With MMXIII, Ireland's Malthusian have released one of the most ghastly, horrifying metal recordings of the year. Ahead of the release of the tape via the mighty Invictus Productions Ross Mckendrick ventured forth inquiries on everything from the origins of their name, Ireland's fertile underground scene, to their future plans for recording and touring. Read on for their answers.
(((o))): The idea of Malthusian catastrophes being a catch-all term for the destruction of vast swathes of the human race via war, famine and disease is fertile material for subject matter within extreme music, and it has obviously inspired your choice of band name. In the two centuries since it's publication, the original ideas put forth byMalthus in An Essay On The Principles Of Population have been misinterpreted, co-opted, and disparaged by many.
Are the ideas put forth in the original text something that you all have a similar viewpoint of as a collective, or does it inspire debate and dissent among the ranks? How does Malthusianism, free of any modern political agenda, inform your lyrical content, if at all?
Malthusian: We are more concerned with artistic expression than presenting any sort of formal political agenda. Malthus's theory of human population being regulated through epidemic, war, natural disasters, crop failure and such struck a chord with us and gave us a starting point in terms of lyrical inspiration. That said, we have not and will not be restricting ourselves to such matters. The name simply captured the feeling that we were developing with the music, it sounded intriguing and a little bit different to the normal Death Metal band names you see everywhere. We are not interested in toeing the line or worrying about other people's notions of what a DM band should conform to.
(((o))): Coming from diverse acts such as On Pain Of Death, Altar Of Plagues, Wreck Of The Hesperus and Mourning Beloveth, what led you all to get together to create an arguably even more sickening noise than all your other bands?
Malthusian: The constant need to express ourselves through dark, unpleasant music was all the motivation we needed.
(((o))): With many underground acts these days operating outside of traditional genre structures, blurring the lines between death, black and doom metal, does not being so strictly defined keep things more interesting from a songwriting perspective?
Malthusian: The initial idea was to play Death Metal and that style forms the core of our sound. We all listen to a wide array of music so naturally Black and Doom elements crept in and we all felt that they helped to enrich the songs so it seemed ridiculous to not include them out of some sense of purity. We all have an instinctive understanding of what does and doesn't fit at this point but that is not to say that unforeseen elements won't be absorbed into our sound in future.
(((o))): Also, do you think that lack of definition helps garner more interest from people who wouldn't ordinarily discover your music? For instance, a black metal fan who can't stand death metal, but finds both elements within your sound, and as a result it opens his mind to a whole new spectrum of filth?
Malthusian: Possibly, but that is not our concern. Our mission is to write songs that make sense to us. We worked on the demo material quietly, without making a fuss over it with constant pointless messages about our movements. We simply knew what we wanted to do and worked hard to achieve that final sound. We didn't focus on any external factors, we concentrated on creating something we could stand behind and it seems to have paid off. We don't really care about converting people to anything, everyone can find their own path.
(((o))): The Irish scene is extremely fertile and quite close-knit, or at least it can appear so to those outside of the country. Do you find this to be the case? What other projects should those who may unfamiliar with Ireland's underground be checking out?
Malthusian: Actually the scene here often seems quite fractured. There are lots of micro scenes busily doing their own things without much regard for each other. There has been some bleeding of individuals between the Punk/Hardcore and Metal scenes in recent years yielding some really positive results, as well as some excellent bands playing exclusively in those separate styles. Slidhr, Rebirth of Nefast, Zom, Fuil na Seanchoille, Sodb, Tome and Nomadic Rituals are worth investigating.
(((o))): So many underground acts record a blistering demo full of potential, then disappear into obscurity. With your debut release already under your belt, is there a plan to eventually record more material, or is MMXIII a full statement of intent that requires no follow-up?
Malthusian: We recorded a fourth song while we were in the studio and we have that lined up for a split that will be announced in due course. The next move is to start working on an album and ideas for that are already beginning to come together, if only in a vague, abstract way.
(((o))): The band made its live debut alongside Gospel Of The Horns, Bölzer, Zom and Dread Sovereign in Dublin this year, and you're also playing a record release show in Dublin with the mighty Urfaust. Do you have any plans to spread the wretched message outside of Ireland?
Malthusian: We will also be playing with Bölzer and Zom in December. We have no plans to tour outside of Ireland but we are certainly open to interesting offers.
(((o))): Personally I'd love to see you on a bill with the likes of Dragged Into Sunlight or Coffinworm, but what bands would you love to share a lineup with? Feel free to be completely unrealistic.
Malthusian: Irkallian Oracle, Slidhr, Dead Congregation, Grave Miasma, Svartidaudi, Portal etc....'
Be sure to pick up a copy of MMXIII from Invictus while you can, as it's limited to 300 copies. Order it here.
