Introducing UNINHIBITED: A Death Metal duo hailing from Munich and Oberhausen, breaking boundaries and defying rules. Basti and Marco share their journey, influences, and the unconventional recording process behind "Ascend the Plank." Get ready for a glimpse into their atmospheric and brutal musical realm.
1. Can
you tell us about the origins of UNINHIBITED and how the band came together?
In May 2023
Basti (vocals) and I decided to start UNINHIBITED as a Death Metal band. The
idea to record some extreme music was around since a long time and it took us a
few years to really start it! We are a duo and both of us have regular jobs and
family. Finally, it worked and I sent a few demos to Basti. Basti immediately
started adding some vocals. We both loved the results and the “fire” was there!
2. Your
bio mentions a background in a Hardcore band before transitioning to Death
Metal. What motivated this shift in musical style?
That is
true! Basti and I used to play in a hardcore band for many years. We were
releasing some records and we did some extensive touring all over Europe. We
were always sharing the love for Death Metal and Metal in general, since it was
the sound of our youth. So the foundation was always there and transitioning
was easy. I knew that Bastis voice would be perfect for Death Metal and as a
guitarist I always liked the technical playing in Death Metal. In my opinion
there is some parallels in Hardcore and Death Metal. Mainly it is the
aggression and the energy within the music. So for us it was not a big deal, we
just tried it out and we felt at home very quickly.
3. How
do the geographical distances between Munich and Oberhausen impact your
creative process? How do you manage to efficiently write music despite living
in different cities?
We both
respect each others input and creativity a lot, there is mutual trust in what
we are doing. We are sharing our ideas online and despite the distance we are
very quick when it comes to corrections and talking about details or the
overall vibe of a song. Of course it requires some discipline to work that way
but luckily it works for us! Sometimes we meet and we both discuss based on
demos and we do the final arrangements together. It’s a great gift to be able
to work that way and I think that the fact of being a duo makes it easier
sometimes as well.
4. The
band's description mentions a blend of brutal and atmospheric elements in your
music. How do you balance these contrasting elements, and what do they
contribute to the overall sound and atmosphere of your songs?
Well, in my
opinion music is all about creating some atmosphere. It is the soul of the
music! In Death Metal it is mainly dark and energetic vibes that are attracting
many listeners. Basically the style of the music is fast and you are using
sounds that are not made to slow you down or make you fall asleep. But there is
more than just powerchords and blast beats and we are trying to make the music
more intense by adding some other musical elements being harmonies, dissonance
or not so often used soloing techniques. That is nothing new and we love to
make our sound more interesting by adding some other flavors in order to
increase the level of musical contrast or to emphasize some lyrics. Let me add
here Blood Incantation, who I admire a lot, since they are truly mastering that
type of writing in my opinion.
5. The
debut EP, "Ascend the Plank," was recorded with a unique approach,
including vocals being recorded in a car. Can you share more about this
unconventional recording process and how it contributed to the final result?
It sounds
funny, but Basti is literally recording his vocals in his car! We do not have
our own recording studios where we could be as loud as we wanted to be, hence
and in Bastis case he is driving into some forest, parking his car and
screaming the hell out of his lungs! Usually Basti is recording all vocal
tracks this way and we mix it later. He uses the BandLab-App and some standard
earphones with an integrated mic. For us and maybe for Death Metal in general
that works pretty well, maybe not for a Mariah Carey record ;)
6. Your
bio highlights influences from older Death Metal bands like Cannibal Corpse,
Morbid Angel, and Entombed. How do these influences manifest in your music, and
what elements do you believe make your interpretation of Death Metal unique?
First and
foremost we are Death Metal fans. Our intention is not to reinvent Death Metal.
We have a lot of respect for those old Masters of Death Metal, they built up a
whole genre! UNINHIBITED is using the typical elements of Death Metal like the
blast beats, tremolo picking and so on. I think I’m not privileged to judge if
it sounds unique. We are trying our best to put as much love and soul into the
music as we can! After a song is finished we usually jump in our cars to check
the overall sound. Your car stereo works perfectly to assess the overall result
by the way assuming that you are listening to music in your car of course ;) In
general we need to like the music first and if we can make more people happy
with our style then we are very grateful. For us this means a great gift!
