Colpocleisis Interview 2024

Beyond stoked to have had the pleasure to ask the dudes in Colpocleisis a few questions!  Read on to learn more about the band's history and future!!!

1. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions! Let's start with who we are talking to. What is your name and role in Colpocleisis?

JB: I’m Jon. I’ve been the singer of the band since 2018. 

JM: I’m Joe. I’ve played bass for Colpo since 2016 

2. Could you share the history of the band? How it started, if members have switched up much?

Joe - the band started around 2014 originally as a 3 piece with Ste, Marc Mullin and Karl Scahill.

 I came on later originally to play bass for the debut album Fallopian Fallout but decided to stay on board. A few years later both Karl and Marc had decided to leave the band for personal reasons with Karl now playing in Coprocephalic Mutation amongst others. The initial direction for the band was a blend of old school slam bands such as Devourment, Cephalotripsy and Cerebral Incubation but the sound has evolved over time with the addition of Jon on vocals and Lewis on drums. 

3. I think I was late to the game finding your music, but I am in love with it! Colpo has been around for 10 years now correct?  

JB: Yeah! A decade strong. I’d not noticed the milestone. There’s been a few changes but we’ve had the same lineup since Lewis and myself joined in 2018. 

Maybe next year, we’ll find a way to mark a decade since the 2015 Demo came out. 

4. Elegant Degradation is my favorite album of yours, but maybe just because it is what I heard first.  It's not hugely different from your first record, Fallopian Fallout, song-structure wise. What I mean is, you guys are consistent with quality writing and production. What is your writing process like and then also what goes into the recording and production of everything? 

Fallopian Fallout was entirely written by Ste and Karl focussing on caveman brutality in the riffage. Production was handled lately in house with Karl recording and mixing much of the album.  Karl and Marc were both involved in some of the writing for tracks that appeared on the Human Dignity Violated EP also.

Elegant Degradation was different in that I led quite heavily on the writing before and during the pandemic with a lot of remote collaboration work with the other members.  Myself and Ste would meet when permitted by restrictions to work through ideas and structures.  Over time the songs fleshed out with Jon and Lewis adding their own character to the songs. We also focussed heavily on themes and running order to make the album sound more like an album rather than a collection of tracks. This is most noticeable in the opening and closing tracks Degrade and Decay which bookend the album with motif oriented riffs and structure. We wanted to increase the atmosphere and intensity of the 2nd album but still keep it aggressive and over time have finely tuned out sound in the studio to match our sound on stage. 

5. Also seems like you started with Inherited Suffering, then joined the ranks of RealityFade? For those of us with no idea, how does this sort of thing work, signing to a distribution label?

JB: I can’t speak on how the Inherited Suffering deal came together as it was before my time, but I know a deal to release one album was signed. The debut, Fallopian Fallout came out in 2017. 

We recorded some new songs in 2019 to showcase the then new lineup. These songs were released as singles to generate some buzz and put us in the shop window to labels. 

After going through a few offers, we decided to work with Reality Fade. RF bundled our 3 singles together as the Human Dignity Violated EP in 2020 and then after a long delay caused by COVID we eventually got album 2, ‘Elegant Degradation’ out in 2023. 

As of right now, we’re free agents again so we need to talk to labels and see who is a good fit to release our future material. 

6. I've looked up the word, but I'll let you share. How did the name Colpocleisis come about? Was this always the name?

Joe - Yeah the name was there from the beginning and was used for the shock factor when people googled the name. Much of the medical world has been used in brutal music titles and names but this was untouched and lent itself to the aggressive nature of the music the band intended on making. 

7. You guys seem to have creatively funny song titles, and some lyrics to match. Do you all write these together? How do the ideas for songs form?

JB: As far as lyrics and song titles go, that’s normally from silly ideas we throw around in the group chat. We have been introducing some darker themes and ideas recently and using less puns though! 

Corpocleisis was born from an in-joke about our corporate jobs away from the band. Third Degree Gurns was based on a story about a mate of the bands on a lot of drugs. 

I think the best origin story for a song is with #ProlapsoVaginal as this relates directly to the band. As Joe detailed above, the band name is a form of surgery and we kept getting tagged by South American doctors promoting their surgery successes. We saw how funny the Spanish to English translation of the captions were and decided to make a song just using these captions for lyrics. 

