Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions! Who do we have the pleasure of speaking with?
Ungraceful is a two-man project. Jake writing and playing all instruments, Azeraté on the disgusting vocals. Am I getting that right? Any other members included in the process?
Jake: “This is Jake and I’ve sent all your questions to Azerate and will include his answers too. And yes, we’re a 2-man show. “
Speaking of process, what is the Ungraceful writing and recording process like?
Jake: “Typically, I start by setting a tempo and developing a solid riff. Once that’s recorded, I let go mentally, allowing the tempo to drive the process as I continue jamming and see where things naturally evolve. Much of the writing involves thinking, ‘What would sound best next? How do I get there?’- always trying to stay a few steps ahead.
The transitions between riffs are often more important than the riffs themselves, as I focus on hooks, building momentum and creating climactic moments. Slam is a straightforward genre, which makes it challenging to keep things interesting. Some songs have taken weeks to complete, while others come together in a single day. For example, when I wrote Schizophrenic Machete Assault, I set the tempo at 120 bpm, hit record, and the song’s structure was done in one take. Once you add drums, the creativity really starts to flow, and you often discover ways the guitar can be improved, leading to back-and-forth adjustments. It’s a long, evolving process.”
Azerate: Unfortunately, we live a distance from each other. As of now, Jake writes drums, then tracks guitar and bass, exports a demo and forwards it to me. I take time to listen and create a solid mental image before creating any phasing. In some instances I get into a trance state and usually will power through a note of words or phases in one take. As the technicality of the music progresses, with Jakes encouragement, I begin to experiment with laying techniques and variations of vocal styles.
Jake: I believe I started writing the first song for that album about a month after the release of "There Is No God Here."
It wasn’t until about a year and a half later that the full album came out, so it took quite a while. Originally, it was supposed to be another 7-song EP, like the first release. But after connecting with Azerate, we decided to write two brand-new tracks just for fun, unrelated to the EP. Those songs eventually became our 2022 single.
Alex from Inherited Suffering Records reached out after hearing the singles and wanted to plan our next release.
He suggested we combine the singles with the tracks we had planned for the EP and turn it into a full album. This meant we had to re-record the EP tracks to match the tuning and mix of the singles, and that’s how the album officially came to life.
Telekinetic DNA Removal was actually written about a week before the album’s release, and we included it to round the project out to nine songs. I knew we had something special but it was definitely still received better than I thought.
Azerate: The album was finished for sometime but revisited after we signed with Inherited Suffering. In preparation of the release, the entire album was re-recorded and sounded vastly different from its predecessor. The successor is what you all know to be “Artificial Aberrations”. Revisiting them allowed for us to refine our writing and sounds, while pushing the boundaries of our ability. I (azerate), personally feel it was underestimated; which allowed for a greater impact than either of us expected.
How did working with Reality Fade come about, and what can you tell us about your upcoming 2nd full-length? What are your fans in for?
Jake: Again, we were lucky enough to have them reach out to us. As Azerate would tell me, it was a manifestation. I was talking for some time about wanting to possibly get in with Realityfade due to their community engagement and continued support of their bands also their drip is always sick as fuck.
As for the next album, I would say there’s a bigger focus on riffs and technicality. I wanted to take all of the great aspects of Artificial Aberrations and turn it up to 11. All of our work so far has been written with the idea in mind that a good drummer could play it. I’ve basically thrown that idea out and now we’re just going full on demon mode. As of me writing this, I’d say we’re about 50% done with the album.
Azerate: After convening at the Bronx Zoo in New York city, we went to New Jersey and had our first live practice. During this time, we had just received merch from Russia and began sharing posts about the releases online. It was at this time we were contacted directly by Reality Fade.
The new music is an evolution of the alien sonic captured in our music. I believe it to be more visceral, suspenseful and off putting. As we develop as artists and as people; our preferences and taste change too. While I feel that Artificial Aberrations had a more rigid concept in place, this 2nd album is more advanced yet naturally took form. It’s primal, cold and calculated. I believe Jake and I’s characters are expressed much more clearly this time around.
Artificial Aberrations was the sound of us getting a foot in the door, and this next album is us comfortably taking the couch.
How did the name Ungraceful come about?
Jake: Ungraceful started as a social media tag I used for a long time, mainly for my art page on Instagram and a few entrepreneurial ventures that didn’t pan out.
Over time, it evolved into a regular personal Instagram account, but the name stuck. When I began making music, I was brainstorming for a name, and after searching ‘Ungraceful’ on Spotify and not finding any other artists using it, I decided the ungraceful legacy will keep going.
Can you name 3 bands that you take influence from?
Jake: I’ve been blasting a lot of Syphilectomy lately. Deprecation is another favorite—another two-man band, but those Russian morherfuckers know how to write a good slam.
Speaking of, We’ve been compared to Abominable Putridity a few times, which I guess is a compliment. Maybe that’s why Alex reached out. who wouldn’t want to work with the discount version of their favorite brutal death metal bands?”
Azerate: Traumatomy, Putrescent and Inpoexia
Can you name a few upcoming bands that we should check out?
Jake: That’s a better question for Azerate cus I’m a mainstream poser. Azerate is a living almanac for the deepest, darkest underground caveman shit. Also he’s in like 39 bands, check them all out.
Azerate: Be on the look out for Surgical Abnormalization, Knife Fight, Sumijigoku, and any project featuring Hugo Ojeda.
What is something about you that fans of your music would be surprised to learn?
Jake: I’m actually just three raccoons in a trench coat, it’s a miracle that we’ve actually made it this far.
Azerate: We are just like you. fans of some brutal music who decided to make our own. To be honest we are both full of surprises, quirks and niches but above all else, Jake doesn’t know he’s black so I constantly call him ni**a to remind him 
cause that’s my ni**a”
Thank you both so much again for the interview!!! Cannot wait for more from you guys!
