Underling – Breathe Deeply – Entrevue
En mars dernier, j’avais essayé d’attirer votre attention sur une excellente démo d’un groupe qui laissait présager de bien bonnes choses (vous pouvez lire ladite revue juste ici). J’avais été agréablement surpris par cet effort de trois petites pièces que nous proposait cette formation qui, pour le moment, n’avait laissé couler que très peu d’informations à son sujet sinon qu’il s’agissait d’un groupe de la région de la Californie, aux États-Unis. Maintenant, quelques 7 mois plus tard, voilà que ces Américains reviennent à la charge avec leur premier EP officiel, Breathe Deeply. Un peu plus présent sur la toile et sur les médias sociaux, ils se sont rendus disponible à nous pour une entrevue. Je vous laisse donc le plaisir de les découvrir, eux, ainsi que leur époustouflante et très émotive musique.
Coeur Noir
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Ondes Chocs (OC) : Hi! First off, I would like to say that I really love Breathe Deeply and it’s definitly one of the best EP I heard so far this year. So can you guys give us a little biography. Who are you? Where are you from? Who’s playing what? What other bands were you or still playing in? Where you guys met and how you decide to create Underling.
Underling (A) : Hey guys…This is Antonio, vocalist and co-songwriter of Underling. Firstly I’d like to thank you for the kind words, as this project is very personal to me. Underling is a project that was formed in 2011 by myself and Robert Morey, bassist of Atmospheric Death Metal outfit, Fallujah (currently touring with Black Dahlia Murder and Skeleton Witch) and we essentially began writing the material that has come to be the Breathe Deeply EP. We have resident drummer of Arkaik, Alex Bent, who has toured with a number of bands and has also paid his dues as a studio session drummer and touring fill in for bands like Decrepit Birth. I have been in several bands with Alex and Robert and have worked with them both on a number of projects since 2007, the most recent of which Alex Bent did some studio session work for Sidian, my last band, which was an atmospheric technical death metal outfit. We all have known each other for quite some time and when Robert and myself decided it was time to take this project to the studio with a longtime friend, Adam Ruppel of Proview studios to release it, we hit up Alex to do the drumming and that was that (Alex did most of the songs in 1 or 2 takes by the way).
OC : I read somewhere that Breathe Deeply is kind of a very personnal album and took years to be done. Can you talk a little bit about the lyrics and the concept of the EP, if any, and how the process of writting as evolve over the time it took to complete the songs.
A : Well each song in order was written based on either personal experiences, heartache, and bouts of depression over the years between Robert and I. It was nice to have it recorded professionally using unconventional methods in terms of mixing when it comes to the black metal « sound ». For example, the last song, Seizures Over Sullen Waters, is essentially about a car wreck I was involved in when I had a seizure while driving about a block away from my apartment. I certainly had a brush with death and I tried to be as genuine as possible in conveying that feeling of losing my own life in terms of the song title and the lyrics. Every song is personal to me because it comes from past life-altering experiences or bouts of depression I’ve struggled with for many years. Underling is my way of pouring such things out lyrically and musically. We try for a beautiful wall of sound with a dark and depressive undertone.
OC : With so much genre we see today in the music industry, especially in the undeground metal scene, how would you classify your sound? How your other musical projects help you define the musical nature of Underling and how do you integrate those elements in the musical structure of Underling?
A : If i had to, I would classify it as a branch from the tree of atmospheric black metal I suppose. Although we never was concerned with making a band that sounded like anyone…I just wanted us to put out something genuine that people can hopefully grasp onto and identify with in terms of the emotional depth we incorporated into every song. A body of music for the escapee, if you will.
OC : As now, has Underling signed any contract with a label? If not, would you like to? Did someone approach you to released your music on physical format?
A : No. Currently we are doing everything DIY. We are releasing Breathe Deeply on limited vinyl only for now, and will be printing shirts and crew necks next. We had a few people approach us, but we wanted to wait to get a response from the listeners first and foremost before we took the next step forward in releasing it on 12′.
OC : Do you have plans to released your music on Cd and/or LP in the near future?
A : Yes, we will be printing around 250 to 300 limited edition vinyl – half of which will be specially designed and we will also be offering a vinyl and shirt package. It’s still early in the game so we will see how things go, but I can’t lie and say we don’t hope for this band to succeed because we take it very seriously, but at the same time we all are thankful and humbled by the positive responses we have received so far.
OC : Since I bought my digital copy of Breathe Deeply at your bandcamp, I know you guys used the internet to make the promo for the EP. So can you tell us what do you think of the internet and all the social network available for bands today? Do you think it is a good or a bad thing?
A : I think it’s a double edged sword. On one hand, I wouldn’t be doing this interview with you and having a platform to release this music for people to hear if it weren’t for the Internet, and I wouldn’t be turned on to so many good bands out there either. On the other hand, many artists are undercutting the hard work that goes into a band and paying their dues when it comes down to touring and building a fan base. Hype is intangible and has no real substance. Respect for what you do with your music is something that you have to earn as a band, in my opinion.
OC : What do you think of the American black metal scene these day and the music industry in general? Do you see hope for a creative and fun music in the future?
A : I think the American Black Metal scene has slowly flickered out. But with the surge of bands like Deafheaven, who paved the way for this style of black metal in America, Washington’s Wolves in the Throne Room, among others, there is a real void in the American Black metal scene today. We can only hope to add to the roster of good American Black Metal bands still out there today, but of course that will be for the listeners to decide and a lot of hard work on our end.
OC : Who did the artwork of Breathe Deeply? Is it important for you to have an artwork that represent what’s inside the box or you’re more the kind of « never judge a book by is cover »?
A : The artwork was commissioned by the insanely talented Richey Beckett and done all in pen and ink. I think the artwork accurately reflects the tone and themes in the music, as we both discussed at length. He was certainly a pleasure to work with and I am very pleased with how it turned out.
OC : Do you intend to go on with live shows in the next months?
A : As soon as Fallujah gets back from their month long tour with Black Dahlia Murder, we do plan on getting together for practices and taking this project to the live setting, which I am personally really looking forward to.
OC : What can we expect for Underling in the near and far future?
A : You can expect merch for sale, the release of the vinyl of our EP Breathe Deeply, and some live performances. All will tell with time how things with a band will go, as I have come to learn. However, in over a decade’s worth of playing music professionally, I think I finally found what I’ve personally been looking for in Underling and we are all very proud of the way it came out.
OC : Can you remember us where with can get your EP and where we can have news about your band?
A : You can download the EP in its entirety for only $4 at our bandcamp, or visit our Facebook for any and all updates and news about the band.
OC : Finally, do you have something to says to our readers who could have interest in your music?
A : First of all, if you are even remotely interested in our music, I’d like to humbly thank you, because we would be nothing without our listeners. Please visit our band camp and support us by downloading the full album and sharing it with your friends!
OC: Thanks a lot Underling
A: Thank you for the interview gentlemen. It’s been a pleasure.