The songwriting is a mix of individual writing (Joe and Ste primarily), collaborating on riff ideas together and loose jamming whenever we’re all in the same room. 

The last album was written over a longer period and in many different ways because of the pandemic. After finishing a run of shows with a February 2020 appearance in Moscow, we were set to begin the writing process for the album. Of course in March 2020, the pandemic shut the entire world down and derailed any plans. 

With our practice space shut, and the band spread across the country, it was impossible to get in a room and jam like normal. So a lot of that album was written by Ste and Joe with ideas discussed over weekly Zoom calls and sharing ideas on GuitarPro. All of the songs then came to life once we got together and Lewis put his drums over them. 

Flagellating and Six Feet Chunder were the last two songs finished and by that point we were all back together and jamming in the room again. 

8. I love the artwork for both full-lengths! Who did it? Any stories behind the art?

Joe - The debut was intended to be a mix of the band names theme (hence Fallopian) and the video game Fallout (which influenced the artwork). The word Colpocleisis being a surgical procedure to fix a vaginal prolapse. Fallout took on the meaning of both the procedure and video game. Rudi Gorging Suicide was responsible for that one

Elegant Degradation was a different approach. We found an unknown artist in Daniel Francisco through some internet searching. He'd not worked with any bands before and just had a great style that was super grimy and dark. We contacted him and gave him some demos to listen to, discussed the concept of Elegant Degradation, dehumanisation and  such and told him to go wild with creativity. 

I personally went down an academic rabbit hole reading journal articles on the psychological aspects of degradation, humiliation and similar topics. This first appeared in the Human Dignity Violated EP which was actually the title of an article that I read which inspired the themes. It was a conscious decision by the member to keep exploring these themes to add a deeper and dark experience to the music rather than standard fictional gore and famous murderer type stuff.

9. Anything new in the works currently? Please??

We’ve got 4 songs recorded and ready to go. Still undecided on how we will release, but it’s looking like a new EP for 2025. 

Beyond that, writing is underway on the next batch of songs for what will be Album 3. Hopefully we can pull this one together a little quicker and easier. 

10. What is your take on the current state of BDM/Slam?

Joe - There are a lot of insanely talented bands coming out now, especially on the US west coast. The younger generation of bands are delivering Huge quality brutal music which is great to see. The scene can seem a little over saturated at times and to be honest it does occasionally feel like it's ran by merch companies rather than record labels supporting artists.  Dig through bandcamp and you can find some gems. Our mates in 357 Homicide, Coprocephalic Mutation and Vulgar Dissection are making waves in the UK right now. 

11. Can you name 3 bands that you take influence from?

JB: Slam and brutal death metal is the core of our sound, so in terms of direct influence it’s hard to not say Devourment, Cephalotripsy and Cerebral Incubation. 

There’s a lot of influence from of course the likes of Internal Bleeding, Dying Fetus and Suffocation. 

More and more outside influence has been creeping in though as we look to create our own unique sound in such a crowded scene. Things have got more chaotic and noisier with more fx and samples. Plus we’re pushing the tempos up as much as Lewis can handle 

12. The UK Slam scene seems CRAZY right now! Can you name a few upcoming bands from your area that we should check out?

Joe - Beyond the bands I mentioned earlier I'd definitely recommend Hacked Up, Ovulating Cadaver, Vast Slug, Exhumation, the list could go on. 

13. What is something about you that fans of your music would be surprised to learn?

Joe - were largely open people so it's hard to think of anything surprising. Jon is massive into fitness which is quite evident because he is massive. I have a master's degree in musicology which is why I'm such a nerd. Ste and Lew are big into their video games. Lewis is forging himself a career as a session drummer if any bands are in need. 

JB: As brutal as our music is, we all have wide and diverse tastes away from the band. Everything from goregrind to black metal, nu-metal to metalcore, prog and classic rock etc etc but most of that wouldn’t be obvious to the listener. 

