Interview with death metal band from USA - CHURCH OF DISGUST.
Answered Dustin James, thank you!
Translated by Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - CHURCH OF DISGUST - Consumed by Slow Putrefaction (2020):
Ave CHURCH OF DISGUST! I haven’t found any interview in the Czech language with you, yet. So please, first introduce the band to our readers who don’t know you. You could start from the early beginnings and describe the whole CHURCH OF DISGUST history.
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Greetings Deadly Storm! Dustin James, vocals/guitar of Church of Disgust here. We formed in 2010, originally in north Texas, and since then our unwavering vision was to play pure death metal. We released two early demos that were quite primitive(one self-released and one released by Spain's Filthy Cave Records) before signing to Memento Mori (Spain). Through this great label we released two full-length albums-2014's UNWORLDLY SUMMONING and 2016's VENERATION OF FILTH. We also released an EP entitled Dread Ritual some years back between albums. Our current lineup consists of Joshua Bokemeyer(guitar), Dwane Allen(drums), Travis Andrews(bass) and myself. We have teamed up with Maggot Stomp Records(who also released our Veneration of Filth album on vinyl, in partnership with Sunken Tomb Records) to unleash CONSUMED BY SLOW PUTREFACTION upon the world.
On February 28, 2020 label Maggot Stomp released your new EP "Consumed by Slow Putrefaction". As the name suggests, it is again a whirlwind of honest old death metal. When did you go out of studio, how did you feel? Introduce a little bit your new album to your fans.
Thank you for the kind words. CONSUMED BY SLOW PUTREFACTION took a bit longer than we'd expected, but we are beyond pleased with the result. These 3 (de)compositions represent the growth of the band quite well, and the final result is just as intended. The EP consists of three songs - "Consumed by Slow Putrefaction" "Drowned in Eldritch Slime" and "Burst Coffin".
I really enjoyed a very raw and "mangy" sound on the new album. Where did you record and mix the album and who is signed under the production?
The recording was done at our storage unit (aka INNSMOUTH STORAGE), recorded by our drummer, Dwane. Some additional tracking was completed by our guitarist Josh and Travis Cole. Mixing and mastering was again handled by Jani Loikas at Cursed Studios in Finland. He also worked on our Veneration of Filth, and we are more than pleased with the final product. I will take "raw and mangy" as a compliment! The self-recording and production was very intentional to sound raw, aggressive and heavy while maintaining clarity.
I am also interested about the cover of the album. If I understand it well, so it is a scene from an old occult book. Cover is dark and mysterious like your new album. What does this idea mean? And who painted it?
The cover of the new EP was actually done by Nightmare Imagery(@nightmare_imagery on Instagram). We felt that this art perfectly represented the title of the EP and what the music offers - total sickness!
As a band, you are dealing with horrors, H.P. Lovercraft themes, occultism. What are the lyrics about on the new recording? What is the main theme and idea of "Consumed by Slow Putrefaction"?
The primary lyrical themes of this EP are again based on the work of the author BRIAN KEENE(my favorite horror writer). The title track in particular is a morbid joining of ancient history and his work....the Etruscan king Mezentius had a favorite torture method consisting of tying a living person to a corpse, until the corpse decayed and liquified, killing the living person. This sounded too depraved to be real, so I joined this concept with Mr. Keene's morbid writings. The other songs on the EP(as well as many of our releases) touch on his writings and mythos as well. H.P. Lovecraft has definitely been an influence on the band's past work as well.
You play totally nihilistic death metal. This is exactly the kind of inferno that listeners really mess up their nerve and auditory canal. How did you get to this style? Did you pass as musicians other styles of music? Did you play in other bands? Who actually influenced you at the beginning?
Yes, we quite enjoy tormenting the ears of our listeners with our brand of heavy death, thanks! I cannot speak for the other members of the band, but I got into death metal in high school. I grew up in a small north Texas town where underground music was not readily available, so I followed a path that I'm sure is familiar to many death metal fans.....from classic rock to thrash/punk and eventually death metal, as my youthful aggression prompted me to seek out more and more aggressive music.
As for other bands, I was not as musically active when I was younger as my bandmates, aside from a grindcore band some years back. Dwane, Josh and Travis all played in different local metal bands in years past. In terms of other current projects, Josh also plays in Malignant Altar(death metal) and Mangled State (fast hateful punk). Dwane and I also have another death metal project with some friends from other bands that will come to light soon.
