Ελληνικά
Cruciamentum’s “Engulfed in Desolation” Ep was a great sensation on the underground death metal scene. Four years later time has finally come to release their first full length. Metal Invader got in touch with the founder of the band D.T. in order to learn some details…
Greetings from “always in trouble” Greece! How are things going over there?
All is well in the Cruciamentum camp, thank you! We’re currently arranging rehearsals ready for the tour with Corpsessed in November, to support “Charnel Passages” which will be released in September.
The new song “Piety Carved For Flesh” left me wanting more… When is the release of the album scheduled? Are the rest of the songs in the same path?
“Charnel Passages” will be released September 4th via Profound Lore and shortly after on vinyl by Profound Lore in the US, and Me Saco Un Ojo in Europe.
The album is quite varied in atmosphere, tempos, and texture, but at the same time doesn’t stray from the framework of death metal. You certainly haven’t heard everything there is to come with “Piety…”.
The name of the studio and the sound engineer creates even higher expectations… I’ll better leave it to you to give us some details about the recording process…
We recorded and mixed the album in The Priory Recording Studio, with Greg Chandler of Esoteric fame. In the past we have always worked at some point on our releases with Greg, but this time with a bigger budget we were able to handle everything at The Priory. For the recording we used all our own equipment (guitars, amps, drums, pedals etc) to make sure the sound was as close to our live sound as possible. I mastered the album myself as I am also a sound engineer and same as with using Greg, I like to have my input on the process as well on all our releases also.
You are the only founding member left. Are you the sole composer or is it a team work?
It is more the case that the band worked under my dictatorship prior to the current line-up and became more democratic from there. I still write the majority of the music, but the songs are structured as a band, and everyone contributes their own riffs, solos, and subtle nuances which are as important to the “Cruciamentum sound” as the riffs themselves.
Your new songtitles are very intriguing as always. What is the essence of the lyrics?
Explorations of the dark subconscious. Revelations of the individual as to his/her standing in the universe, and the vomiting of bile upon the meek, apathetic, and mediocre.
We witnessed the use of keys in “Unsanctified Temples” and in “Rites to the Abduction of Essence” which contributed a great deal in building up the song’s atmosphere. Will you use any in the new album?
Keys have always been a part of our sound since the beginning. This time we have tried to use more textures and variation in the keys/ambient guitars, but these parts are always composed with live performance in mind. This means they need to be able to be replicated on guitar or bass live, or be left out entirely, which is important as the keys should never become dominant.
Four years have passed since the release of “Engulfed In Desolation” Ep. Seems like way too long. Did the band face any problems that slowed things down?
Cruciamentum has always been a slow working band because we live some 400 miles apart from each other and at points that distance has been even further. Rehearsals are rare, and we are in no rush to release anything for the sake of it. Better to take our time and compose the strongest material as we can.
Your new song seems to me to be in the same vein like some other rather new bands (Grave Miasma, Lvcifyre, Abyssal from the U.K. and our own Dead Congregation among others). There is a common feeling of despair, depression and brutality reigning, a cold feeling overall. Are there any hints of a new subgenre descending here?
I really don’t see any likeness to any of those bands at all, perhaps we share some of the same influences or attitudes, but Cruciamentum has a sound which is entirely our own. Recent years have surely seen a return to the darker, rawer side of death metal as opposed to the more clinical, technical style of the 00s, but I really feel that we are working to create what we want to hear and express ourselves rather than making music to appeal to current trends and scenes.
You are in Profound Lore, such a unique and uncompromising label… What are your impressions working together so far?
When I first found that our old label, Nuclear Winter Records had dissolved, I was worried we would struggle to find another label with which we had such a good relationship. Fortunately we had known Chris from Profound Lore for quite some time, and he was keen to work with us. We’ve nothing but praise for Profound Lore, who really helped us achieve the album we wanted to make.
Any plans for a tour after the release of the record?
We have plans for a European tour in November with our Finnish comrades Corpsessed. Dates are currently being finalized and they should be announced shortly!
Thank you for this interview…
Thank you for the support!