Joe loves everything from Primus to Cephalic Carnage to Don Broco. Lewis is well known for his love affair with Megadeth and lifelong feud with Lars and recent obsession with Ja Rule. Ste is big into nu-metal and bands like Fear Factory and Rammstein as well as electronic music. I’m into all sorts from brutal death and grindcore to hip-hop. 

Thanks again for pumping out consistent caveman slams and all around sick music!

14. Anything at all you would like to say to our readers?

Joe - cheers for the support, keep moving forward, stay active in the pit and support your local scene 

Links:

YOUTUBE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

BANDCAMP

SPOTIFY

APPLE

TIDAL

X

TIKTOK

REALITYFADE

RUDI GORGINGSUICIDE

DANIEL FRANCISCO ART

Mental Disorder Review/Interview 2024

Mental Disorder are a young two-piece Slamming brutal death band from Nagoya, Japan.  They have an E.P. and a Full-length under their belt, and hopefully more soon!

This is the kind of bare-bone, stripped-down Slam that I love.  S.L.A.M.O.D.- The bands debut full-length, was released in 2023 via Coyote Records, and it has just enough unique, original weirdness to stand out and leave you wanting more!  From looking around online, it seems the boys in Mental Disorder have recieved mixed reviews so far, but I think with more ears on them, they are only going up.

I was able to ask a few questions to the band, check it out below:

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions!!

What is your name?  What do you do in the band?

I'm Shoki, guitarist, vocalist, and composer.

Bassist and vocalist is Tatsuhiro.

How old are you guys?

We're both 24 years old.

What are your guys' main jobs?

We are ordinary company employees.

How did Mental Disorder begin?  

We have been classmates since high school, and at the time we were in a cover band of anime songs. After graduation, we still wanted to be in a band, and our desire to be in a SBDM band,

which we loved, matched and we formed a band again.

We can hear influence from many classic Slam bands of course (Cephalotripsy, Cerebral Incubation, Gorevent, Medic Vomiting Pus) but who are some bands that influence you that we may be surprised by?

Of course those bands have had a great influence on us. My other musical influences are mainly bit music, anime songs, and disco.

Is Mental Disorder signed to Coyote Records?  How did that come together?

We contacted Coyote Records. Coyote Records recognized our music and we readily agreed to work with them.

Coyote Records. -

"In the land of the Rising sun, seismic activity and cherry blossoms, a young and talented duo MENTAL DISORDER appeared, who immediately took the bull by the horns and began to chop up a true true-slam brutal with giant torn pieces! This release is intended for true connoisseurs of slamming brutality! That very original and absolutely not disfigured by commerce slamming brutal death metal in the vein of GOREVENT, CEREBRAL INCUBATION,CEPHALOTRIPSY and other heroes of a truly underground slam! The debut album, titled "S.L.A.M.O.D", is released on COYOTE RECORDS on 09/25/2023."

"S.L.A.M.O.D." (Slam Overdose) is infectiously groovy.  What is the writing process like for you guys?

Thank you so much. Our process is a fun, groovy and pleasant SLAM. 

They say music is freedom, but I think there is an unspoken agreement. But I'm wondering; is SLAM is real freedom?

So our music is based on SLAM and incorporates elements of genreless music.

Who did the artwork for the album?

It's aziz blcxstry.

How did you guys get into this kind of music?  What are some of your other passions?

Because Tatsuhiro, the bass vocalist, originally liked SLAM and I was influenced by it. I didn't like listening to it at first, but before I knew it, I loved SLAM! Our other passion is listening to SLAM anyway and sparingly listening to other music as well.

What are a few upcoming Japanese bands we should watch for?

It's "Hostile Eyes". Guitarist and vocalist SHOKI has been a member of this band since 2024! I urge you to check it out.

Is more music coming soon?

I have a few songs in stock, but will finish them once I get settled.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions!

 Thank you too!

Thanks for listening to our music! We hope you enjoy our upcoming shows and new songs!

S.L.A.M.O.D. ALBUM STREAM

MD YOUTUBE

SPOTIFY

APPLE MUSIC

INSTAGRAM

COYOTE RECORDS

Nauseating - Subjected To Rot - 2024 - Vile Tapes Records

Art by BLCKSTRY Art

 This 20 minute slab of skull-bashing slam was just released on Vile Tapes Records, a quickly rising label out of Russia.

