Allegaeon have been described by Metal Hammer Magazine as ’the new face of ruthless modern death metal’ and they would be correct. The Colorado natives deliver a musically complex, intelligent, and absorbing sound that can rightfully sit alongside the true greats of the genre. Lauded for their extreme technicality and capacity for writing music of truly epic scale, the band embody the term ‘progressive’ more than most, with their current release, Proponent For Sentience featuring orchestral movements and even throat singing! With a new album “Apoptosis” just released last month and their inclusion on an Australian run of shows with Ne Obliviscaris, Caligula’s Horse, Beyond Creation and Rivers Of Nihil in May, there was much to talk about as we chat to vocalist Riley McShane about it all.
Steve: Hey Riley how are you today?
Riley: I’m doing great man!
Steve: So how does it feel to have the new album out? I don’t want to butcher the name so I’ll hand it over to you to pronounce for me.
Riley: (laughs) Oh course man it’s called “Apoptosis” and it’s awesome. We are all super proud of this one, we are beyond stoked how well it’s being received in this first week. You know, this one took getting over a few hurdles to get this one released so getting it out there and having people hear it is super exciting.
Steve: So what were some of the hurdles if you don’t mind me asking? Were they fairly major or was it just trying to find another way around?
Riley: Yeah so we were just touring a lot in the past. Allegeon has released an album every other year “Fragments Of form and Function” in 2010 then “Formshifter” in 2012 then “Elements of the Infinite” in 2014 then”Proponent for Sentience”. We were originally going to release “Apoptosis” at the end of 2018 but we’d just spent so much time on the road that we just didn’t have time, you know enough time off the road at home to get it together to facilitate a 2018 release. So that was the major hurdle, it’s not a bad thing it just ate up a lot of time.
Steve: Sure so to have it out is somewhat of a relief?
Riley: Yeah definitely (laughs). Let’s release it October – oh we can’t, let’s release it in February, oh we can’t. It’s like, Ok we are releasing it a full six months after we intended so having it out is awesome.
Steve: For sure so what would be your favorite track from the album?
Riley: I’d say I really like “Metaphobia”, it’s just such a pissed off sounding track. It’s got such dynamic and emotional content I guess I’d say and the title track has a real prog vibe about it. It dives into territories that we haven’t explored in the past musically. If I had to pick one more I’d probably say “Extremophiles A” for that same reason, it just has a different kind of vibe, it’s just something that was a little bit more fun and challenging to write for then what we have traditionally done musically.
Steve: Awesome my favorite would have to be “Stellar Tidal Disruption”.
Riley: That is definitely in our set
Steve: Great! I’m looking forward to catching it live in Brisbane. So if you could be remembered for one track and one track alone what would it be and why?
Riley: Oh awesome man see you then! Let’s see, again I’d have to go with the title track from the new album because not only musically does it cover all the bases but because weirdly it ties the intended message on the rest of the album. The concept of the album is out with old and kind of leave outdated methods of thinking and behaving and replace it with more accepting ways of thinking and behaving for the benefit of civilization. As a whole the title track doesn’t really pull any punches, it’s all just straight forward. The first line of the chorus is “Never too late to embrace changes for people who want to be in the world”, it’s very direct about that message. I’d have to say if I was going to be remembered for one track it would be that one for sure.
Steve: Awesome so I guess that leads me into my next question where by is that where you draw your inspiration from, for people to move forward and live better?
Riley: Yeah there are just a lot of conflicting ideologies out there, in some cases this opposing views and conflict are important for the development of growth but in other cases it can be a tool for control and I think it’s important to acknowledge that you know those outdated ideologies and move forward collectively.
Steve: Sure so what are you guys looking forward to the most when you hit our fine shores shortly?
Riley: Oh man that’s a loaded question, I know Michael Stancel (guitarist) really wants a koala picture (laughs) but for me personally it’s always super exciting to go somewhere that we’ve never played before. I mean there are fans that have been fans long before I was even in the band so it’s always cool seeing their reaction in a live setting. That is what I am most excited for getting to meet and perform for the fans.
Steve: Sure and getting to play somewhere new because I believe it’s your first time in Australia?
Riley: Yeah breaking into a new market is always a fun time and it sure is our first time down under.
Steve: Great so in terms of working with producers or other musicians is there anyone who you’d still really like to work with?
Riley: Yeah I mean working with Dave Otero is always a joy, he always makes our albums sound so big and live and I always look forward to working with him. As for artists we have toured and built a real bond with, the guys from Ne Obliviscaris it’s always great to see them.
Steve: For sure they are also a fine export of ours so it’s a large tick in that box (laugh).
Riley: Oh for sure absolutely! (laughs).
Steve: So what is the best and worst part about touring for you besides missing your family and loved ones?
Riley: For me it’s being in a new place like Australia and meeting the fans that have been with us for such a long time and seeing them in a live setting and the worst part is sleeping and eating, usually both areas leave something to be desired for sure
Steve: So in other words you are missing your bed and a good home cooked meal?
Riley: Yeah generally the European market treats you pretty well, the accommodation is a little better then in the States but yeah, nothing like my bed and kitchen (laughs).
Steve: Nice so in terms of music that you’ve been listening to is there anything that has been ticking the boxes for you that people should be checking out?
Riley: Yeah definitely the new and first Equipoise album is super super good. It was written by and large by this guy Nick Padovani who has done work with another band called Virulent Gravity on the Artisan Era label along with Hugo Doyon Karout, the current bass player from Beyond Creation and Chason Westmoreland plays drums on the album and I know for a fact that Stevie Boiser from Inferi did the vocals on the album and Sanjay Kumar did a lot of the guitar work. In any case it’s a super stacked lineup, the music definitely speaks for itself, super powerful tech death. It’s the debut album but is already picking up a lot of speed, it’s called “Demiurgus”.
Steve: Yeah now that you mention it has been blowing up my playlist on Spotify, it definitely benefits with a strong stereo system or a good set of headphones.
Riley: For sure it’s monstrous!
Steve: Well thank you so much for you time this morning and I’ll see you guys very soon in Brisbane!
Riley: Absolutely, thanks for calling me man. Take care, cheers!
TOUR DATES
Thursday, May 9: Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide – Lic/AA
Friday, May 10: 170 Russell, Melbourne
Saturday, May 11: Manning Bar, Sydney
Sunday, May 12: The Triffid, Brisbane
Pre-sale Tickets onsale now from patreon.com/neobliviscaris
General onsale Thursday, Dec 6 @ 9.00am
neobliviscaris.com.au
