A few questions - interview with death metal band from USA - SENTIENT HORROR.
Ave, can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what style of music do you play etc.?
Hello! We are Sentient Horror. The members are Jon Lopez on rhythm guitar, Tyler Butkovsky on bass, Evan Daniele on drums, and myself (Matt Moliti) on lead guitar and vocals. I founded the band in 2014, although back then it was called Sentience and I was working with a totally different lineup of musicians. Jon joined in 2016 and Tyler and Evan both joined at the end of last year. We play death metal, plain and simple!
Where and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge of sound, production and mastering?
We tracked the drums for The Crypts Below at Subterranean Watchtower Studios with Damian Herring (Horrendous) engineering. He also mixed the record. I produced and tracked the guitars, bass and vocals, and Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Bloodbath) mastered it.
How many copies were released and which medium was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?
I’m not sure how many copies total our labels made, but The Crypts Below will be out on CD, digital, and vinyl. In Europe, Testimony Records is making available an orange/black splatter vinyl, and in the US, Redefining Darkness is doing a special digipak CD.
Who is the author of the lyrics and how were they created and about what do the lyrics deal with?
I write all the lyrics. I sit with my guitar and my lyric book and I’ll write while playing the riffs, making sure the vocal patterns fit nicely with the guitar part, since I sing and play both at the same time live. I would describe our lyrics as horror fantasy, as I am inspired by classic and current horror movies and literature. For example, the title track “Enter Crypts Below” is based on the HP Lovecraft novella “The Shadow out of Time,” and the song “Hell Marked” was inspired by watching the film “House of the Devil.”
Who created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things important?
The logo was created by my friend Patrik Tegnander, who is the guitarist for Gravebomb and operates his artwork under the design name of “Chainsaw Design.” He also does our t shirt designs and he did the cover for our debut album, Ungodly Forms. Juanjo Castellano did the artwork for our new EP, The Crypts Below. I run our social network pages. I do think it is important in this day, its the easiest way to stay in touch with fans.
Which label did you choose for releasing your album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you and takés care about you?
In Europe we work with Testimony Records and in North America we work with Redefining Darkness Records. I’m very satisfied with both labels, and I think they do an excellent job at promoting the band.
Which bands do you idolise and where do you get your inspiration?
As far as death metal goes, my favorite bands are Death, Carcass, and Edge of Sanity, but in regards to the music I create in Sentient Horror I also pull lots of influence from Dismember, Entombed, and Gorefest. I also love traditional heavy metal like Judas Priest, King Diamond, Saxon, etc. Outside of metal, my favorite bands are prog rock artists like Genesis, King Crimson, and Rush. I might use some inspiration from those non-death metal artists when I write for Sentient Horror, but I will never try to mix genres or anything. I want to keep Sentient Horror a pure death metal band.
Did you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the response?
As I mentioned before, we are working with Testimony Records in Europe and Redefining Darkness in North America. They are happy with the new EP!
How many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether it's (clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the best?
We play pretty regularly, at least once a month, and in October we will be going on a two week European tour with our labelmates, Carnal Tomb. We’ve done everything from basement shows to outdoor festivals at this point, and I enjoy all types of shows. I think the crowd reaction is more important than the venue. I think as far as personal performances go, its best when we’re not too stressed out and have had proper time to warm up and relax before going on stage.
What about your plans for the future? What do you want to achieve with the band?
Even though the EP won’t be released until March 30th, I plan on getting started writing the 2nd full length record very soon. I have very particular ideas for where I want to go with it, but nothing I can say right now. I’d like to tour more and play places we’ve never played before!
How and where can your fans contact you? Can you provide some contact information?
I try to respond very quickly on our facebook page, so that is the best way to reach us: http://www.facebook.com/sentienthorrorofficial
Thanx for the interview.
You’re welcome! Thank you for the opportunity!
