Brisbane melodic death and groove metal outfit, Chronolyth recently released their new album ‘Atrophy‘ via Rocket Distribution, and they are currently doing the rounds of the live circuit to promote it.
The follow up to their widely received debut album ‘Sovereign‘ (2013), ‘Atrophy‘ sees the band push the boundaries of whats possible within their chosen form of metal sub genre.
Devastatingly heavy while remaining engagingly melodic, Chronolyth’s diversity is widely appealing to fans of all types of heavy music and their fiercely loyal and dedicated fanbase has been instrumental in spreading the band’s message to call corners of the metal realm. You can purchase a physical copy now [Here].
To find out a little more about the album, this week the band answered our On The Record questions. Take a listen, read, and see those tour dates below the interview.
‘Atrophy’ is the product of two years of hard work and hardship. It’s a lot darker and more aggressive than our previous effort ‘Sovereign’, yet still retaining the melody Chronolyth is known for. We didn’t want to simply do the same thing twice, and we were trying to find new ways to change up our approach to songwriting.
Tell us about the artwork.
We like to have a figure for our artwork to centre around. In this case, we have the “Temptress”, a woman veiled in dirty white garments. She symbolizes the album’s themes of self-destruction, decay, apathy and ignorance, and the album’s artwork shows off these themes. It’s a very human record, and I wanted this record to lyrically reflect the more personal struggles we face as human beings. Artwork should always be utilized as another medium to portray your message.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
Atrophy will be available on most formats, standard jewel case and digital. We may consider vinyl on the future if there is the demand for it.
Who will it be released through, and when?
April 29th it came out, on Rocket Distribution, as well as iTunes.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We recorded at Core Studios on the Gold Coast owned by Nik Carpenter. If you’re going to put yourself through hell trying your damned hardest to make a recent record, you might as well do it close to the beach.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
Nik Carpenter is an absolute legend to work with. He produced our last album and we knew he would give us the exact sound we wanted. We also wanted to go with someone we felt comfortable with as we felt it would give us a bit more freedom in bouncing off new ideas in the studio. He really kicks my ass in the studio though, asking me to do a take multiple times to get it more aggressive, or try something new, because he wants me to really do the best vocals I can do. He’s almost like the teacher that pushes you hard to achieve your best and you can’t help but respect them.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
We knew when we went into the studio that we wanted to up the intensity and aggression from Sovereign. We wanted to put one foot into the new aggressive style we were aiming for, but also keep the other rooted into the sound from the last album. This album felt like it would be bridging the gap between Sovereign and whatever comes next for us. Vocally, I wanted to focus a lot more on driving that aggression home as well as finding my own sound, since I felt like I was a bit of a “Randy Blythe” imitator on last recording.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
It’s a nice drive from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, so in that time I listened to a lot of artists in the car. I’d be blasting Behemoth, Slipknot, Scar Symmetry, Architects, Thy Art is Murder, Orpheus Omega, DevilDriver and even a bit of Sia and Childish Gambino a lot during that period.
Were there any albums you were referencing in the studio to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
We were really impressed with the production on In Hearts Wake album mixed by Josh Schroeder, and he gave us a very gritty, dark sound that we were aiming for on this album.
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
Across two-three weeks in and out of the studio. It’s sometimes hard to find a stretch of free time when all of us are working/studying full-time. I laid down my vocals over two weekends as opposed to just one on the last album, which gave me more time to try out new things with my vocals as well as hammer home the aggression I was aiming for.
We record all our instrument parts separately. We start with drums, then guitar and bass and vocals and solos are usually last. Gee finished his drum tracks in only two days, which was really impressive even for us. Guitars were a bitch, since many of the riffs are a bit more complicated than our last album so that took up a bit of time to nail those recordings. I was thankful I had the extra time to focus on my vocals rather than rushing a half-arsed product.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
We had the privilege to feature two guest vocalists on “Atrophy”. The first was Nicole Garity who lent on her singing vocals for the single track “Ascension”. The track would have felt like a pretty generic metalcore song unless it had something to set it apart from others of its kind, and we had played with the idea of featuring female vocals on one of our songs so we brought in Nicole and we were so proud of the results. We were also happy to have Colin Jeffs (Ex-Aversions Crown) to lay down his absolutely un-human vocals for the song “Burn” which plays out the album on a very brutal, almost black-metal note. We also had a bunch of mates come into the studio to help lay down gang vocals for some of the songs.
When it comes do naming the tracks, is there any particular approach or process to it all?
I prefer to listen to the rough track first and then think up lyrics that fit the structure. I usually try to think of a topic on which I want to write about, and then think of a word or phrase that best sums up the song. That word or phrase then usually becomes the song title.
Any memorable studio moments?
Seeing me die in the studio is always pretty funny. I would always be on the floor in agony by the end of a recording day. Recording vocals is hard work and it feels like you’re holding your breath for hours on end, and the splitting headache going home is always nice. Probably the funniest moment was when I was laying down vocals after having lunch and I laid down a massive fart instead. The smell in the recording room was pretty beefy.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
We did have another track recorded called “Beneath the Skin” which we recorded at the same time. It’s a cool track but doesn’t fit in that well with the rest of the album. It’s a shame since I think they were some of the best lyrics I’ve written and it had a nice fast, almost rappy delivery. Who knows? It may see the light of the day in the future.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
“Live to Destroy” is one of those tracks that I can listen to a thousand time and yet still get pumped up for it. It’s straight up punk and fast as hell and it looks like it will be a live staple this tour cycle. “Marrow” is a dark yet melodic track I think people will like. We also have a song recorded on a 7 string guitar, “Archangel” which dips our toes into djent and it’s a groovey track to play. Hopefully we get to play a local show with that one.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
With our last album I could have easily put a label on its sound, Melodic-death metal and groove metal. This time around I can’t even do that. It’s different. It crosses genres and it’s a little bit of everything. It’s still Chronolyth in some ways but in some ways its not. To me it’s just metal. This album is sure to surprise some people and will keep listeners on their toes.
Anything else you want to say or about the release?
We would like to thank everyone that made this record possible and we can’t wait to show Australia what Chronolyth are made of.
CHRONOLYTH
MAY
6th – The Helm, Sunshine Coast [18+]
7th – Lounge 1868, Maryborough [18+]
13th – Bass Bar, Wagga Wagga [18+]
14th – The Vault, Newcastle [18+]
20th – Molly Malones, Townsville [18+]
21st – Billabong Kuranda, Cairns [18+]
JUNE
3rd – Enigma Bar, Adelaide [18+]
4th – The Basement, Canberra [18+]
10th – Karova Lounge, Ballarat [18+]
12th – Musicman Megastore, Bendigo [18+]
17th – Flamingos, Rockhampton [18+]
19th – Railway Hotel, Bundaberg [AA]
24th – Bald Faced Stag, Sydney [18+]
25th – Leagues Club, Woy Woy [18+]
