ANGELIC DESOLATION-ENGLISH | Scriptorium Mag

Texts: Analaura Hernandez from Eminent Proclivity Promotions

Pics: Band’s courtesy

ANGELIC DESOLATION

Death metal

Origin: Denver, Colorado (2014)

Line up:

Jay Medina - vocals

Max Thunder - drums

Leonard White - bass

Matt Markle - guitars

Can we get an introduction as to who you each are and where you came from with your instrument of choice?

Jay/vocalist: “I picked up a mic because I've got no musical talent. I hate the world and I like to yell. I was also promised there'd be women but that didn't work out. I should have done pop rock but then I'd have to work out and look good and stuff but don't care that much.”

Leonard/bass: “I'm a huge CANNIBAL CORPSE fan and watching Alex made me want to pick up a bass. I've been playing bass now for 20 years.

Max/drums: “My parents gave me the option of clarinet or drums and I thought that drums would be way more annoying for my parents; turns out I was right. Sometimes you just want to beat the shit out of stuff you know?”

Matt/guitar: “My parents gave me a guitar on my brother's 10th birthday (older sibling superiority) and I've been playing ever since. I didn't care too much or take it seriously until I was probably 15 or 16 when I first saw Metallica's Binge & Purge box set. Those tour videos are what really sparked me getting serious.”

Who are some of your influences?

Matt “In no particular order, the bands/artists that make us who we are today are: Jon 'The Charm' Rice, Hanns Grossmann, Oderus Urungus, Corpsegrinder, Alex Webster, Steve DiGiorgio, Vogg, Dimebag”

How did you four come together?

Matt “The band started initially as a goof off project and nothing was too serious. Unofficially, 2 other drummers had come before Max, at least 5 or six different guitar players and one other bassist. It was just party mode, drink, maybe practice every once in a while and sometimes play shows. It wasn't until I (Matt) joined the band and Max came along that we gave any thought to taking things seriously. So with that in mind, Jay is technically the only founding member left. We decided to do a re-brand in 2014 after our "Evilgasm" EP release and have been steadily gaining traction ever since. As far as the current lineup goes, Matt, Leonard and Jay are all friends of over 20 years, going to high school with each other. It results in us working very well together and Max fits right into the picture.”

Was this the original line up?

Matt “No. Lots of guitarists before Matt showed up, two drummers prior to Max and a bassist before Leonard. The newest member is Leonard as he has only been with us for about a year at this point. But, he learned 14 songs within a 6 month time frame in order for us to record a new full-length and hit the road earlier this year.”

In 2021 the dual re-issue of “Rumpus time is over” and “Quorum of Unspeakable Curses” was released. What was it like doing Quorum… in 2020 and Rumpus… the full length in 2018?

Matt “Horrible, lots of magnets. Seriously though, we are always writing down new riff/song ideas so the material is always there. It's just a matter of putting things together when we're not busy touring. Writing songs isn't really our barrier for putting out new stuff, it's more about recording/duplication costs etc than anything else.”

What kind of message do you portray?

Matt “We try to be that "fun" band. We are serious about our goals but we don't want to get too deep with our lyrical themes or stage show. We kill babies on stage and tell off-color jokes. If we have you headbanging to our music and laughing while reading the lyrics then our job is done. There's evil Satan and then there's party Satan, we're the former. We're what Satan listens to when he throws parties.”

Has the message in your music from back with “Evilgasm” in 2014 to the most recent EP changed any?

Matt “Not really. The lyrical themes are the same and we have been aborting babies on stage way before it was cool. Fuck God, smoke weed, eat pussy is our nightly mantra before we go to bed.”

Who does most of the writing?

Matt “We all participate equally. Matt will write the skeleton of the riff structures with the bassist and once that's fleshed out we'll give Max the guitar pro files so he can put his touch on the riffs. Usually if there's any song structure changes this is the area of the process where we fine tune those things. Once we're settled on a final form so to speak we'll get it to Jay and he puts his usually-funny-but-sometimes-evil lyrical themes on top. We're excited to have Leonard in the band now to see how his styles morphs things a bit.”

