Introducing
Chaos Sanctuary's Tony Barhoum: Dive into the creative journey behind
"Instrumentality," blending anime, tech-death, and diverse
influences. Uncover the collaborative magic shaping this immersive
musical odyssey.
1. Congratulations on the release of
"Instrumentality"! Can you share the inspiration behind choosing Neon
Genesis Evangelion as the concept for the album, and how the thematic elements
of the anime influenced your music?
Thank you! Super
proud of this release and how it all came together. Our vocalist Dave Palenske
is big on the series. As I was writing the tracks and sending them his way, he
was contemplating vocal patterns and lyric ideas. I think from the beginning he
wanted to create a concept around the music, he just didn't know what at first.
By the time I got to the 6th or 7th track on the album, that was the
"aha" moment where he saw how he could fit the puzzle together. It
wasn't the anime that shaped the music. Rather, the music presented itself in
such a way that it fit perfectly with the concept of the show.
2. "Instrumentality"
is described as a concept album. How did you go about creating a cohesive
narrative through the music, and what challenges did you face in making sure
the album worked as an immersive, beginning-to-end experience?
Honestly, I had
an idea from the very beginning of what I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to
create something that was more dynamic than a typical tech-death album. I
wanted it to present itself almost like a journey, with peaks and valleys along
the way. I think the difficulty was with the shifting around of the tracks, and
me coming to terms with it at first. Dave Palenske (vocalist) had a big hand in
that, and he decided on switching the tracks "Blood of Secrecy" and
"Instrumentality." Let me tell you, that was a genius move by him, as
it fit the storyline of the anime much more accurately and I wouldn't have it
any other way.
3. Tony,
you began working on the material for "Instrumentality" in the summer
of 2020. How has the band's sound evolved since your self-titled EP released in
June of that year, and were there specific goals you aimed to achieve with this
full-length album?
The initial EP I
wanted to show more of my death/thrash roots, while also showcasing some
technical and progressive elements along the way. With this album, I wanted to
fully immerse into something I've never done before and released in an album.
I've been with my main act Condition Critical since 2013, and I've always been
in the thrash and death metal scene. With this release, I wanted to show that
I'm not just a thrash guitarist but a versatile all around musician. I truly
wanted to create something unique, utilizing various different techniques on
the guitar that I never really had the opportunity to use.
4. The album
seamlessly blends various genres like tech-death, djent, thrash metal,
jazz-fusion, and guitar-driven instrumentals. How did you manage to incorporate
such diverse influences while maintaining a coherent and accessible sound for a
wide audience?
Equilibrium!
There is not doing too much of one thing or the other. I tried to do my best to
keep it well balanced and never swaying too much in one direction. I know from
the listener's perspective the variety in the tracks keeps them engaged and
sitting there wondering "what's next?" But without it being
nauseating, at least I hope it isn't, haha.
5. The
track listing includes intriguing titles like "Synchronization,"
"Phlegmatic Invader," and "Pen Pen." Can you shed some
light on the creative process behind naming the tracks and how they tie into
the overall theme of the album?
This was all Dave
Palenske! The tracks fit within the narrative of the storyline of the anime
Evangelion. Dave is an incredibly articulate lyric writer, and in order to do
the explanations of the songs justice I will directly quote him on the
concepts:
Dave Palenske: Phlegmatic Invader is about Shinji
(main character from Evangelion) rejecting his responsibility to pilot his Eva
(giant robot). He spends a lot of time trying to run away, and essentially goes
missing. Then Ramiel (a gigantic floating crystalline octahedron) invades earth
he is forced back into his duty. He must cooperate with Rei (also an
Eva pilot) to defeat Ramiel and finds a sense of purpose and comradery in doing
so. So the song kind of deals with themes of existentialism and escapism. You
can try to run away from your responsibilities or your problems, but in due
time they will find you one way or another, and when you rise to the occasion
to carry out said responsibilities and face your problems head on, chances are
you will find reward or a sense of accomplishment in doing so.
Ramiel appears
lifeless, or emotionless since it is basically a floating geometric object
hence the title “Phlegmatic Invader”. But it does belt out a “choral” voice in
F repeatedly, which is touched on in the line “The dismal chorus swells from
the Phlegmatic Invader, bellowing through airwaves endlessly.”
Synchronization
is about the invasion of a giant alien. After mankind has failed exhausted
every conventional weapon against it the government finally allows the Eva
units (giant cyborgs) which were still at the time in the testing phases, but
there was no other option. This kid is ordered to the headquarters of where
these mechs are to pilot one of them. The owner of the organization is his
father, who the kid has a strained relationship with. Dudes dad makes him get
into the robot to do battle with the giant alien. He fails miserably as pilot,
and gets bodied. In the process he is knocked unconscious and the Eva unit ends
up going berserk and eviscerates the giant alien. Like, dismembering it and
driving it to self destruct.
Tony
Barhoum: Lastly
the instrumental track, Pen Pen, is about a penguin character in the series.
It’s been really funny seeing fans of the album say things like “there’s even a
song about a Penguin!” I crack up everytime.
6. Rick Graham
contributed a guest guitar solo on "Synchronization." How did this
collaboration come about, and what was it like working with him on that
specific track?
Rick is one of my
top 5 greatest guitar players on Earth. I think the guy is unreal when it comes
to everything that I define a great guitarist to be. Tone, note choices, style,
vibrato, and technique, Rick has it all! I initially reached out to him in 2020
during the pandemic and did a few lessons with him. I wanted to understand and
learn how he approached the instrument, as we all have a way about doing things
and I really appreciate his. I enjoyed our time in those sessions, and when I
was finalizing the album I thought to myself "why not reach out and see if
he would be interested in doing a solo?" Emailed him and he was into the
idea, and we went from there. Loved the phrasing he chose to do in that
section, the fact he did palm-muted legato over the heavy portion of it was
just tremendous.
