Interview Necrambulant

Necrambulant returns with Upheaval of Malignant Necrambulance, blending brutal death metal roots with fresh intensity. Dive into their creative journey, thematic brutality, and vivid inspirations in this exclusive interview.

1. Congratulations on the upcoming release of Upheaval of Malignant Necrambulance! Can you tell us how the songwriting and recording process evolved since your debut album in 2013?

Thank you! Well, we have a much different overall lineup from the debut full-length, but Ron still remains the primary songwriter as always. We wrote "Upheaval..." over a period of two years, letting things happen very organically. We were not under any deadlines or restraint, so we had nothing but an abundance of time to really fine-tune these songs and focus on putting our best foot forward with each track. The recording process for "Upheaval..." was a very relaxed and comfortable process thanks to our engineer Xander Bridge. The debut 2013 full-length was recorded in a more standard style studio with all the industry standard equipment and technology; but, when comparing the two, I feel didn't yield nearly as good of a result sound-wise as the new record does. We recorded "Upheaval..." in a more bedroom-style setting (I literally recorded vocals in a closet) and it was quite bare-bones compared to the process of "Infernal...". But, we got an end result far more ideal for what we want our music to sound like. 

2. Your sound is described as "Inhuman Slam Grind." How do you balance the brutality with the thematic and musical elements like zombies, sci-fi, and Warhammer lore?

Pretty easily; zombies, sci-fi horror, WH40k are all pretty naturally brutal to begin with, in my opinion. So the combination of those themes with brutal death metal goes together like hammers & smashed faces in my book.

3. The claymation video for Chunked Pus Chowder is as gruesome as it is creative. How did the idea for a claymation video come about, and what was the production process like?

The idea came from Carlos, the owner of Gore House Productions. We had a phone call discussing the release and singles for "Upheaval..." and he mentioned that he knew a claymation artist he thought would be able to create something different and exciting for our first single. We, as a band, had next to nothing to do with the production itself since the artist, Brad Uyeda, really just took the idea of the song itself and ran with it. We couldn't be happier with Brad's creative vision and final product.

4. You mentioned Chunked Pus Chowder was inspired by Peter Jackson's early films. Are there any other cult films or directors that influenced the vibe of this album?

Absolutely! If you know what to look for in the lyrics there are influences from a heap of excellent horror movies like The Blob (1988), The Thing, Lucio Fulci's Zombie & The Beyond, August Underground, Army of Darkness, etc. When it comes to lyrics, there's a wide variety of horror creatives who have had a profound influence on what I put to paper: Herschell Gordon Lewis, Romero, Jörg Buttgeriet, Joe D'Amato... It's a rabbit hole from which I could make a mile-long list of influential horror creators who have helped shape the themes I write about.

5. Your last EP, A Feast of Festering Flesh, received mixed reviews for its experimental approach. How did that feedback shape your vision for this new album?

Well, the plan was always to release the next full-length as a "return to form" to our original material, which is what we have done with "Upheaval...". We did "Feast..." as an experiment in something different that Ron and myself had talked about doing in the past by making some more traditional type death metal songs that include slam elements, but with a different vocal approach. The vocals were done with the idea of sounding more "zombie-like" than just slam gutturals or powerful death metal roars. My aim was to sound like death and decay with an uglier take on the traditional death metal sound. Some people loved it and some people hated it, but it was all done with intention. It's why we did that as just an EP rather than a full-length. "Upheaval..." is where we return to the roots of what our longtime fans know us for.

6. With songs like Barbarian Brute Force Annihilation and Sentenced to a Gluttonous Pit, the track titles are as vivid as they are grotesque. How do you approach the lyrical themes and titles?

This is my favorite part of making a song. There's no real deep or lengthy explanation to it, as I'll just sit down with a rough recording of the instrumental and let my imagination run wild with it. The way the song itself sounds will guide my thoughts as to what sort of theme feels right. Some riffs and tempos may put a certain type of story in my mind, while others will steer my imagination in a different direction. It's my job from there to try to paint a picture with words and make it as brutal as I can. 

7. This album seems to return to your roots while still sounding fresh. Was that a conscious decision to reconnect with your original fan base while expanding your sound for new listeners?

Most definitely. A return to roots was always the plan. We started writing the music for "Upheaval..." as soon as we wrapped the recording of the "Feast..." EP. So we were still riding the same wave of inspiration we had on the EP when we wrote the first completed song for the new album, which was "Sentenced to a Gluttonous Pit". We hope that our o.g. fans, along with fans we gained from the EP, can appreciate this blending of old and new. 

8. As extreme metal musicians, how do you keep the creative energy flowing while maintaining the intensity of your music over multiple releases?

Really by just continuing to be in tune with the scene and constantly trying to absorb inspiration. Everything being digitalized now has created an endless wellspring of accessible music. So, speaking for myself, I always try to keep my ear to the ground when to comes to keeping things fresh with the musical inspirations I can draw from. There's tons of amazing newer bands constantly churning out music, so I feel like it's easier now more than ever to keep the flame of creativity burning.  

9. You’ve been with Gore House Productions for a while now. How has that partnership helped shape the direction of Necrambulant’s music and outreach?

Carlos has been great to us so far. He really took big a chance on us with the EP that he originally signed us on with, and has really seen things through in regards to promotion and providing us the necessary tools/guidance to grow from a marketing standpoint. For the upcoming "Upheaval..." album he's putting the pedal to the metal even more and has some great ideas on expanding our outreach. So the future is looking bright under the banner of Gore House. 

10. Lastly, what are you most excited for fans to experience with Upheaval of Malignant Necrambulance, and how does this album represent the essence of Necrambulant?

We are excited that fans not only get a heavy dose of the guttural slamming sound that we originally made our mark with but also that it's an even bigger and stronger release than the first record. Our lifeblood is our fans and supporters, so we really wanted to give those who have long followed this band (as well as our newer fans) something new yet familiar. This is also symbolized by the re-recording of "Self-Biological Carnivorous Cannibalism" - as that was the very first song ever written for Necrambulant when it was just me on drums and Chad doing guitar/vocals in a burning hot garage in Phoenix, AZ back in 2008.

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