Interview with doom death metal band from Australia - CARCINOID.
Answered Jess (bass), thank you!
Recenze/review - CARCINOID - Encomium to Extinction (2023):
Ave CARCINOID! Greetings to the Australian underground. I hope everything is fine with you. It should be because this year you have released a second album in your band's career. I have to admit it has literally blown my mind. It is dark, energic and as if it cuts by the sharp edge of the knife. I can hear from the record you did a really good job and you added a big portion of the talent, too. How do you perceive the new album in comparison to the previous one? Where did you want to move and in what are these two records different?
Thanks so much for your kind words and support since 2019 also! This release is technically not an album but a 30 minute MLP compared to the 40 minute Metastatic Album. We have definitely grown and improved our sound compared to the previous release. Listening back to our first album it is considerably different to Encomium to Extinction for many reasons- the composition of the band having 5 members now and with 2 guitars we had the opportunity to experiment with feedback, guitar solos, contrasting guitar tones and added sound and layered heaviness with the addition of an additional instrument.
The recording process was a lot different as we had the ability to fix mistakes as we recorded only the drums to tape compared to Metastatic Declination which was recorded to tape in full and we had to nail each track in it's entirety with no ability to edit. Metastatic may have more of an organic feel for this reason but Encomium is definitely a step up professionally. The sound is heavier due to the layering of instruments, drums recorded to tape and recording at Goatsound studios over several days. The songs are more well constructed on Encomium, as we spent more time perfecting things to where we were happy and Metastatic was very rushed creatively in my opinion.
Our members on this record have also changed since the last release. Carter was replaced by Kit on drums and Wyatt was introduced on lead guitar. We have since again had another lineup change with Nathan now on lead guitar and Michele on drums.
I would say our influences still remain since the inception of the band in 2018 hence our sound still rings true to our 2018 demo.
Encomium to Extinction“ includes all attributes of good death and doom metal. For me personally, it represents the record, which I really like to listen to. How did you produce it? In which studio did you record it? How did the recording process look like? How look the writing process of new material in the case of CARCINOID?
We recorded at Goatsound studios in Melbourne which is run by Jason Fuller (Blood Duster, Burn the hostages) All of our other releases were recorded to 4 and 8 track tape respectively by us through a DIY approach. This may explain the more professional sound of Encomium to Extinction compared to the previous releases which were very raw and underproduced as we were hoping to step it up a bit. All of the guitars and vocals were double tracked, the drums were recorded to tape which differed from Metastatic also.
Writing this record took awhile as we began the process during COVID where Melbourne was suffered harsh restrictions for 262 days. We could not have visitors or leave our house for distances further than 5 Kilometers. This affected us as we could not get together to rehearse or write so our creative process suffered massively. We had to email back and forth a lot and when we could reconvene we had to learn how to work creatively together we had 2 new members that had just joined at the time. They added their influences to the music but definitely keeping it true to the Carcinoid sound, as will follow with the current lineup and our sophomore album.
I found out that Dan Lowndes signed under the mix and mastering of the new record. I have to confirm that the sound is literally killing. It still makes me add volume to the player. Dan Lowndes has created a sound that is cruel, raw and at the same time dark and organic. How went the work with him and why did you choose him?
Jason Fuller actually mixed the record and Dan mastered it. We have a lot of respect for Dan and he always does a great job of everything he touches. We first worked with him in 2020 as he mastered our split release with fellow Australian band Charnel Altar. We were very impressed with his work so definitely wanted to get him on board again. He just nails the sound of our genre of music as can be observed in a long list of excellent bands he has mastered sick records for- Caustic wound,Cerebral Rot, Corpsessed, Druid Lord, Father Befouled, Gosudar, Innumerable forms, Mortiferum, Spectral Voice, Worm- just to name a few as well as his own band Cruciamentum.
An important part and a kind of extra bonus for fans today is the physical vinyl. You released the new album at CD in Me Saco Un Ojo / Headsplit, and it has a corpsy cover art. Who is the author? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music at the record?
Necrofrost composed the artwork for out MLP who we have used for many merch designs and who also did the Metastatic Declination cover. In his classic black and white style we envisioned a desolate, barren landscape surrounded a mausoleum tomb with lots of gravestones, the finer details show animal carcasses. The themes of the record incorporate feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety and death which resonates with the artwork. Necrofrost did a fantastic job as he always has done in the past with our artwork.
I have been wandering the underground for over thirty years and I still go to Australia for music with certainty. I think we have a similar nature and taste when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I monitor your scene carefully. Maybe I envy you a little, because we only have a few death metal bands that are worth it. How do you explain that death metal are doing so well in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
We are definitely lucky here in Melbourne that our scene is thriving and we can play great bills with great bands who go off to play shows overseas as well. Melbourne is not only great for death metal but a variety of other genres as we enjoy playing mixed bills with some diversity.
Metal in Australia has always been strong with some earlier notable bands that we still listen to from the 1990's such as Cruciform, Abramelin, Misery, Armoured Angel, Disembowelment and Sadistik Exekution. As Melbourne's scene is so great there are always lots of people of a range of ages which is awesome, As much as the scene is thriving here it is nothing compared with some European cities. There are not a great deal of metal labels in Australia at the moment and it is harder and more expensive (due to shipping costs) to distribute our music physically due to the distance between Australia and Europe/ America. This is why we have always looked to get our music released on overseas labels.
