Cosmic demise
You are very young band as to your formation; can you clarify what led you to form COSMIC ATROPHY?
Cosmic Atrophy formed by chance on a metal chatroom, actually. I met Juan and we simply decided to play together and see if anything would come of it. And here we are today!
How long have you been playing before COSMIC ATROPHY rise and were you in some other bands? Why do you play only as two pieces?
Hmm, almost 9 years now since I picked up my first guitar. I played with a few bands back in Mississippi but this is my first big personal project. We're only a two piece right now because I don't have the time or money to rent out storage space for a band to play. I am very content with our set up right now, though.
I have to say I have found your band only by chance when I was looking for some Death metal bands with Lovecraftian lyrics. I was surprised by your debut for a first time, a few days I did not listen anything else, actually I have listen the album 6 times per day! Me, personally consider your debut as a very great, even though it is influenced enough by DEMILICH ... Why did you decide to go this direction?
Thanks for the kind words! Well, Demilich has been a huge personal inspiration for me and they are one of my favorite death metal bands. I feel that they are experts at portraying alien textures and imagery in metal.
It's surprising; you as a new band play a fairly complex riffs while still disrhythmic, most new bands starting with simple things ... as to the complexity and technique would you get even higher level?
I imagine I might play around with a few more complex and technical ideas, but this is not a technical band. Personally I do not consider myself a technical player with all things considered. I have a few tricks up my sleeve though, developed over the years.
How long have you been writing "Codex Incubo” album? What feelings you had at composing material, and what feelings when album was recorded and the first time you heard it?
Well, we wrote the debut in about 5 and a half months and recorded it along the way in my own project studio. When I first received my copies in the mail, that's when it hit me the hardest that I've taken the first steps in realizing some of my musical goals.
Are you both like-minded as for music composition? Do you think each of you have written stuff equally divided? Weren’t there some different opinions among you at the writing?
I think Juan and I share very many similar opinions and tastes when it comes to music, especially metal. Cosmic Atrophy has always been my own brainchild, so I do the majority of the songwriting and make all of the production calls. We worked very efficiently together for the recording of our debut.
Your music is really bizarre, dark, dysrhythmic, not very melodic or harmonic ... Did you always want to operate with these things or they arose naturally?
Well, to tell the truth I play much more melodic oriented music when I just pick up an instrument to play around. It was always the intention from the start to make Cosmic Atrophy an alien and dissonant band.
When composing, there is rather important technique of musician, but more important is his unconsciousness that directs you ... aren’t you fascinated by subconscious power in this respect?
Sure, I am very fascinated by what one creates when just playing freely. Most of the riffs I create are done in this way, which I then later sculpt to perfection.
I think your strongest aspect is your feeling and atmosphere, what does feelings in music mean to you? Do you like also music without feelings?
It depends on how you define feeling, really. I believe there is inspirational music and entertaining music, and of course music that contains both aspects which I think is the best road to take.
What would you advise young start-up bands to have more feeling in the music? Do you think the music atmosphere is always achieved naturally or is it the question of learning?
I would say the strongest and most important thing for an artist to have is vision. Make sure you have a rather conscious goal in what you're trying to achieve. This has personally been my greatest asset in my artistic endeavors. I never feel lost when I fully idealize what I'm trying to accomplish.
Which bands are your favorites? Do you prefer the American or European scene? Which are the best albums in the history of Death Metal?
Oh, naming favorites has always been a difficult thing for me to do but just for the sake of answering, I'll drop a few names. Lost Horizon, Demilich of course, Timeghoul, Incantation, Invocator and Imprecation are a few of my favorite metal bands. As far as scenes, I don't really prefer any of the other. I view metal as a global artform with any and every style imaginable accessible from all over the world. Onward to Golgotha and Altars of Madness are two of the best death metal albums anyone could hope for!
How are you looking at a single album DEMILICH "Nespithe? According to me, they created most original album of all time....
I certainly think Nespithe is in the top 10 of death metal albums... exactly where I'd place it in that context I couldn't say though.
Yeah, your poetry is based also on the works of H. P. Lovecraft which is our huge minion ... how much are you interested in his work? Does his creation mean ONLY Horror stories to you or you are even looking at the deeper meaning? Of course I mean the myth of Cthulhu, Necronomicon, Magic, etc..
Lovecraft is a science fiction writer first and foremost, although his mastery of horror is difficult to match as well. I prefer many of his dark fantasy works as well, such as Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. Our next album in fact is based on At the Mountains of Madness!
Which other topics are based your lyrics on?
Cosmic horrors of any sort. The universe falling apart in a rather abstract way. Dark imagery and symbolism are a must!
Are you a materialist and atheist? Do you believe that there are some unknown forces and energies that affect us? What themes of this area are you concerned about?
I don't think we have the answers to those existential questions which have plagues us since we crawled down from the trees.
Mayan Calendar ends 12/21 2009 what many historians and other scientists consider as the possible end of the world. Sometimes in this period should 10th planet NIBIRU come close to planet Earth, known also for the ancient Sumer, and it always caused the extermination of life on Earth. What do you think of it?
I believe it is all superstition without hard evidence to back it up.
Well, suppose you aren’t playing live, what are your future plans? Aren’t you going to put together a concert group? Are you composing the new material already?
Our future plans do not involve us playing any live shows, but new material is always being written! Our next album is almost finished; keep an eye out for it!
Ok, that would be all from me, if I forget something, you have the space, big thanx for this interview, have a good time and many successes to COSMIC ATROPHY.
Thanks a lot for the interview Mortuary, we really appreciate it!