There is so many great bands you have shared a stage with. What was it like sharing a stage with CANNIBAL CORPSE, SUFFOCATION, ABORTED, and NILE?

Matt “It's really just a dream come true is the best way to put it. When you're growing up listening to these bands, all you want to do is share the stage with them. We opened up the regional Summer Slaughter date here in Denver back in 2016 and that was easily one of the best lineups that tour has ever had so, to check off a lot of those bands in one go was amazing.”

This Saturday, June 25th, in Kansas “The Nightmares of the Aborted Tour” is set end. Is this correct?

Matt “Yes that's correct. This last week was honestly the most fun we've had on a tour probably ever, Not only did we play with new bands, meet new fans and hit some spots we've never played before, we actually came home in the positive so it was by far the most successful thing we've ever done tour wise.”

Do we have anything to look forward to in the rest of the year 2022 or possibly 2023?

Matt “We're hitting the road again at the end of August and will be performing at Slam Dakota Death Fest at the end of that run. We just got out of the studio earlier this year with a new full-length and have been receiving some interest in the new material so we're looking at an all-new full-length release in 2023. And the wheels have begun to turn writing even more new songs so we're just keeping the train going full speed ahead.”

There is something that I’m really want to ask you guys. You have some pretty, we’re going to call it, “detailed” promo videos. Which I absolutely love because it tells me that are some of us not alone in this world with our dark sense of humor. Who is the smarts behind these videos?

Matt “We all brainstorm these promo videos together. We've all got a pretty dark sense of humor so putting the videos out is a pretty focused endeavor. Plus, in the age of show promo being half digital at this point, it only makes sense to take advantage of that and get more eyes on us by doing these ridiculous promos.”

Metal has come a long way throughout the years. What is your outlook all together for Death metal and its potency?

Matt “Realistically, death metal hasn't been a genre long enough to see any returning trends. Ok, I take that back, OSDM has come around full circle again but the genre seems to constantly be evolving. It's fun to be a musician in this space because it's almost like a sport. You're constantly trying to be faster, more brutal, more offensive, etc. We have faith in the younger generation, they're turning out cool stuff all the time.”

What’s it like in the Colorado metal scene?

Matt “It's always growing and getting better. Lots of talent whether it's Death, Grind, Black and it doesn't seem like it's stopping anytime soon either. Covid ended a few bands but the scene bounced back strongly. If we're sticking strictly to extreme metal in Denver, some current favorites of ours are: CROTALUS, HUMANITY, HUMAN PAINT and EMPYREAN ECLIPSE.”

For fellow musicians, fans and family: Is there any words of encouragement you would like to say to fellow musicians coming into the scene?

Matt “Leave your faith in God on the table, he's make believe. Utilize social media even if you hate it, plan your goals out AT LEAST a year, promote your ass off, go to shows to make those connections, practice, practice, practice and do your best to not roll off the bed while sleeping. Also, stay out of the left lane if you're not looking to break laws, some of us have stuff to do.”

Any shout outs to the fans?

Matt “ATOLL, ARCHITECTURAL GENOCIDE, CARNOGRAPHER, GORGATRON, Zack Beecroft of Swinging Noose Productions, Les Watkins, Bryan and Wesley Phillips, anyone who has let us crash at their place while on the road, Tim and Danu Ghering (those fans that get free merch for life), definitely not Doug, Fuck Doug, Matt Bacon, Taylor Hahn and anyone we forgot who thinks they belong on this list because you do belong. You are on this list and we do appreciate you, we're just high on life...and weed.”

Eminent Proclivity Promotions:

Thank you ANGELIC DESOLATION. It has been an honor.

Media

angelicdesolation.bandcamp.com/

facebook.com/angelicdesolationofficial/

instagram.com/angelicdesolation/

twitter.com/angelicdesolate

soundcloud.com/angelicdesolation

sptfy.com/angelicdesolation

https://open.spotify.com/artist/16ZbimUROFcAMH8Y4zQG2W?si=4nb3RuZSS02QSM2vu9_8Jw

Analaura Saenz Hernandez

eminent.proclivity@gmail.com