Deathcore Archives - Haulix Daily

A brief look at the band’s currently leading the alternative and underground music realms might lead one to believe that heavier music has lost its edge, or at least its public appeal. Sales are down, which is admittedly true for every area of the industry, but unless you’re tuned in to certain niche heavy arenas there have been few, if any, ‘breakout’ acts in the last two or three years. Some might even say hope seems lost, but those people are idiots. Heavy music is alive and well, if you know where to look, and even the extreme corners of the industry have innovative young artists who are working day and night to keep their scene alive.

Enterprise Earth, who were the third band to be announced as part of the still young Stay Sick Recordings, have quickly risen through the ranks of the heavy music underground with well refined, yet incredibly chaotic take on deathcore that is sure to leave your ears feeling as if they have been pummeled by a heard of panicked elephants in the best possible way. The band’s label debut arrived back in December, and since its release acclaim for the band has only continued to grow. We’ve even had the record in regular rotation here at our new office, much to the dismay of the very kind bankers with whom we share a glass wall, and there doesn’t appear to be another album quite like it due out anytime in the near future.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with the BJ Sampson, guitarist for Enterprise Earth, about the record, its reception, and their plans for the rest of 2016. You can read highlight from our conversation below. Afterwards, make the best decision of your month and pick up a copy of the band’s label debut, Patient 0, from your favorite online retailer.

Haulix: Hello! Before we dive in too far please take a moment and introduce yourself, as well as your role within Enterprise Earth…

EE: BJ Sampson, Guitar

H: Thank you for taking the time to chat with me. Roughly two months have passed since your Stay Sick debut, Patient 0, was released. How has the initial wave of reaction and criticism been so far?

EE: It’s been well received. We could’nt be any happier with the fan and industry reaction. We started out with devoted fans and continue to acquire new and equally devoted fans daily. That alone keeps us driven and passionate.

H: Are you someone who reads reviews and the like, or do you try to steer clear of the press and their critiques?

EE: Reviews are ok but its just one persons opinion. Personally, I’m not swayed by the opinions of others. I make my own thoughts.

H: Did you keep busy during the holidays, or did you guys take the end of the year off? I know a lot of artists lay low during those last two weeks because there is not a lot going on in the industry.

EE: We did not take time off. We released Patient 0 in the midst of holidays. There is no “time off” in our eyes. Work. We have time for that around the clock and calendar.

H: I see you have a string of tour dates set for January that keep you on the western half of the United States. Do you have plans to come further East in the months ahead? Please tell us whatever you can about your future touring efforts.

EE: We did a small west coast run with our friends in Traitors. We have plans to be out on the road from March 31st to May 28th. Keep an eye out for date announcements. In addidtion, we will be appearing at “Extreme Thing” in Las Vegas April 2nd as well as “Texas Independence Fest” April 9th.

H: Most people know that your label, Stay Sick Records, was founded by Fronz from Attila. How did you initially connect with him, and what was it about Stay Sick that attracted your band?

EE: Our initial connection was our move first. We reached out to them and the relationship was born.

Stay Sick has a group of individuals working hard behind the scenes that have a track record that is unmatched. It was a “no-brainer” to join forces with people who have equal drive and motivation to succeed.

H: Some have argued that hardworking bands do not need the assistance of a record label anymore, but we have found a lot of people who think like that are not in bands themselves. Can you shed some light on the necessity of a label, or how labels help artists such as yourself?

EE: The misconception is that when you get signed “you’ve made it” and the label does all the work for you. This is false. Being signed means that you have to work even harder. Spend more time with development. Image (art) sound, ect. Blossoming and growing continually in all aspects. Sure, bands can DIY easier and easier these days. However, not many do it well! If you’re in a band that is killing it DIY. CONGRATS!!!