Touching on influences, they've ranged from Master, Gorefest, Morbid Angel, Cianide, Divine Eve and so on......but we try to build on those influences to craft our own ugly form of death metal and not simply imitate the classicks.
How about CHURCH OF DISGUST and concerts? I looked online and I found out that you mostly play in underground clubs. Do people often go to old death metal concerts in Texas? Do you want to support your album with a tour? If yes, do you want to play in Europe, anternatively in Czech Republic?
Yes, we mostly do underground shows and tours, with the occasional bigger show to support bigger acts. The death metal scene in Texas is very strong, and the turnouts are usually good for the bands that deserve it!
Additionally, yes, we will be doing shows to promote the 'Consumed' EP. This summer we will be touring Mexico with Mexican underground death metal legends R'LYEH and we are quite excited about it. In regards to Europe, we have been trying to get there for years, but have not received any serious offers. Promoters, please get in touch....we'd love to play the Czech Republic and elsewhere!!!!
Nowadays, many people download music online and they only use its digital form. How do you feel about this as a musician?
Online downloading is unavoidable these days, and it's hard to blame people, when a free download of nearly every album/demo ever recorded is simply a Google search away. For me personally, I would rather buy a physical copy of an album I like and listen to it on my home stereo, but to each their own. Alternatively, there are people who will buy albums digitally, whether it be through Bandcamp/iTunes/etc. I don't see much money from this either way, but there's no money in underground death metal, so anyone listening to our music in any form is always appreciated.
There are many young bands who try to play the “old school death/doom/black metal”. Most of them are not really good, but we can find some good bands which understand what it is about. Do you know any bands which would be able to “bring back the old days”?
Yes, the "scene" here in the States is beyond oversaturated, and it can be frustrating to find bands making music with passion and conviction. However, there are also a lot of really great bands making killer music that is refreshing and not just part of the trend.
I'm not sure that the "old days" will ever be back, I think things have changed too much since the late 80's/early 90's. However, this is still a great time for death metal-new bands are coming out constantly, there are plenty of current bands making memorable music (for example, future legacy bands like Obliteration, Dead Congregation and Cruciamentum), death metal festivals are getting great turnouts worldwide (even selling out in some cases) and for better or worse, the internet is a powerful tool in getting your shit out there.
Are there any albums which have caught your attention recently?
Absolutely! The debut Cemetery Filth album is about to be released, and it's an absolute monster....I urge all of your readers to go pick it up! I've also enjoyed recent releases from Cryptic Brood, Anatomia, Ectoplasma, Imprecation, Nekro Drunkz, Concrete Winds, Oath of Cruelty, Coffin Rot, Witch Vomit, Obliteration, Ruin, Disgusted Geist and Morbid Messiah.
What are CHURCH OF DISGUST ´s plans for the next few months?
We are working on some shows to support the new EP! We are pretty excited about it, with it being our first new release in four years. A cover song for a Maggot Stomp label sampler is being recorded very soon (I won't name the band yet, but they were mentioned earlier in the interview as an influence).....our second cover ever, the first being "Staph Terrorist" by the legendary IMPETIGO for 2015's Dread Ritual EP. We are also going to Mexico this summer for the first time ever to do a tour with Mexican death metal legends R'LYEH.
Thank you for the interview and I wish you many sold albums, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of great ideas.
Thank you Deadly Storm, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Cheers to much whiskey, even more riffs, and more fucking DEATH! DEATH METAL OR DIE, YOU TAKE UP TOO MUCH SPACE!
about CHURCH OF DISGUST on DEADLY STORM ZINE / o CHURCH OF DISGUST na DEADLY STORM ZINE:
Recenze/review - CHURCH OF DISGUST - Consumed by Slow Putrefaction (2020):
Recenze/review - CHURCH OF DISGUST - Veneration of Filth (2016):
https://www.facebook.com/churchofdisgust
https://churchofdisgust-maggotstomp.bandcamp.com/album/consumed-by-slow-putrefaction
https://churchofdisgust.bandcamp.com/https://churchofdisgust-maggotstomp.bandcamp.com/album/consumed-by-slow-putrefaction
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