1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
N.M. - We finished recording The Fate Of All Life in February, with the final masters being approved in April. Since then we’ve played a few shows and are preparing for our big album launch show which is scheduled for November 29th. There has been some work on a cover song, but there will be more information on that when it all comes together.
2.Later in October you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep's?
D.B. - This release is what we have aimed for since the beginning. There was a clear idea in my head when we first began writing in 2018, and while I am proud of our first two records, we experimented with soundscapes on our first release and expanded upon that with "Complete Emptiness", though I always had a feeling we had not quite yet achieved what I had envisioned. This time around, without being hindered by technical restrictions or inexperience, we had the freedom to focus more on what we wanted to write, instead of overcoming hurdles to get there, and sonically it represents what I had always had in mind for the band.
N.M. - I feel that with Complete Emptiness we really started to find our sound. So with this new album, the songwriting has continually improved, expanding on the previous release while adding new elements and really solidifying what we’d set out to achieve.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the past 6 years?
N.M. - The lyrical themes are quite introspective and focus on personal suffering, the inevitability of death, the idea of multiple “deaths” and “rebirths” throughout a lifetime, endless cycles and the idea that we are, in fact, living in hell. Hell within and hell without.
It is rather bleak, and everything I write is extremely personal, but I do like to allow some ambiguity for the interpretation of the listener because art is in the eyes and ears of the beholder.
As we became more focused, the songwriting, lyrics and themes have all improved over the years. It is always a process when starting a new project. You create a foundation, as we did with our first EP Transfixion. From there we played on our strengths as we saw them and went forward. I think the improvements on the 2nd EP Complete Emptiness were quite vast.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Irreparable'?
M.B. - Irreparable means "broken beyond repair" and we felt this was a true expression of the themes of the music we were trying to create. The sort of depressing music where the tone is there is no coming back from this. There is no salvation. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. When you are that truly far gone and nothing can ever bring you back.
N.M. - When trying to think of a band name, this word literally jumped at me. I think in some ways it aptly describes how I feel inside, so I took the opportunity to turn it around as a catharsis. There can be such beauty in our suffering. A lot of the most amazing art over the years is inspired by this. Expressing these bleak feelings is something we can all relate to and get something positive out of creating.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
D.B. - One moment there was a person, atop a hill, gazing out into the universe. The next moment they were gone, and their presence never really meant anything at all.
N.M. - For the artwork, I sat down with Promathiart and went over the album's themes and lyrics with him, as well as visions I had in my head about what the artwork could look like. He took extensive notes and came back to us with sketches and after a few back and forth’s we decided that this is what best represented the album.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
M.B. - I would say the best shows have been any of our interstate shows because it's always great to go to a new place we don't normally get to play, as well as meeting people from other parts of Australia. The run of shows we did with Mondernte (Iceland) were fun to play for that, as well as seeing her performance every time was always a pleasure. The best show was probably Melbourne Dethfest at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, put on by Your Mate Bookings. That one came to us so last minute because Midnight Odyssey unfortunately had to pull out due to cyclone warnings where they were going to be flying from, and with maybe 3 days notice we jumped on and played to the biggest audience we have ever played to. Plus it was an honour to play with Left to Die, the Death tribute band.
Our stage performance is bleak yet intense. NM is a great performer and a lot of the times when I am playing a show, I am distracted by how much he throws himself into what he is doing whether it is movements of pure aggression, or a vision of a man having a full on mental breakdown on stage.
N.M. - I concur, the Mondernte shows were incredible and we made a lifelong friend out of her. We are definitely keen to tour with her again when she comes back to Australia. Our first big show was supporting Unto Others (US) in 2023, which was when we were launching the Complete Emptiness EP. This was organised by Your Mate Bookings, who also contacted us for the Melbourne Dethfest fill in slot mentioned above which was definitely our best show so far.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
M.B. - Our album launch for The Fate of All Life is at the Leadbeater Hotel in Richmond on Sat 29/11. Organised by Black Oceans Media, it also features Burden Man (NSW), The Nihilistic Front and Nighteyes. Our end goal is to tour Europe. I think that would be amazing.
8.Currently the band is signed to 'These Hands Melt', how did you get in contact with this label?
D.B. - The label found us so perhaps you would have to ask them! They had found us in the digital void and reached out, saying that our music spoke to them. They contracted us for a vinyl release of "Complete Emptiness" and then re-signed us for "The Fate of all Life". They have always respected our vision and allowed us to create freely, and they have made the process of label/artist interaction as streamlined and simple as possible. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
N.M. - I had always assumed they found us because we’d had the Netherlands-based French vocalist Carline van Roos (Aythis, Lethian Dreams) guest on a track on Complete Emptiness. Either way, it’s been a great relationship from the get-go and we do appreciate all their hard work.
9.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of underground metal?
D.B. - Amazing! I wondered during the early stages of our journey if our music would be anathema to genre-purists (either of extreme/black metal, or also to listeners of goth electronica) but most people at our shows seem to really dig it and enjoy that it's a little bit different. It's always just been about telling a story, and every story has highs, lows, and mid points. We use genre-shifting to convey that and I think people enjoy it.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
D.B. - That's a hard question. I don't want to repeat what we've accomplished as I think music tends to lose heart and sounds less genuine when that happens. It's a lot of why we didn't adhere to a specific genre/sound in the first place. I think it's important to let the next record come to us naturally, and not try and force another release for the sake of it. I guess at this time all I can say is...watch this space!
11.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?
D.B. - My guitar work was heavily inspired by classic black metal like Emperor & Immortal, and also a lot of post-punk and early hardcore. Bands like the Dead Kennedy's, TSOL, Siouxsie and the Banshees etc. I always loved the similarities between black metal guitar playing and that kind of surf-rock sound the Dead Kennedy's had. They were one of the earliest influences on my playing and there's probably a bit of them in everything I do. In terms of the electronic components of our sound, I was heavily influenced by classic horror & science fiction films and their synthesizer scores. Probably not so much the modern synthwave resurgence, but classic composers like John Carpenter, Christopher Young and Claudio Simonetti's Goblin are all massive influences.
N.M. - From a young age, I was heavily inspired by frontmen like Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails. As my tastes grew more extreme, vocalists like Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Alan Averill (Primordial), Niklas Kvarforth (Shining), Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride) and Kim Carlsson (Lifelover) further shaped my role in extreme music.
On the goth/darkwave spectrum, I have been heavily influenced by the likes of Type O Negative, Fields of the Nephilim, Beastmilk/Grave Pleasures, Killing Joke etc.
M.B. - Mostly listening to dungeon synth at the moment. Artists like Erang, Hole Dweller, Quest Master.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
N.M. - Thanks for your interest in what we do, and we hope you like the album!
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