7. Mike
Low played a significant role in the album's production, mixing, mastering, and
also handled bass and synth programming. Can you discuss the collaborative
process within the band and Mike's impact on shaping the final sound of
"Instrumentality"?
Just want to
start off by saying Mike Low is a gem of a person. He was so quick and prompt
with everything. The guy takes his career seriously, and it shows! Full story
is that I initially had hired a bass player to do all the parts. This
individual decided to completely ghost me, and stop responding to all
correspondence when I needed the tracks from him. So I was chatting with Mike
one day and explained to him the situation, and we kinda got to the idea of him
tabbing the bass. Boy did it come out great! It was around this point where I
gave him my blessing to have artistic say on all the tracks. Everything from
riffs he wanted me to re-record, to adjustments in drum sections, and
additional synths in sections where I previously did not have synths in place.
Overall, he created a much more complete and depth-y production that an album
like this needed in order to shine.
8. Varises
Otak created the cover art for the album. How did the visual concept for the
artwork come about, and how does it complement the musical themes explored in
"Instrumentality"?
Varises Otak has
been doing a ton of great work, and we essentially tasked him with recreating
the final fight scene within the series. The colors, the contrasts, and the
scenery are absolutely gorgeous.
He did such a
great job of creating a piece of art that accurately reflected the grim
prospects of what was occurring, but doing it in such a beautiful way.
9. The
album features a range of influences, including Revocation, Inferi, The
Faceless, and Cattle Decapitation. How have these bands influenced Chaos
Sanctuary's sound, and are there any other artists that played a crucial role
in shaping your musical identity?
You will not
catch me in a gym without one of those bands blaring on a playlist of mine.
Absolutely was inspired by all of those artists you mentioned, and they
certainly all had a heavy hand in my the style of music I wanted to play. It
was an honor to have Mike Low, formally of Inferi, producing the whole damn
thing. Inferi’s album The Path of Apotheosis was one that I certainly listened
front to back to so many times back when it came out in 2014. It was too funny,
because we were chatting for months going through the process of creating this
album, and I did not want to be a fan boy. However, it was a few months in when
I cracked and had to tell him how much their material meant to me. Definitely
still a surreal experience! I will also add, that many of the blues/jazz style
riffs were hugely inspired by Revocation. You certainly see that sprinkled
throughout the album. Other artists who shaped me are John Petrucci (Dream
Theater), Tosin Abasi, and Aaron Marshall (Intervals). I’m huge on the
instrumental guitar scene, and love seeing guys like them push the capabilities
of the instrument. Aaron Marshall at the current moment is my favorite
guitarist, his ability to craft such great melodies with an unreal feel is
unmatched. Some of the leads throughout the album were certainly influenced by
Aaron Marshall’s playing.
10. Could
you share some insights into the writing and recording process for
"Instrumentality"? Were there any memorable moments or challenges
that stand out during the creation of the album?
The biggest
challenge was time! There is just not enough time in a day. I have a career in
sales at a biopharma company, while juggling an MBA program, a professional
bodybuilding career with the IFBB, and making sure I get my guitar practice in
daily. Certainly a hectic schedule, and I’m always busy doing something.
Luckily there was no rush to get this product out there, we had the songs
basically all finished and written by early 2022. By approaching it all in a
relaxed fashion, I think the music benefitted. Dave had plenty of time in
between his busy schedule of touring all over, to craft the best lyrics and
vocal patterns. Frank was able to take his time with the drums in order to
perfect them, and I was able to tinker away at riffs until I found everything
to be at the level in which I wanted to be.
11. Each
band member has been involved in various musical projects outside of Chaos
Sanctuary. How do these diverse experiences contribute to the creative dynamic
within the band, and do they influence the way you approach songwriting and
collaboration?
We at Chaos
Sanctuary embrace all metal subgenres, haha! It’s funny because there are a
couple of riffs on the album that the Condition Critical guys were like “hey
that could’ve been one of ours.” Condition Critical is straight up thrash
metal, but I loved the idea of integrating some of that into the Chaos
material. Then when it came to the drumming, I had my ideas of what things
should have been and then Frank obviously had his. Of course, Frank is the
songwriter for the death metal band Legionary, so there are some drums parts
that he changed along the way from what I originally intended and then I’m like
“holy shit, this almost sounds like a really sick Legionary section.” When it
comes to Dave, he is a jack of all trades. He is a phenomenal guitarist, as
well as a vocalist. So what he added was an ear to keep me on the right track
when writing songs, but also vocal flows that a guitar player would appreciate.
It really was wonderful to have these guys on my side, it would not be
“Instrumentality” without both of them and the hard work they put into this
record.
12. Looking
ahead, what are the band's plans for the future? Are there any upcoming
projects, tours, or new musical directions that fans can look forward to from
Chaos Sanctuary?
As of right now,
we are just a studio band. However, that could change depending on the growing
fanbase that we are experiencing. We want to make sure we have the right
opportunity presented to us before we decided to take this out on the road.
What I will say that I think fans will appreciate, is that I’ve already
finished writing the first four tracks of the next album. It is basically
Instrumentality on steroids, the goal was to take it to the next level
musically and I really think people who enjoyed this newest record will love
it! Every once in a while I post clips of riffs that I’m writing for the new
record on my personal Instagram, @tonybarhoum, for those who want to catch a
sneak peak into my writing process. Lastly, I just want to say thank you so
much for interviewing me. I really enjoyed answering these questions, it was
fun retrospectively looking back on the process and I appreciate you for taking
the time to do this with me!
Chaos Sanctuary (@chaossanctuary) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
https://chaossanctuary.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentality
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