H: There was a time about 6-8 years ago when deathcore and grindcore acts like yours were getting quite a bit of attention from the alternative realm as a whole, but once Ferret Records went under so did a lot of the critical and cultural hype for the heavier side of music. How would you describe the state of the death metal community in 2016?

EE: Its coming around full circle. What you heard and loved back in 2006-2008, prepare to hear and love again, but better. We believe 2016 will be the year that deathcore returns and in a smashing fashion!

H: Let’s turn to your music. What were the main influences, both musical and not, that inspired the material on Patient 0?

EE: Lyrically it was inspired by horror films. We love a good horror movie. Our lyrics are stories told as if describing a movie. They also have some underlying personal life connections for Dan as well. Instrumentally I cant say it was influenced by anything really, I starred at two screenshots of “The Evil Within” while I wrote. That was my inspiration.

H: Did you have any goals for the record? If so, do you feel you have you fulfilled them, or are on your way to doing so?

EE: The goal was to be dark and heavy. We wrote based off of gut feelings so the riffs werent locked into one specific sound. I wanted to keep it open like that so if we wanted a slam or a blast or a death metal feel we could do that with out being locked in completely to one “sub genre” of metal. We will continue to use this approach going forward.

H: I know I have used a few terms to describe your music, but how do you explain your sound to someone who is unfamiliar with your work?

EE: We just ask “do you like metal?” if they answer yes we just say “go check us out”. This is the one time sub genres act as repelant, JUST LISTEN TO IT. If you enjoy it, perfect. If you dont like it, right on.

H: You’ve been a band for just under two years at this point, but you’ve already dropped two releases on the metal community. To what do you attribute your relentless work ethic?

EE: It’s funny because we dont feel like we did anything special with the time frame. Isnt that what you’re supposed to do? Bands should be writing and touring non stop. It doesnt take much time at all to be forgotten in the day and age where 5 new bands pop up a month looking to push through to the top

H: If someone hears Patient 0 and decides your style of music is what they have been missing all their lives, what albums should they listen to next?

EE: They may enjoy Oceano, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, Fallujah, Lorna Shore, Rivers of Nihil, A Night In Texas, ect

H: If all goes as planned, what do you hope to accomplish as a band by the end of 2016?

EE: Exposure. We just want to go out and play for as many people as possible and meet every single one of them in person. That’s what it’s all about. Having a good time doing what we all love!

H: That is all the questions I have right now. Before I let you go, is there anything you would like to say or plug?

EE: NEW MUSIC COMING SOON

Pick yourself up something REAL NICE over at our store 😉

http://enterpriseearth.merchnow.com/

or a skate deck here:

http://realtalkskateboards.com/collections/skate-decks/products/enterprise-earth-skate-deck

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

Working in music has provided me with a lot of opportunities to speak with young people about their experiences with music. If you ever get the chance to do this, be it with a sibling or someone else, I highly recommend doing it. Young adults who are still amazed at the fact there is music beyond what their parents enjoy and whatever is currently hot at radio are amongst the most dedicated music fans on the planet. They consume everything, old and new, simply because they want to know what else exists. Some stuff they enjoy, and thanks to the age of streaming they can burn through most artists’ discographies the same day they discover them if they so desire, but the vast majority of material is in one ear and lost in space. It becomes the kind of thing they tell their friends they’ve heard so they don’t risk sounding uncool at the next big party, but in reality they only know that one song someone shared on Twitter that one time. Their video was probably cool.

Anyways, what I love about conversations with young music fans is their willingness to spin practically anything at least once. They don’t put much weight in names or genres, at least not at first, and I believe that allows them to enjoy music in a way far more pure than our consumption as jaded adults. We hear a name, or a genre, or even a track title, and we make judgments. We think, “Oh, this is going to be another one of these artists/bands,” and immediately draw some conclusion. It sucks, and it’s something that is incredibly hard to find a way around. In fact, I don’t have a solution. At 28, my plan is to simply say yes to everything I am able and experience whatever comes my way. Sometimes that results in epic post-rock amateurs doing their best to spin new versions out of ideas everyone who has ever heard Explosions In The Sky could recognize, other times that means experiencing some truly, truly terrible souther hip-hop. It’s a roll of the dice every time, but it’s always an experience that gives me a good story.