Mortuary
www.myspace.com/atrophyhouston
Cosmic Atrophy formed by chance on a metal chatroom, actually. I met Juan and we simply decided to play together and see if anything would come of it. And here we are today!
How long have you been playing before COSMIC ATROPHY rise and were you in some other bands? Why do you play only as two pieces?
Hmm, almost 9 years now since I picked up my first guitar. I played with a few bands back in Mississippi but this is my first big personal project. We're only a two piece right now because I don't have the time or money to rent out storage space for a band to play. I am very content with our set up right now, though.
I have to say I have found your band only by chance when I was looking for some Death metal bands with Lovecraftian lyrics. I was surprised by your debut for a first time, a few days I did not listen anything else, actually I have listen the album 6 times per day! Me, personally consider your debut as a very great, even though it is influenced enough by DEMILICH ... Why did you decide to go this direction?
Thanks for the kind words! Well, Demilich has been a huge personal inspiration for me and they are one of my favorite death metal bands. I feel that they are experts at portraying alien textures and imagery in metal.
It's surprising; you as a new band play a fairly complex riffs while still disrhythmic, most new bands starting with simple things ... as to the complexity and technique would you get even higher level?
I imagine I might play around with a few more complex and technical ideas, but this is not a technical band. Personally I do not consider myself a technical player with all things considered. I have a few tricks up my sleeve though, developed over the years.
How long have you been writing "Codex Incubo” album? What feelings you had at composing material, and what feelings when album was recorded and the first time you heard it?
Well, we wrote the debut in about 5 and a half months and recorded it along the way in my own project studio. When I first received my copies in the mail, that's when it hit me the hardest that I've taken the first steps in realizing some of my musical goals.
Are you both like-minded as for music composition? Do you think each of you have written stuff equally divided? Weren’t there some different opinions among you at the writing?
I think Juan and I share very many similar opinions and tastes when it comes to music, especially metal. Cosmic Atrophy has always been my own brainchild, so I do the majority of the songwriting and make all of the production calls. We worked very efficiently together for the recording of our debut.
Your music is really bizarre, dark, dysrhythmic, not very melodic or harmonic ... Did you always want to operate with these things or they arose naturally?
Well, to tell the truth I play much more melodic oriented music when I just pick up an instrument to play around. It was always the intention from the start to make Cosmic Atrophy an alien and dissonant band.
When composing, there is rather important technique of musician, but more important is his unconsciousness that directs you ... aren’t you fascinated by subconscious power in this respect?
Sure, I am very fascinated by what one creates when just playing freely. Most of the riffs I create are done in this way, which I then later sculpt to perfection.
I think your strongest aspect is your feeling and atmosphere, what does feelings in music mean to you? Do you like also music without feelings?
It depends on how you define feeling, really. I believe there is inspirational music and entertaining music, and of course music that contains both aspects which I think is the best road to take.
What would you advise young start-up bands to have more feeling in the music? Do you think the music atmosphere is always achieved naturally or is it the question of learning?
I would say the strongest and most important thing for an artist to have is vision. Make sure you have a rather conscious goal in what you're trying to achieve. This has personally been my greatest asset in my artistic endeavors. I never feel lost when I fully idealize what I'm trying to accomplish.
Which bands are your favorites? Do you prefer the American or European scene? Which are the best albums in the history of Death Metal?
Oh, naming favorites has always been a difficult thing for me to do but just for the sake of answering, I'll drop a few names. Lost Horizon, Demilich of course, Timeghoul, Incantation, Invocator and Imprecation are a few of my favorite metal bands. As far as scenes, I don't really prefer any of the other. I view metal as a global artform with any and every style imaginable accessible from all over the world. Onward to Golgotha and Altars of Madness are two of the best death metal albums anyone could hope for!
How are you looking at a single album DEMILICH "Nespithe? According to me, they created most original album of all time....
I certainly think Nespithe is in the top 10 of death metal albums... exactly where I'd place it in that context I couldn't say though.
Yeah, your poetry is based also on the works of H. P. Lovecraft which is our huge minion ... how much are you interested in his work? Does his creation mean ONLY Horror stories to you or you are even looking at the deeper meaning? Of course I mean the myth of Cthulhu, Necronomicon, Magic, etc..
Lovecraft is a science fiction writer first and foremost, although his mastery of horror is difficult to match as well. I prefer many of his dark fantasy works as well, such as Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. Our next album in fact is based on At the Mountains of Madness!
Which other topics are based your lyrics on?
Cosmic horrors of any sort. The universe falling apart in a rather abstract way. Dark imagery and symbolism are a must!
Are you a materialist and atheist? Do you believe that there are some unknown forces and energies that affect us? What themes of this area are you concerned about?
I don't think we have the answers to those existential questions which have plagues us since we crawled down from the trees.
Mayan Calendar ends 12/21 2009 what many historians and other scientists consider as the possible end of the world. Sometimes in this period should 10th planet NIBIRU come close to planet Earth, known also for the ancient Sumer, and it always caused the extermination of life on Earth. What do you think of it?
I believe it is all superstition without hard evidence to back it up.
Well, suppose you aren’t playing live, what are your future plans? Aren’t you going to put together a concert group? Are you composing the new material already?
Our future plans do not involve us playing any live shows, but new material is always being written! Our next album is almost finished; keep an eye out for it!
Ok, that would be all from me, if I forget something, you have the space, big thanx for this interview, have a good time and many successes to COSMIC ATROPHY.
Thanks a lot for the interview Mortuary, we really appreciate it!
Mortuary
www.myspace.com/atrophyhouston
