AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND AN INTERVIEW): ABHORRENT DECIMATION — “MIASMIC MUTATION”

 

Last week in a “Best of British” article on our site, Andy Synn reviewed Miasmic Mutation, the new album soon to be released by Abhorrent Decimation — and now we’re bringing you the premiere of a full-album stream, along with an interview of the band.

While referencing the likes of such stellar bands as Hour of Penance, Decapitated, and Man Must Die, Andy further wrote:

“This isn’t an album that feels derivative. It feels fresh. It feels vital. It feels… alive. In fact, it’s one of the most shamelessly infectious and irresistibly head-bang-able Death Metal albums that I’ve heard this year.”

 

Photo by Greig Clifford

What Abhorrent Decimation succeed in doing with such flair is marrying physically compulsive brutality to memorable melodies. They deliver a bludgeoning that stays with you and pulls you back for additional beatings. But don’t take our word for it — let the album rampage through your head via our album stream below.

Miasmic Mutation is set for worldwide release on September 25 and can be pre-ordered at the band’s official site:

http://abhorrentdecimation.bigcartel.com

You can find Abhorrent Decimation on Facebook here.

And as you listen to the following album stream, check out the interview of the band’s vocalist Ashley Scott that follows it for additional insights about the music, the band, and their future plans.

 

 

 

INTERVIEW

For quite some time and as far back as summer last year, there’s been some hype surrounding Miasmic Mutation, how does it feel to finally have the release just days from now?

It’s a mixture of feelings really. This first record is a big deal to us, we have had a decent volume of interest in the build up to the release and now is the time to put it out. We want the impression to be made, and this record is our statement of our intent. Internally, I’d say it’s an even toss-up between excitement and pure terror. The process has been mentally exhausting at times, but I guess now we get to revel in the rewards of the release as it begins to make its way into fans’ hands and we get to perform it on stage, etc.

 

Miasmic Mutation is pure, unadulterated death metal that’s for sure, but lyrically it seems to go deeper than the average record you might hear in this genre. Can you tell us a little about the content and inspirations?

This record addresses a fair bit yeah. Essentially it’s inspired by the concept of emotional exile and personal journey. So a lot of the tracks’ lyrics are direct reflections on personal situations or experiences I am going through or have been through in the last year or so, all adapted to fit this idea of journeying. I talk about my own journey to where I am now, the desperation I have felt at times, the inspiration around me and my fears. In some ways I found that process cathartic, in other ways it has been incredibly tough. But it’s great to be able to look at some of these songs and know I have truly created lyrics that are “from the heart”, ideas and memories that are immortalised along with this record. There is also some utterly bonkers fantasy stories in there for good measure, it can’t all be dreadfully soppy! Religious culls and eternal torture from mystic clouds, you know – all the good stuff.

 

Is there a deeper message you are trying to get across?

Yes. One of the main struggles for me as an individual over the last few years or so has been working on the balance between the pursuit of my dreams and keeping my life stable. I have a wife and son that I must provide for and think of before everything else. BUT there comes a time, there grows a feeling inside me that always tells me to drop all these apprehensions, fuck the fears, and to just go for it, we will learn to adjust. So this album is the start of that process and its message is, never set aside your personally journey because of self-made limitations.

 

So… what exactly is the “Miasmic Mutation”?

The Miasmic Mutation is, simply put, a personification of all the stages of the journey through life, death, and the afterlife. A horrible embodiment, a what you are, what you could have been, and what you will never be.

 

 

We can see that depicted on the album art, which Pär Olofsson did for you.  How was it working with such a renowned artist? And can you talk a little about where the inspiration for the art came from?

It was super-easy; I must admit contact was sparse during the process, but that worked for me. I knocked an email over to Pär, explained that I wanted to work with him, and he asked for a vague outline of what we were looking for, along with a few reference images. The inspiration for the piece came from a few difference places. Mainly the idea of ice came from an old series of Dore plates that were inspired by the “The Divine Comedy” — it’s the scene in which Dante meets Satan, and Satan is lording it up in his frozen underworld. I knew all living things had to be trapped in the ice and the mutation would be hovering above. I was pretty vague about the whole thing to be honest, I didn’t want to pin him into any corners when it came to the mutation, I knew his style and knew he would nail it. The only thing I really said about the mutation was that it must be made of gas but slowly taking on some sort of physical form.

 

You’re self-releasing this album. Was that a purposeful decision?

In some ways. We were lucky enough to get a few offers on things but essentially we had gone too far independently on the process for any of those offers to be truly attractive to us. Initially that annoyed me, but then I took some time away to reflect on it and be realistic. With this release, we are all about starting our journey, making the statement. We have a lot of work to do to build this band to where it needs to be. And I think doing this process as a self-release has only done more good than harm at this stage. We think of all the things we have had to learn, the sacrifice we have had to make financially, and the relationships we have built to make it reach and work. With everything we do, we are learning and gaining invaluable experience. We had an extremely successful EP and now we re-enter the circuit with this beast of a record. I think bigger things will come in time, we just have to work hard for them.

 

There’s a lot of work involved, obviously, not to mention the financial demands… from your perspective and experience, is it possible for a band to “make it” doing everything themselves? Or does there come a point where you need a support network?

Yes and No. (A): Define “make it”.  (B): What is everything? (C): What level do you want to do it at? In many ways, I would say NO. I don’t think so. Show me a band that has done every single thing themselves. Take us, for example. We break no bones about our team. We work with a great PR company who pushes us into the right places and at the start of this journey were booked onto some awesome tours by our agent, which really helped the name generate a reach. As artists, we have to focus on the material and its creative direction, first and foremost. Then the more help you get with the other aspects of the job, the easier the project becomes to manage. Every project needs a driving force from inside, but I don’t think someone can manage everything that needs to be done, at the level we want to do this at.

 

Finally, what’s next for Abhorrent Decimation?

We have a peppering of UK shows for the rest of 2015. Then we begin working on our first full music video to support the release. Then we blitz the touring in 2016, reaching out to the mainland. Working this record, our fans, and the material down to the bone. We want to be hitting the scene at a higher level and getting this music under as many noses as possible. We have some festivals planned and some really cool tours to announce!