A band with a name like Fit For An Autopsy is probably not one you would expect to see accompanying a headline like ‘Monday Motivation,’ but if that is the case then you’ve been several under-appreciating the world of modern metal. For the better part of a decade Fit For An Autopsy have been finding unique ways to express themselves through the heaviest and most aggressive music this side of Sweden’s black metal scene. Critics writing about their music often use descriptive phrases like ’skull-crushingly heavy’ or ‘relentlessly brutal,’ but that doesn’t really do the band and their art justice. That isn’t to say such phrases are untrue, because they often fit the sound of a FFAA release to a ’T,’ but it’s the way the band delivers their take on heavy music that makes their art something everyone should find time to consume.

Without naming any band or artist specifically, there are many in the world of music today who are getting by on having just enough talent to write a good hook or create a catchy riff. Their music is fine, but after one or two releases it becomes clear they are pretty much creating the same sound over and over with only slight variation. It’s as if they believe changing things too much will scare fans and their money away, which is the one thing they fear more than anything else. Creative freedom be damned! As long as people keep asking for the band or artist to be one thing they will never attempt to be anything more because they have no desire to evolve in the first place. The fact they made it big in the first place is a miracle, and they will ride the idea that first made them popular until long after album sales have taken a nosedive.

I don’t hate artists like those described above. In fact, there are many I enjoy precisely because they can be relied upon to create solid albums every time they enter the studio, but I never look to those acts to create records that will forever stand the test of time. In order to create that kind of release an artist or group must challenge themselves, as well as their listeners, by taking bold and unexpected chances with their music. They must throw caution to the wind and see what happens when they attempt to do something other than whatever has been working for them up to that point. It’s the kind of thing that only happens when someone or some group put their careers on the line for the sake of creative expression, and even then there is no guarantee the final results will work in their favor. They rarely do, if we’re being completely honest, but for those who pull it off their is an ever-increasingly window of opportunity for growth and continued success that few ever experience.

Fit For An Autopsy could easily be a band that created the same good, but never truly great album for their entire career and they would have likely found a way to make things work for at least as long as they have now, if not longer. Fortunately for everyone in the world of metal that is not the kind of band they want to be, and with the release of their new album they have final taken the steps and risks necessary to produce something really special. Absolute Hope, Absolute Hell is a thrilling release that captures the brute strength and unabashed sincerity of Fit For An Autopsy’s music in a way no prior creation of theirs has ever been able to covey. It’s proof that being true to yourself and doing what feels right for you is the smart play when forced to choose between creative integrity and financial success. While money may be nice in the short term, there is no feeling worse than knowing you could be doing something better than you are if only you had the gull to make a change. Fit For An Autopsy have no desire to live with regret, so they poured their all into Absolute Hope, Absolute Hell and everyone who hears the album will be better off as a result.

If you’re reading this today thinking there is no way in (absolute) hell you could find inspiration in metal, let me be the first to tell you that you are wrong. Like any style music performed well, great metal has an ability to instill a sense of confidence in its consumer that is possessed by no other medium. It’s as if knowing that the music you’re hearing is what the artist wanted to convey somehow makes it okay for us to do whatever it is we believe is needed in our own lives. I don’t know why life works that way, but it does and I am forever thankful. I am also thankful for Fit For An Autopsy, because it is their latest album that has given me the strength to do what is needed in my own life as of late. I can be a better me because they are working to be a better them, and I think anyone who experiences their new album will feel the same.

This week – be bold. Take risks you have been avoiding for days, weeks, or months and do that thing you know you should. Also, buy the new Fit For An Autopsy album. It’s really good.

James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.