Exclusive Interview: Human Compost talk “Descendants of Evil”!

Canadian Death Grind act Human Compost unveiled their third album in “Descendants of Evil” last month and it completely destroyed the very fabric of our existence. Filled with horror and exploitation cinema references the album is the metaphorical sound track to the kind of low budget movie best watched on Halloween as the successor to 2016 debut “From the Grave They Crawl” and 2018 follow up “Exhumations of Death and Horror“. So it was only natural that we would need to have a conversation with them about the record and put some balance back in place, to which end we spoke to bassist Chris Sabbath, drummer Allen L and vocalist Geoff Hodsman and it went something like this…

How have you found the reaction to the new material so far? We described the album as being loaded with Buzzsaw guitars that bury themselves into the brain like termites chewing on wood. What’s the strangest description of your band’s material that you’ve heard or read?

Geoff: “All great comments so far on the new album. People are finding the new songs pretty brutal and old school. I have some saying the guitars are less ‘sludgy’ than they used to be, which is similar to your comment on them being like buzzsaws. We actually changed up the guitar sound after using the same one on the previous album and EPs. I also have had some folks noticing the change in vocal style – I’ve started incorporating more old school ‘dry’ growls in additional to my usual gutturals and screams”

You had Aaron Whitsell from Cropsy Maniac in the studio to drop a couple of guest solos on tracks, how did him joining you for those come about? Will he get the opportunity to reprise his role and play those live at some point?

Chris: “We met Aaron a long time ago through Facebook and bonded over our mutual interests in horror and death metal. We’ve had him do some guest spots on our first full length and on our cover of Impetigo’s Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue, though he’s in America and we’re in Canada so I think it’s just studio work for now. Unless we have a show in his state one day, maybe he’ll be up for live guest spot”

We’re loving the use of the exploitation cinema style samples that introduce some of the later tracks on the album. Where did the idea to use them come from and how much goes into finding the right one for the right song?

Chris: “I’ve always been a fan of horror/exploitation movies and Mortician were also a big influence on me growing up. When writing a song I usually have a movie in mind and base it off of that, then picking a sample that fits the mood and vibe of the song”

During the tracking of “Descendants of Evil” you recorded a cover of “Black Breath” by Repulsion. What made you decide to leave it off the finished record?

Allen: “Though we recorded Black Breath with the full intention of including it on the album, our label doesn’t currently hold any licensing or distribution rights to the song, so this would have meant an additional cost for every disc or download we’d move via our current label. This wasn’t the case in the past with several other covers we’ve included on our compilation, but that was due to luck of the draw that our label at the time held those distribution rights as all those bands happened to be on their distro lists at the time”

There seem to be a wealth of bands breaking out from Canada of late, how has the scene in Ontario treated you over the years?

Geoff: “That may be the case but honestly I have to say Toronto, the city we’re from, is not it. It’s the biggest city in the country so you’d expect a lot, but really, bands come and go. Venues shut down and get replaced with condos. Promoters that are booking shows for the local scene are happy to break even. There is a history of a few classic bands from certain subgenres getting big but overall and especially in the case of extreme metal like us, there is just a small support group of metal lifers. Now in terms of Ontario as a whole, we often find bands coming here or we travel to them, and it is always in both cases welcoming. We’re all in the same boat overall, in that we have the passion but there isn’t fertile grounds for a blossoming ‘scene’. Who knows though, things can change”

What’s next for Human Compost?

Geoff: “The process of recording the album and also COVID bullshit both had us in a phase where we were mainly focused on recording and planning for the future. Now that we are getting over that we’d like to play venues, near and far, and showcase our new songs to new crowds. We’d like to make new friends and connections and see how far DESCENDANTS OF EVIL can take us”

Chris: “We’ve been writing some new songs that we’re starting to rehearse and they’re sounding like the best material we have yet. I think people will take notice with DESCENDANTS and find out what we really have to offer”

“Descendants of Evil” by Human Compost is out now via Cavernous Records