"Subjected To Rot" opens with a haunting, cold, hip-hop esque beat/feel.  Then drops right into a mid-paced slam that sets the tone for the rest of the EP; a near perfect tone for whats going on with the instruments and the sheer barbarity that ensues.  Then the vocals begin.  Dear god the vocals.  This release may have the nastiest and lowest inhuman gutturals in a long time, surely out-doing anything yet this year.  To think, I haven't even mentioned the all-star roster of vocalists with features!  You will hear grunts and gurgles from D of PeelingFlesh, Andrew of Cerebral Incubation, and perhaps a newer voice to some of you, Rodger Fischer, also-known-as MC Cumblood, who specializes in Death metal/Gore Rap.  MC Cumblood and MC Bushpig make up Butcher's Harem, a Goregrind/Horrorcore/Rap group from Australia.  

If "Subjected To Rot" had zero guest features, it would still have some of slam's most disgusting vocals.  Ivan Tyulkin (Nauseating, Insect Inside) is raising the bar for extreme gutturals recently.  

Insect Inside has shared a couple videos of him recording vocals that showed just how low he can go.  This is already a couple of years old.

See a recent video of Ivan recording some vocals for "Subjected To Rot" HERE!

The 2nd track, "Dissect Vaginal Skin" is immediately catchy.  Warm, thick guitar and bass tones meet precise drumming and more insane vocals as the song wraps-up with one my favorite, Andrew from Cerebral Incubation.

Intestinal Disemboweling contains the tastiest slams yet, then grinds to an amazing halt, just to rebuild on itself and bash your brains in.  Then of course Damonteal of Peeling Flesh shows up to help on Incubation of Dismembered Bodies, with a crazy heavy section of skull slamming, pinch harmonics, groovy drums, etc.

The title track, "Subjected To Rot" is where MC Cumblood makes his grand entrance.  With the undeniable heaviness that precedes this track, his gore-growly rap style seems to fit.  It's new to me, and I am not AGAINST mixing rap into slam, as the similarities are there, but its the death growl approach to it that may grow old.  At any rate, it works here and isn't overdone.

The EP takes you on a ride, but it's really the perfect length.  Just when it starts to veer off, "Deformed Fragments" brings it all together for a nice, in-your-face, slam package of under 20 minutes.

This is really a must have release and you should purchase it on CD, Cassette Tape, Shirts, Patches, ETC...  HERE

Helse Interview - 2024

CAN YOU START BY STATING YOUR NAME AND YOUR ROLE IN THE BAND?

Caden: Vocalist, Original Guitarist, and Artist
Johnathan: Bassist, and Guitarist

HOW DID THE BAND START?

Caden: Both me and Johnathan always wanted to make music, we had a few attempts in the last few years, but Helse is the first to ever really come to be.

WHERE DID THE NAME "HELSE" COME FROM?

Johnathan: Honestly it's stupid, I would just translate a bunch of words into different languages and hoped something cool would come out of that and eventually I got Helse. It means poor/ill health and hellish in dutch, which just fit.
Caden: We really didn't wanna have a super generic name, so when Johnathan came to me with Helse, I knew it was perfect. Sick and short.

IT FEELS LIKE THERE IS A HANDFUL OF SLAM/BDM ACTS POPPING UP OUT OF COLORADO RIGHT NOW!  WHAT OTHER BANDS SHOULD WE BE WATCHING FOR?

Caden: Definitely our homies Epileptic Avulsions, they're dope and have got some new music soon. Stricturotomy is some crazy one man slam with that old school sound,  our homies in Rampant Defenestration are workin on some new music right now too, and we're gonna have a part on their new EP too. Primitive Punishment is another dope one man band, the list just goes on. Fetal Embalment, Crypts of Golgotha, Aleister Cowboy, Monumental Discharge, Divine Excruciation, Harvested, Bloodcurdling, keep an eye out. Colorado Death metal is really having a moment right now.

CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE ON SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES? MUSICAL OR OTHER

Caden: Devourment has always been a huge inspiration, but thats an obvious one. Peelingflesh really showed us that you can really come from nothing in this scene though, I remember when they were way smaller than what they are now. All of the OG slam bands were what mostly influenced our sound though, Inhuman Dissiliency, Digested Flesh, Cephalotripsy, Cerebral Incubation, Infertile Surrogacy, Gorevent, all of them.
Johnathan: I love a lot of punk and death metal. Social distortion, Death, Cattle Decapitation, Impetigo, Impaled Nazarene, Devourment n such.

LET'S TALK LOGO AND ARTWORK.  HOW'D YOU COME UP WITH THEM/ WHO IS THE ARTIST?

Caden: I do all of our art. I've always loved the sorta raw look of older slam projects and really wanted to give off that same thing with Helse. I love all the old ugly 3D slam logos and hand drawn art, and you gotta have the gross grimey feel all together.

SO FAR ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY WITH HOW THE EP CAME OUT AND PEOPLES REACTIONS TO IT?

Caden: Yeah man, I'm so happy with it. I'm really glad to see our work paying off and honestly just glad to have finally made something.
Johnathan: Definitely, I wasn't expecting it to be as popular as it is so quickly and I'm glad other people are enjoying it. There were a lot of funny and enjoyable moments while recording and I'm just hoping we can continue to go futher with it.

HOW OLD ARE YOU?  BEEN IN ANY BANDS PREVIOUS TO THIS ONE?

Caden: I'm 18 and this is my first ever real project. I've worked with some other online bands, but never to the extent of what Helse is.
Johnathan: I'm 16 and Helse popped my band Cherry 

ANY PLANS FOR PLAYING SHOWS IN THE FUTURE?

Johnathan: Definitely hoping we can get something lined up soon, playing shows is one of our biggest goals at the moment.
Caden: We've got a new guitarist coming in to fill in for shows, so it won't be long before we start!!

ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO OUR READERS OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SAY AT ALL?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FUCKIN WIT US!!!!!! WE'RE GONNA WORK ON NEW MUSIC SOON!!! 

Listen the entire EP HERE

Check out a review of the EP HERE

Foul Deformity - Disgust - 2024 - Inspired by a series of horrific real life events.

It was so refreshing to stumble onto this Brutal Death Metal group out of Las Vegas!  A three piece who describe their sound as a sonic force with elements from Old School Death Metal, Grindcore, Slamming Brutal Death Metal, Black Metal, Groove, and a hint of Jazz!  What a mouthful!  After multiple listens, I do think "Disgust" proves them correct!  

"Disgust" is only an EP, and is already guaranteed to end up in my best-of-the-year list for 2024. This will be hard to top.

The production on this, first of all, is just perfect.  Everything perfectly sitting in its own pocket in the mix.  Every instrument it still raw yet feels in your face with its own patterns and intricacies.  The vocals are some of my favorite I've ever heard; a blend of styles and techniques that may be hard to pick up on at first, but the subtlety IS master precision. The songwriting throughout is incredible, with many catchy parts and tempo changes.  The instruments, vocals included, seem to play off of each other for an amazing onslaught of creative brutality that keeps you guessing.

Alex Udar is in charge of percussion, and goes crazy with so many fills and techniques.  He grew up in Romania and started playing drums in 2009.  He has banged the drums for Sinful Serpent, Abominable Putridity, Submerged, to name a few.

On Guitar and Bass we have Bruno Macias, playing guitar since 2004 in bands like Guttural Secrete, Cerebral Incubation, and Abominable Putridity.  Also must be a fan of a lot of different styles to be writing and playing like this!

Last but not least we have these crazy fucking vocals!  Grunts and gurgles and predators all sound amazing on each track!  Nick Papageorgio has almost 20 years at working on his craft, and it shows.  The delicate enunciation while still keeping it so guttural can be witnessed when following along with the lyrics.  Check out lyric video for "(Null) Ubiquitous" below.  It features Jeremiah Jensen (Guttural Secrete).  I can't tell if the whole track is him or not, but it is still a prime example of the quality of talent on this release.

Speaking of lyrics, holy shit.  I love how dark yet beautifully written these are.  Feels like a radio-active spawning of a disgusting new life.  Extremely descriptive and gross and actually enunciated rather well throughout.  The cover art, which seems to be a hideous collage, compliments the music and the soundscapes/samples nicely.

