been putting out killer tapes like the new vulnere and doing shows. Drouth rules. Coffin rot rules. Go listen to it all.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Listen to every label and every band I’ve mentioned here. Just in the pacific northwest, we have unlimited amounts of killer bands. Support your local musician. Go out and see shows. Be involved. This is a community of love and support. We’re always gonna be pushing you to listen to the music that our friends make. Our passion is able to thrive because of the gnarly ass motherfuckers out there who actually actively seek out new music. Don’t wait for it to fall into your lap. Go find something new that you like today.
See you guys out there
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