7. Currently
working on a full-length album, can you provide insights into the themes or
concepts that might be explored in the upcoming tracks?
Lyric-wise
we will stick to what we did on the EP. Seafaring is a main topic that we
really like, since it gives so many metaphors that we are blending with current
topics that affect us all in some or the other way. It is rather about the dark
sides of mankind that should make us think!
Musically it will be a mix of atmospheric and
technical elements, but there will also be a lot of those brutal moments. You
can expect pure Death Metal the way we love it - UNINHIBITED style.
8. As a
two-man band, how do you approach the writing and composition process? Are
there specific roles each member takes, or is it a collaborative effort
throughout?
Absolutely!
As a duo we have clear roles. Basti is taking care of all the vocals and I’m
responsible for the music. We are programming the drums, guitars and bass is
recorded by me. We are sharing feedback of course to adapt certain parts. In
the end it is a collaborative effort throughout the whole process. Actually and
this might be another fun fact, Basti is mixing his vocals himself after he has
recorded them in his car. He knows best how the vocals should sound and where
to add effects like reverb or delay. In the end we take the vocals as one track
or in more technical words as a mixdown before we do the final mix and
mastering. At the same time I’m having full freedom when it comes to how
guitars and bass should sound.
9. Your
social media presence spans various platforms, from Instagram to TikTok. How do
you feel these platforms contribute to your connection with fans, and do you
have a favorite platform for engaging with your audience?
Oh man,
that is a very interesting topic. Nowadays you have to be present on social
media to connect with fans and to make your music heard and the role of record
labels has changed a lot. For us Spotify is very important, since it should be
about the music in the first place. Do we think that we can connect with fans
by being active on all these platforms? I would say yes. However sometimes I
feel it is very hard as a band to keep up the pace on these platforms to always
please the algorithms. As a band it is almost impossible to release three new
videos per week, which is rather extreme. In our opinion all content should be
relevant and it should represent us as artists. We are focusing mostly on
instagram and Spotify, but center of everything is and will be our music, not
our social media presence.
10. The
band's ethos seems to be about breaking boundaries and defying rules. How does
this philosophy influence your creative decisions and musical expression?
We want to
do what feels right for us! There are no boundaries in creativity, which is
good! Making music is a great way to express your feelings and your individual
perspectives on whatever topic that is important to you! Music is the place
where we can be ourselves, there is nothing and none that tells us what to do.
This can be any kind of music but for Basti and me it is definitely Death
Metal.
11. Your
bio mentions a strong connection between members. How has your history of
releasing music and touring together shaped the dynamic of UNINHIBITED?
Definitely!
Already knowing how the others in a band think about music and to know how they
would like to work towards a certain goal helps a lot in finding a good process
and work ethic. I mean, being on tour with some other guys for 3 weeks and
more, sharing the same van every day and sleeping in not always the most
comfortable places really makes you know your band very well. So, when Basti
and I started UNINHIBITED we did not quite start from scratch. Even after a few
years of not making music together some things never change and we were just
using our common history in playing in the same band to start something new!
12. Finally,
what message or emotion do you hope listeners take away from your music, and
what can we expect from UNINHIBITED in the future?
We all feel
sad, betrayed, angry, frustrated and hurt at times. We try to combine all these
feelings and emotions in our songs and lyrics and there is no better way to
relieve pressure than listening to heavy music. As long as we feel passion
about making music we will continue with what we love doing! At the moment we
are about to record our first full length and we are planning to release it in
the first half of 2024. Hopefully there will be even more music in the future!
Thanks a
lot for the interview and the good questions! We really appreciate it!
Basti &
Marco.
(62) Uninhibited (Death Metal) - YouTube
Ascend The Plank | Uninhibited (bandcamp.com)
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