I also have to give it up to the producer and mixer/masterer working behind the board here.  I can't find much about them, but damn this is nice.

Recorded by Randall James Thompson

Mastered by Rylie Ellen Wechta

With just 2 demos coming before this, I cannot wait for more from this 4 year old beast of a band!!!!

Check out all releases from Foul Deformity HERE

Cerebral Incubation - Fermented Cranial Inebriating Fluids - EP 2021

 

It’s been awhile since Cerebral Incubation blessed us with some self-proclaimed “OG Caveman slam”.  While the term always seemed to fit, it is really driven home on this 13 minute, 5 song EP. Complete with a music video that features a caveman-esque bigfoot drinking, dancing, and taking shrooms with the whole band before slaughtering them all and drunkenly stumbling back into the woods. 

WATCH VIDEO HERE

Said video is for "Fermented Cranial Inebriating Fluids," the the title-track of the EP, which also features Angel Ochoa (Cephalotripsy, older Condemned) with some crazy guest vocals. The end of the song has vocalist Andrew Lomastro AND Angel Ochoa grunting and gurgling simultaneously for a disgusting dual-onslaught of the most brutal sort. 

Released via Fat Tub Of Lard / Brutal Mind

Cerebral Incubation have always been mixed heaviness, groove, and tight musicianship with a dark humor that fits just right.  From the artwork of their projects, the samples in the tracks, the song titles, right down to the font they choose on the covers.  It all makes me giggle, while still being incredibly groovy.

The question remains, are they working on more for us?!  One can dream......

Cerebral Incubation - Gonorrhea Nodule Mastication - 2012 Sevared Records

I had no idea gonorrhea came in the form of a nodule. If I had known, I'm sure the first thing to come to mind would have been to start chewing.  I guess if you take that disgusting image and try to imagine an equally repulsive sound to accompany it, you may hear something close to this album.
"Gonorrhea Nodule Mastication" is the second release from Las Vegas quintet Cerebral Incubation.  It is even better than 2009s "Asphyxiating On Excrement", a well received, twenty minutes chunk of self proclaimed "Caveman Slam".

'Caveman Slam' isn't a bad description of the stylings of brutal death metal executed by Cerebral Incubation.  You are not going to hear technical guitar riffs and for the most part, you are not going to hear a change in tempo.  Just straight forward skull bashing.  The silver lining of these simple slams, however, are what make this record so catchy.  The perfectly timed and tuned snare blasts and the downright disgusting vocals are the perfect layers on top of the wall of static guitar.
Think Cephalotripsy slams and a similar vocal style only more squeals, meets a dumbed down Engorgement.
Compared to the band's last full length, the drums, provided by Ricky Nunez, are much tighter and more precise this time around.  There is excellent use of the pinch harmonics; brilliantly placed to punctuate through the wall of repeated guitar riffs.  And oh, those riffs.  Mark Candelas' guitar parts blend together and are recorded to sound like warm, comforting static.  For the most part the simple bass, played by Ben Martinez, cruises along nicely with the guitar, providing a nice warm low end.

By now I hope these kinds of vocals (toilet, frog, sewer, or just gutturals) are being accepted as an awesome thing by more people.  When vocals are this low, they truly do sound guttural.  It becomes easy to forget that this vocalist, Andrew LoMastro, is human and not just a weird instrument.  He also goes smoothly from his ultra lows to his pig squeals.  If you're anything like me and cringe at the mention of pig squeals, don't worry, they are done quite tastefully here.  They are used similarly to the aforementioned pinch harmonics.  Take the outro of "Alcoholic Encephalopathy" for example, where Andrew Lomastro's squeals actually match up with the harmonics of the guitar perfectly.
The whole record is engulfing in its warmth and groove.  If you do not like this kind of music, every song on here will sound the same.  If you do, most of these songs will sound similar, but are all prime slabs of slam after slam.  If you are a vocalist, you'll love this.  If you are a drummer, you'll love this.
If you watch Tim and Eric, you may recognize a sample.  If you are a Chris Farley fan, you may recognize a few samples.
No new ground is really broken here but as far as old school plain and simple barbaric slam goes, Cerebral Incubation have definitely put Las Vegas on the map, twice.