A NCS INTERVIEW : DISEMBODIMENT

(Everlasting Spew Records released the gut-churning, pulse-pounding, head-moving debut album of Disembodiment on July 11th, and now we present Zoltar‘s interview of Disembodiment guitarist Chris Lacroix.)

Disembodiment are a death metal band from Canada. Now hold your horses right away, especially those immediately expecting some kind of shred-fest or deathcore march. This four-piece out of Sherbrooke, Québec may be downtuned and all about decay and slimy things but their music nevertheless remains deeply rooted in the early ’90s, back when the genre wasn’t all about speed and/or technical wankery but stomping grooves, grueling slow parts, and being metal-as-fuck.

If their demo-turned-into-an-EP Mutated Chaos in 2021 was a warning shot, their long-awaited full-length Spiral Crypts – with a couple of songs premiered on this very site a few weeks back – will truly take you to a even more gruesome place “where cadavers pile to rest” as they say themselves on the opening track, “Stygian Overture”.

Although not the most talkative person on the planet, guitar player Chris Lacroix spills some of the beans for us…

 

 

First of all, let us clear some air regarding the current status of Oath Div. 666, basically Disembodiment’s previous incarnation in between 2012 and 2019, carrying the same four members. Is that band still active somehow?

No, it’s not. You’re right: same members, both playing death metal yet different subject matters.

 

Wasn’t Disembodiment’s 2021 debut EP Mutated Chaos originally a demo?

We do consider it as a demo ourselves but people seemed to think it was too long for a demo so it got labeled as an EP I guess.

 

Haven’t you guys mostly played in hardcore/punk bands prior to switching to death metal in 2012 with Oath Div. 666, and how much did it weigh on how your music was shaped?

We’ve been in hardcore and punk bands before indeed but I don’t think it gives us an extra edge. I think metal, hardcore and punk intersect so much nowadays that it’s really with great riffs and beats that you get an edge.

 

 

You’ve always stuck to your one-guitar formula and your music is quite straight-forward. Was it a conscious choice?

No, it wasn’t really a choice to keep things simpler. We’ve been going like that for over thirteen years so it just felt natural. Also the pool of potential prospects in our hometown of Sherbrooke was slim so we didn’t even try to look for another guitarist.

 

Would you say that you are mostly influenced by the classic death metal of the genre’s heydays?

I guess so. In my opinion, the best death metal ever came out in the late ’80s and early ’90s. I feel these days that bands tend to go towards overly produced records and that’s just not my thing. I’d rather have the shittiest human performance ever than quantized computerization.

We tune so low we can get that “everything sounds heavy” feeling when we’re doing riffs. But we don’t go crazy with it either, like some newer bands these days that are tuned down to F or something…

 

The album’s cover is both slimy and beautifully disturbing too.

We’ve been looking for an artwork that fit the album lyrics and feel for years but we could never find one until we saw this one by Slimeweaver. We contacted him, told him about our intentions and it all clicked perfectly. Couldn’t be happier. Also this pink liquid thing known as pepto Bismol is the epitome of death.

 

 

As you said, you’re based in Sherbrooke, about a two hours drive from Montréal. Is that a good or a bad thing being a bit away from where the rest of your scene is?

Both. Big cities like Montréal are just constant sensory overloads so it’s good to be able to get away from all that bullshit every day. But at the same time, I don’t feel like we’re part of any special scene to start with.

 

Talking of which, are you mates with other recent old-school death metal warriors like Outre-Tombe, Sedimentum or Serpent Corpse? Did you consider like some of them using French lyrics?

Yes, we’ve known all those guys for years now, we’ve shared stages and beers multiple times by now. I actually used to play in Serpent Corpse until recently. But no, we’ve never considered using French.

 

https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/spiral-crypts
https://everlastingspew.com/
https://www.facebook.com/disembodimentdeath