Exclusive Interview: Interpreter talk “Dirtmound”!

After reviewing their debut EP “Dirtmound” which is a full on cathartic energy release that goes off like a nuclear reactor core in melt down, we caught up with Nashville, Tennessee quartet Interpreter, a band putting their own spin on Deathcore and like the Incredible Hulk, bulldozing everything in their path, to find out about their World. So without any need for any further introduction from us, we recommend you push the red button on this one and have a little read of what they have to say!

“Dirtmound” as an EP might be fresh out gate but some of the tracks like “Warmonger” have been around for a while, with live footage as old as 2019 online; how long did you spend working on the EP to get it where you wanted it to be? When was it actually recorded and who with? “We have spent about 4 years getting all of the music out together. Only due to substance abuse from previous members which caused lineup changes and more delays. All the songs on the current release were freshly recorded with a sound never before heard with different tempos and new equipment. With a fresh lineup we came together and had made final decisions on what was on the official release and stuck with it. Videos will be around for newcomers to see where it all started how we began up until its official debut. The full EP was recorded mix and mastered by our guitarist Ryan Waldron at Reszenate Studios. Aaron Hugen is on Drums, Jeremy “Jay” Arvin on Bass, Wade Turner as our Vocalist. We also had some awesome features from our recently departed Second guitar player Storm Jett, as well as vocal Features from Casey Needler from Murfreesboro Tennessee and Former vocalist of Divisive Johnny Tsunami from Clarksville Tennessee. None of it would have sounded as awesome as it does without the dedication Ryan put into the tracks with “Reszenate Studios” to get them where they are today, and for that we are truthfully thankful.“

There is a footnote that says “Interpreter is not just one specific sub genre of metal” over at bandcamp; a statement we’d agree with but have also mentioned Technical Deathcore and Downtempo in our review. How do you feel about genre tagging in general? To us, it almost seems outdated with bands leaping sub-genres in a single track these days, let alone over the course of an EP or full length record. “To label a band to a specific genre is like labeling a book series, especially when it’s fresh. Before you open that book you never know what it could hold behind its cover. It could be labeled fiction but turn around and have some love and horror aspects too. The same applies to new bands ,yes we can label as metal, but we as individuals like and enjoy other music that influences us to write similar ways. For example our title track “Dirtmound”, has that old school deathcore taste from the death metal feel of the main riff to the slow hardcore breakdown. To answer officially we are a “deathcore” band, but you will never get just straight deathcore. The EP shows that each track is different in its own way, but is also similar and has consistency.“

One of the things that really strikes about the EP is the way that you’ve built atmospheres; if you could go back 5 years and give the younger versions of yourselves some advice on writing a record from what you learned, what would you say? “We agree that we would kindly whisper in our ears and tell ourselves these are the people we should be working with, practice makes perfect for everything, and don’t suck get good. That’s our motivation for each other as a group when doing anything“

You’ve got a couple of other songs in “Tic Toxic” and “Welcome Home” that aren’t on “Dirtmound“. How did the decision not to include them come about? “Welcome Home was a song that was being put together, while we were searching for a new drummer. Towards the final works of pre productions, we came in contact with our current drummer Aaron Hugen. Aaron stepped up during this time period to help push out this awesome tack. With the help of Ryan getting everything recorded. We had everything ready to be mixed and mastered. We hit up Abyss Walker vocalist Sam Schneider (AKA SammySlamdance) to mix and master this great track. We consider this track a victory to everything we have been trying to accomplish from the start. Welcome Home would be our first official single released to the world,with the new line up on Spotify, with a follow up official music video released on SlamWorldwide’s YouTube channel. Aaron was announced as the official drummer and we were on our way. “TiK Toxic”, was written during our time in quarantine and was also the very beginning of our self production. Tik Toxic was our so called “quarantine song” that we put together, but it was more an experimental track to see what would happen, if we self produced. We decided, that these singles represent the beginning, and what we did as a group to push and fight through all of the time we waited to find that missing piece. As well as learning a way to be self-sufficient“

How is the local scene for you? Being from Tennessee, seen as being pretty much the home of Country music from the outside World at least, does that come with any negatives or does having bands like Inferi help? Are there any other local bands that we should keep our ears out for that you can recommend? “Being from Tennessee does have its challenges, when it comes to the underground. Most people like the hard rock, cover band, and for the lack of a better word Dad metal bands, however if you dig deep enough, this scene is very much alive. Inferi and Whitechapel does help because it shows that Tennessee has potential for not just Country music but all music. People just don’t strive to find what’s hidden and once you do you will see that Tennessee’s underground metal scene is very much alive. There are many great artists here and to be honest there’s too many to count. Autumn Lies Buried from Clarksville TN, Divisive from Middle TN, Abyss Walker, Abated Mass of Flesh and that’s to name a few. Our bass player Jay has put together a locals only playlist on Spotify if you want check out more Tennessee Heavy“

We know you’re fans of The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, so when the pandemic ends and the gloves are off, who do you want to go out on a tour run with, if there are no limits? Who would you like to step up on stage and reprise Johnny Tsunami and Casey Needler parts from “Doctor Discontent” and “Dirtmound” with you? “If possible we would love for Casey and Johnny to have their moment during the songs they featured in. As far as tours go hands down would love to tour with the guys in Oceano. Our vocalist had a moment of his dreams come true when Adam pulled him on stage to do a part and that could never have been more appreciated by us and to tour with them would be an honor. Also another good band that we think would fit a great tour is Chelsea Grin and maybe even Thy Art is Murder. We as a group just want to be heard and have a chance for people to experience us. Being able to tour with any of these heavy bands Like Oceano, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Chelsea Grin, Thy Art is Murder as well as The Acacia Strain would be a dream come true for us as a unit. Being able to share the stage with any of these guys words wouldn’t be able to describe how we would feel.“

“Dirtmound” by Interpreter is out now and available over at bandcamp.