You play doom death metal influenced by, among other things, the old school. Today, the band can't avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start CARCINOID was born, who was and is your metal idol? Where do you want to move your band? Are you attracted to large foreign festivals, for example, are you willing to go on tour with a more famous band?
The band was formed in 2018 by Az (guitars) and Jess (bass). Az who is into a bit of everything genre wise wanted to do a death metal project and channeled bands such as Pungent Stench, Autopsy, Napalm Death and Brutal Truth who he is heavily influenced by. Jess was more into a lot of doom bands around that time and was influenced by Cathedral, Candlemass, Corrupted, Grief and Winter. A lot of our influences also now crossover melding the sound we have forged today. The idea of death doom is appealing as when combining genres you can really experiment with soundscapes and not be boxed into one specific style. We have a lot of respect for fellow death-doom bands such as coffins and cianide. Next year we are are hoping to do an Australian tour and play some overseas dates next year once we have a few new songs under our belts. We have enjoyed playing both of the festivals we have performed at (Killtown Deathfest and Asakusa Deathfest) and definitely would like to play some more in the future. I'm not sure about playing huge festivals but we certainly enjoy playing more underground death metal festivals as they have a very community based vibe you may not get at large commercial festivals. If we got asked to go on tour supporting a larger and more well known band I think that would definitely be a great experience as we are all passionate about travelling and meeting fellow musicians.
When I started my website six years ago, I had a vision that I would try to support bands that are not so much popular, or they are lost in underground. To let the world knows about them. I think I'm doing quite well, at least according to the responses. How do you approach the promotion of your music? Do you rely upon the label or do you send the CDs for various reviews by yourself? For example, I buy albums that I really enjoy. What about you? Are you also fans who often support your colleagues? Do you go to concerts?
You've definitely done a great job and it is appreciated how much work goes into running a zine like or website such as this. It is such a great way to showcase underground bands who would not necessarily be recognised. We mostly rely on our labels to promote our releases and also get asked quite a bit from people around the world to complete interviews like these. We all enjoy going to see local bands as we have a lot of friends collectively in the Melbourne music scene and like to go to gigs we aren't playing at least a few times per month. It really is great to support your community/ friends and watch them grow and thrive which in turn motivates us to push the limits with new material and onstage.
On the one hand, today the new band has a lot of opportunities to make themselves more known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of groups and the fans are getting lost in this big metal sea. A lot of people just download mp3s from the internet and instead of to visit the concert they prefer to spit poisonous saliva on Facebook. How do modern technologies affect you as CARCINOID? What do you think about downloading music, google metalists, streaming music, etc.?
From a revenue perspective digital streaming definitely does not do us any favours as online platforms we use such as spotify and bandcamp take large fees. Out of anything we definitely appreciate someone who can come to one of our shows and purchase a physical format copy of our musíc, as we do when going to support other bands in our community. In terms of internet trolls that don't go to shows. We don't have any control over that aspect of things but i think if you are passionate about music you should be positively supporting bands if you have the ability to.
Az and Jess are avid collectors of Vinyl, CD and cassettes so definitely agree that physical formats trumps digital formats. There's something special about getting up to put on a record and holding the artwork in your hands complete with inner sleeves and lyrics etc. Digital streaming platforms have definitely made our lives easier with music available with the click of a button and also from a musician perspective that your music can reach people from around the world with ease. I think physical formats offer the full package though, and the work that goes into the layout and packaging, it does not compare to digital formats.
I like to ask the musicians what death metal means to them. How would they define it, whether it is more the philosophy and lifestyle thing for them or "just" relaxation? What does it mean for you? How do you perceive and experience it?
Death metal to us is definitely about community and coming together to support a common passion. Bonding over favourite bands and discussing riffs, merch and records. It is a good outlet and release to channel all of our energy into for us to be able to write and perform music.The sheer power that death metal can produce through performing, listening to music or going to see other bands is definitely a relaxing and cathartic experience.
Finally, a classic but important question. What is CARCINOID planning in the upcoming months? Where can we see you at the stage?
We are currently writing for our sophomore album and planning to write a large number of songs to keep some to release on splits with other bands- maybe even on a 7' format which we have not done yet. Next year with our new vocalist on board we will resume shows and hope to do 2 international appearances and multiple Australian dates including cities we have not yet performed in- Perth, Hobart etc
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish a lot of success to the new album and let the number of your fans expand as much as possible. I will look forward to seeing you somewhere live again. I wish you a lot of success both musically and personally. I'm going to push „Encomium to Extinction“ into my head again!
Big thank you for reaching out to us and we have the utmost respect for people like you who take the time to support and recognise the underground metal scene. We hope you enjoy the new release coming out in full this week!
Recenze/review - CARCINOID - Encomium to Extinction (2023):
Recenze/review - CARCINOID - Metastatic Declination (2019):
tracklist:
1. Led To The Worms
2. Encomium To Extinction
3. Mired In Decay
4. Morbid Curse
5. Strangulation
band:
Az - Guitars
Jess - Bass
Josh-Vocals
Nathan - Guitars
Michele - Drums
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