Unbounded Terror, a pioneering force in death metal since the early '90s, returns with their fourth album, Something Is Rotten in Humanity, blending old-school brutality with modern twists after decades of evolution.
1. Unbounded
Terror has been a part of the death metal scene since the early '90s. How does
it feel to release your fourth album, Something Is Rotten in Humanity,
over three decades after your debut?
Hello,
thank you very much for your questions, I am Vicente Paya. It is true that UT
emerged in 1991 but it is also true that it was inactive for 26 years, and in
2019 I decided to come back with some musicians who have accompanied me but in
terms of composition, recording and so on I have done everything alone. And it
has been like coming back from scratch. Although the Death Metal world knows my
band, being out of the scene for so long makes you fall into oblivion, and UT
simply remains as a cult band.
With this
latest album I have reached a balance that I have been working on since my
return, and I feel that I have achieved it. This album is more 90' than ever,
which makes it very special. I am sure that you will like it a lot. In it you will
find a lot of aggression, darkness and some very sick riffs.
2. The
album title suggests a deep critique or reflection on humanity. What inspired
the themes and lyrical content of this record?
We live in
a world full of falsehood, hypocrisy and values that we have lost. It is very
difficult to find authentic people who do not fail you when you need them, or
who only think about themselves and can sell you out just to stand out. In
addition to the different wars that exist in the world, which are the worst
thing that can happen to a human being.
As you can
see, all the lyrics, written by Andrew, talk about all those people who need to
do evil to profit from it, whether they are politicians, ex-friends, etc.…
3. Tracks
like "Fear of Dying" and "Demons in Your Mind" are
incredibly evocative. Could you walk us through the creative process behind
these songs?
All the
compositional work for these songs and the others is the same. I'm making
guitar riffs that I like and above all trying to get that 90's sound that I'm
looking for and that I feel good with.
Although
they also have current sounds because I'm always listening to Death Metal, from
all eras, sometimes I like it more, sometimes less, but I always listen to it
and maybe some influence can be noticed in the songs.
These two
songs are a bit special because when they were finished, they seemed very sick
to me and at the same time they had riffs that were engaging like those songs
from the 90's that stayed in your head. It's true that some riffs seem more
current but it has been unconsciously, since as I told you I listen to a lot of
current death metal.
4. You’ve
described this album as your finest work to date. What makes Something
Is Rotten in Humanity stand out compared to your earlier releases?
I have more
bands and I have them active, and I am the composer of all of them. This is a
bit of an explanation because in previous albums the composition of one band
has overlapped with another and sometimes something has been noticeable, in
riffs, melodies, etc…
This time I
sat down without any pressure of having to compose for other bands, and all my
attention was simply on these UT songs.
Doing them,
working on them, making demos and listening to them as many times as necessary…
Changing details until I achieved the album I wanted!
5. The
production on this album is impeccable. How did working with Vicente J. Payá
for recording and Davide Billia for mixing and mastering enhance the album’s
sound?
Working
with myself has been very easy, really… I don’t have any arguments or
disagreements. Just kidding!
I recorded
and produced the whole album at my Black Night Studios and obviously it was
easy for me. Then the other members came and recorded their parts. Except for
the drummer, who we didn’t have at the time. I contacted Davide from Mk2
Recording Studio to do the mixing and mastering of the album, and knowing that
he also plays drums in several Death Metal bands, I asked him if he could do
the session drums on this album. He did it with great pleasure!
I have to
say that I really enjoyed working with him and I will continue to do so in the
future. It was very easy to understand each other because he breathes Death
Metal like I do.
6. The
cover art by Juan Castellano is striking and very much in line with the album's
tone. How did the collaboration come about, and what was the vision for the
artwork?
I contacted
Juan because I have known him for many years, whom I admire as he is in high
demand by many international bands because he does excellent work, and he had
also already done the cover for the Faith in Chaos album in 2019 which was the
comeback of UT. I spoke to him because I wanted the cover of this new album to
be very Old School DM and for his composition, I simply told him the title of
the new album and gave him total freedom to do it as he pleased. Since I knew
that I would like it! At no time did I give him any guidelines in this regard,
the cover is entirely thought up by him for us.
7. "Reviving"
has been highlighted as a standout track with primal aggression and addictive
riffs. Why did you choose this as the first single, and how has the response
been so far?
The truth
is that this song was chosen by the company because for me all the songs on the
album are very good and any of them could have been the album's preview.
It is true
that this song has addictive and very heavy riffs, but it also has melodies
that contrast with very Death Grind parts.
The
response so far has been very good. The reviews are very positive and they give
us the impression that we are on the right path and that we have taken a step
forward in our career.
8. Unbounded
Terror takes classic death metal elements and subverts them in unique ways. How
do you approach innovating within the genre while staying true to its roots?
UT evolves
on its own style as times change, productions change, etc…
When
composing the songs I thought a lot about making it sound like UT but at the
same time using other types of techniques so that it sounds a little different
and with Davide's drums we have achieved that evolution that we needed and some
innovation as you said in the question.
In some
songs I have managed to balance this old school with some touches of modern
death, a large part of this is due to Davide since he is a drummer for current
death metal bands. When I gave the songs to Davide he told me that they were
very old school and that he had thought a lot about putting the drums so that
they were old but also that modern touch that he has would be noticeable.
9. What
are the band's thoughts on the evolution of the death metal scene since your
early days, and where do you see it heading in the future?
The truth
is that, given our age, we are more into bands from the 90s than into the
current ones. That doesn't mean we stop listening to them, since there are many
that we like.
We run away
a bit from the technical and progressive death that is very popular lately,
their work seems incredible to us, but we follow another line that is more Old
School. We know of many young bands that are creating that Old School Death
Metal and I ?nd it incredible and I like them a lot.
Nowadays
there is a saturation of bands of all styles, so we all have a place in the
different styles of Death Metal. There is something for everyone!
10. With
the release of Something Is Rotten in Humanity, what are Unbounded
Terror’s plans for the rest of 2024? Can fans expect tours, videos, or
other surprises?
Can fans
expect tours, videos, or other surprises? Of course!
There will
be more teasers before the album is released on April 1st, as well as a music
video.
We have a mini tour with Purtenance in Spain in March, we'll play at the Obscene Extreme Fest in July, and a few more festivals and concerts before the end of the year.
Unbounded Terror (@unboundedterror_official) • Instagram photos and videos
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