Sunday, April 8, 2018

Body Void Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

We've been very busy trying to stay on the road as much as possible. And we've been working hard on new music.

2.In May you have a new album coming out, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

We're definitely going for a similar heavy/noisy sludge sound as on our previous album, Ruins, but we tried to flesh out every aspect of that recording. We just wanted everything to be 'more.' Faster, slower, heavier, noisier, etc. The songs are also longer than the ones on Ruins. Our intention was for each song to be an emotional journey of sorts and to have more pronounced peaks and valleys.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album?

Mental illness, anxiety, depression, guilt, gender dysphoria, vulnerability, trauma, life and death. 

4.Originally the band was called  'Devoid', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Body Void'?

The name change was almost purely practical. There are maybe a dozen or more other past and present metal bands with the name Devoid and we wanted to change our name to something no one else had and something a little more thematically relevant. "Body Void" is the name of a track on our 2nd demo. I always loved the title and even before we decided to change our name I thought if we could rename the band we'd use Body Void. The opportunity presented itself before the release of Ruins and we went for it. The name has several different meanings. It's a reference to the feeling of gender dysphoria, but also to the intimate relationship between the human body and the cosmos. I think it has a performative meaning as well that rejects the tendency and social practice of defining and limiting a person by their surface-level characteristics.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Our favorite shows tend to be more intimate. We love playing in houses or weird small venues. We played at a tiny breakfast spot in Denver with our friends Oryx last year, which was a blast. We also played a bondage/drag themed wedding in Oakland a couple years ago with a handful of punk bands that was a lot of fun. Live, we try to be loud and overwhelming. Sometimes we succeed I think.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Yes! We are touring the US in June and July in support of the album.

7.The new album is going to be released through 3 different labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the deal you have worked out with these different labels?

It's mostly just good dudes supporting music they believe in, which we very much appreciate.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of crust, drone, sludge and doom metal?

The feedback has been very kind and encouraging. People from around the world letting us know they dig our music is very surreal and means a lot to us.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

It still feels like we have a lot of ground to cover. The musical vein we're trying to tap definitely hasn't run dry as of yet. We've been writing and recording at a steady pace and if anything we'd love to release new music more frequently. For right now we're down to just go wherever our interests take us musically. There are some more ambitious projects we have in mind for the future, but we feel like we're in a good spot where we are now.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Some of our influences include Khanate, Electric Wizard, Grief, Thou, Pharmakon, Lustmord, and Godspeed! You Black Emperor. We have a background in noise and experimental music as much as punk and metal so those play a large part in our sound as well. Right now I'm listening to the new Vile Creature, Of Feather and Bone, Leechfeast, and Occlith albums as well as some older but still recent stuff from Dakhma, Crawl, and Lingua Ignota. A lot of dark ambient and some indie/folk stuff recently as well.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Writing, art, movies, tv, philosophy, politics, podcasts. All the good stuff.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for your questions!

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