Interview - SPECTRAL VOICE
If you aren't already familiar with Spectral Voice, see here.
This interview is with their drummer, Eli Wendler.
1. Eroded Corridors of Unbeing made a lot of 2017 end-of-year lists, are you pleased with the response so far?
We're all very grateful at the reception of the record. We put a lot of work into making the record something that captures all aspects of the band, and I think we succeeded. Always nice when people appreciate your work.
2. There's a definite shift in sound, from 2015’s Necrotic Doom EP to the album; was that intentional, and if so what was the intention?
I think it was more subconscious, but with a mentality towards evolution. The lyrics have become more introspective and "serious" (actually started in the last song of the demo) and we wanted to expand on those themes of katabasis, black meditations and shadow realization. The music reflected that. The songs on the album are actually in the order of which they were written, which lent to a natural flow for the record.
3. Could you talk a little about the band’s lyrical content?
The lyrics are both personal and abstracted. Overall I am searching for the unity between Carl Jung and his ideation of the shadow self through katabasis and reflection, and AO Spare's unconscious desire and concept of 'neither neither'. Eroded Corridors is a journey into the self to discover the darkest depths of the mind and soul. Often times people focus on the terrors outside of oneself without realizing that true malevolence and despair lie within the Self.
4. It’s a clichéd question, but who are your main influences (if indeed you feel you have influences)?
Musically the core of the band still owes a great deal to the Finnish scene of the early 90s. Demigod, Abhorrence, Depravity, Beherit, Sentenced along with Crypt of Kerberos, Eternal Darkness, dISEMBOWELMENT, Mythic, Rottrevore, etc. Also some contemporary bands are worth mentioning. Sempiternal Dusk, Swallowed, Krypts, Anatomia, Anhedonist to name a few. These bands, aside from being friends and sharing similar outlooks, are a current inspiration to push ourselves and the band.
5. What is the death metal scene in Colorado like?
Small but supportive. We don't have many bands to play with, or that are doing "death metal" per se, but the shows are well attended and people are excited which is great.
6. Do you have any future plans which you can share with us?
Right now we have a split with Vastum at the plant, should be out in late spring/early summer. We are about to head out on an east coast tour March/April, a west coast tour planned in June with Mortiferum and Superstition, and after that we head to Europe for Killtown Death Fest and a tour with Demilich around that.
7. Is there any chance you’ll be playing in the UK any time soon?
We'll be playing 3-5 shows in the UK this coming September. Looking forward to it!
