Depths Interview

Palmerston North based Death Metal band DEPTHS have gained notoriety on the New Zealand metal scene with their relentless touring and punishing live sets. Formed in 2010 the band wasted no time recording an EP and following up soon-after with a mimi-album ‘Resurgence’. Friday 26 September 2012 marks the release of their debut full-length ‘Revelation’ via New Zealand label Deadboy Records. Having just returned from an Australian tour with DEPTHS, frontman Josh Bain checks in with NZRock to discuss the ‘Revelation’ music videos, and where to from here…

NZRock: The production of ‘Revelation’ is even better than ‘Resurgence’, and that EP was epic anyway. Are you stoked with how ‘Revelation’ turned out?

Josh: We are absolutely amped on the new album. We really tried to push ourselves in the song writing process, experimenting with different tempos, more interesting riffs and we put a lot of time and effort into the writing and recording process. We feel this is the best thing we have ever accomplished musically and we hope everyone that hears it feels the same way.

NZRock: Ryan Harvey from Catharsis Studios in Oklahoma mixed/mastered the ‘Illumination’ single. How did you get onto using him?

Josh: We were looking into places to record the single and our friend Doni Tai from Auckland band ADVOCATES offered to record the song. He then put us onto Ryan to mix/master the track.

NZRock: Did Mark Coates do the rest of the mixing/mastering on the album, and was it a no-brainer working with him again after doing ‘Resurgence’?

Josh: After working with Mark on the EP it was the obvious choice for quality. He knows our sound and what we want. We are all wrapped with the final result.

NZRock: What tracks are you the most proud of on ‘Revelation’ and what were the trickiest to record from a technical perspective?

Josh: Our favourite tracks on the album would be ‘The Last’, ‘Illumination’, and ‘Concubine of the Beast’. The trickiest to record would probably be ‘Ire Upon the Earth’, ‘Of Soil and Brine’, and ‘Illumination’.

NZRock: You’ve got the full package as far as songwriting, production and artwork goes on ‘Revelation’. So where to from here?

Josh: Touring our butts off with the new album, writing a new full length, and more travelling overseas.

NZRock: The ‘Of Nothing’ music video you released last year has had over 25,000 views! Have you got plans to do another music video soon?

Josh: We are planning to do a live video for the first single off the album ‘Concubine of the Beast’, and we are sketching out some concepts for ‘Illumination’ video.

NZRock: Where abouts was the old abandoned house/building you recorded parts of ‘Of Nothing’ in?

The director of the video Neihana Tonkin had an abandoned house on some family land near Palmerston North. They were kind enough to let us film out there.

NZRock: Things have moved fast for you guys, you released your first EP in 2010, ‘Resurgence’ in 2011, and here you are with a full length in 2012. Does it feel like you’ve come a long way in a short amount of time?

Josh: Although it has been a short amount of time we have worked our asses off playing shows up and down the country and writing continuously. We have an idea and vision for what we want as a band, and we are so stoked that so many people have helped and supported us to get were we are.

NZRock: You guys were looking at Sumerian Records a while back. How did the band get signed to Deadboy Records?

NZRock: We were approached by Vasely from Deadboy after we played a show in Auckland late 2011, the rest is history.

NZRock: Your drummer Dylan left the band at the start of this year, how’d you find his replacement Shaun?

Josh: We have known Shaun for years through other bands, one of which includes a previous Deadboy Records artist THE DAUNTLESS. He is an amazing drummer and an awesome dude so we were stoked when he decided to join the team.

NZRock: Apart from playing on the swings, what inspires the lyrics and music that you write? I hear influences from bands like MESHUGGAH, THE ACACIA STRAIN in there…

Josh: Musically bands like MESHUGGAH and THE ACACIA STRAIN are a huge influence to our sound, but the list is endless. There are a lot more apparent influences on the new album. Lyrically the new album is a concept based on the final book of the bible ‘Revelation’. Although it’s a book from the bible we are not a Christian band, we just felt it fitted with the mood of the songs.

NZRock: How did you all end up in the same band together? Were all of you guys into the same styles of music when you started out?

Josh: We have known each other for years through different musical projects. A few of us were playing in hardcore bands and wanted to get back into playing heavier music.

NZRock: You’ve supported a ton of overseas bands like CRUEL HAND, WE CAME AS ROMANS, PSYCROPTIC, DREAM ON DREAMER, A PLEA FOR PURGING, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, NORTHLANE… what were the stand-out gigs out of all those?

Josh: The band are big fans of A PLEA FOR PURGING so it was a huge privilege to support them. We are also really looking forward to supporting BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and ANIMALS AS LEADERS in November.

NZRock: You’re in Australia for a few shows and it sounds like the band is in high demand! Do you have any plans to travel further afield anytime soon?

Josh: We are definitely planning to get back over to Australia a few times next year. We would love to get over to the US and Europe within the next few years.