Joshua Welshman - Interview - 2025

Hello Josh, thank you for taking some time to answer some questions. We last spoke to you about 14 years ago!!!!  So I am excited to catch up a little!  For those that do not know, back then I was asking you questions about your one-man-band, Autonomy.  You were 19 and attending college to study music recording.  Can you put into words how it feels to be successfully making a living with music?

Cheers man!  Yes a lot of things have happened/changed since we last spoke for sure.  It definitely feels fulfilling to be making my living through music, especially after looking back at how long ago I fixed myself upon this path.  I'd be lying if I said it was easy, it's definitely a difficult thing to be fully freelance working in music as both a touring musician with DS and an audio engineer in today's economy.  But at this point I don't even know what else I could be doing with my life haha.

In the mentioned interview, even back then, doing vocals was your main passion.  

Could you have ever imagined where you are now?! 

Excerpt from 2011 interview:

CR -  You have said before that vocals are your passion in Autonomy, has this always been the case?

J -  Definitely. Prior to Autonomy I was the vocalist for an RI based deathcore band called “Death Haven” for about 5 years. Had a lot of good times in that band and it definitely fueled my passion for vocals.

I never would have imagined doing vocals with Defeated Sanity, that's for damn sure!  I'm still humbled to this day to have the opportunity to play with these guys.  Back then I wasn't one to project or think ahead of how things might be, I just went with the flow and worked as hard as possible on whatever I was doing at the time, and doing vocals wasn't even something I was doing much of when I got the call from Lille to fill in on that first US tour I did with Defeated Sanity.

What was happening for you in between Autonomy and joining Defeated Sanity?

I had become extremely focused on my career as a studio engineer.  I was halfway through university when I sort of hung up Autonomy to focus on my studies, and all of my free time went to school and other relevant things: I was Vice President of my school's chapter of the Audio Engineer Society in my sophomore year, and President my senior year.  I was also interning at recording studios while actively in school and working, it was a very busy time for me.  I had been in New York working at a studio for around 6 months when Lille hit me up to fill in on what would be my first tour with the band in the Summer of 2015.  And as I mentioned before I wasn't actively doing vocals in any projects or even active in the scene in any way during those years.

Ok, so going from not really being active in the scene to filling in on vocals for defeated sanity? You’re making people hate you bro!  Haha no but really what gives?  Had you recorded things for the band?  Did you already know Lille?  I assume they weren’t die-hard Autonomy fans?!  (But maybe)

I knew Lille through the scene already from my solo project 'Autonomy' which he actually enjoyed the last demo I had released (Fun fact: The first riff on 'Condemned To Vascular Famine' from our latest album is actually a rehashed riff of mine from the Autonomy song 'Renounced Posterity'). 

Sometime in 2011 I believe, I did a vocal cover of 'Consumed By Repugnance' on Youtube that he really liked. HERE. Then I ended up doing another cover just for him to check out of 'Blissfully Exsanguinated'  HERE which is much more technical vocally.  He was really impressed and said he would hit me up if he ever needed a vocal fill-in.  I said yeah, okay lol.  And yet, here we are!

"My lyrics vary from song to song, but are mostly influenced by the human race and religion and how both suck haha." - Josh - 2011

- Is this still accurate?

To a degree yes haha.  Though with Defeated Sanity, Lille and I write the lyrics together, and there is usually a very specific lyrical concept in mind for the album.  The Sanguinary Impetus is about violence, sexuality, and the general brutality that occurs on a daily basis in the animal kingdom.  Chronicles of Lunacy is all about mental disorders and delusions.  These are the two albums that I've contributed to both vocally and lyrically.

ACCELERATING THE ROT

Depopulate our precious space of virulent and rancid filth

Offering society

Nothing more than revulsion

By blade dispensed. my self-imposed vocation

To extinguish pre-desecrated beings

One by one, I decimate the miasmic masses

Stooped and slumped in the dark

Excrement made flesh

Living decomposition brought by injection and inhalation

Every dose an artificial revival of vitality

Inebriation diminishing their suffering and my satisfaction

Unfulfilled as my deeds yield such low-scale destruction

I must purge them all of their pseudo-existence

Chemical inclination lethally utilized...

A fatal addition to the formula

Their noxious supply - I infiltrate

Suspended between life and death

Their self-inflicted decay - I accelerate

A toxic armageddon - I initiate

An all-consuming pestilence

Wrought by my hand

Amongst the needles and smoke

They writhe and choke

A squalid domain of disgrace liberated

I've become the sole redeemer of humanity

Can you walk us through that first tour filling in, what it was like?  Crazy nerves at first?  Feeling on top of the fucking world?

I was definitely nervous, I went into it as prepared as I could be.  It was my first time ever being on tour so the personal stakes were very high for me.  We had a few days rehearsing beforehand at Matt Kilner's place where I actually met a lot of people I'm still homies with today.  The tour was a really positive experience, we all got along really well and the fans were very receptive to my performances, so I ended up sticking around.  Lille had auditioned a handful of other vocalists while I was still doing live gigs with the band, but ultimately he was happiest with what I was contributing.

Then how soon after that were you officially asked to join the band?

I believe it was July 2016 that I was announced as a full-time member of Defeated Sanity, so about a year after that first tour I did with them in 2015.  There were a lot of shows in that year between the first tour and becoming full-time so I definitely had put some work in.

I think it is safe to assume that you enjoy being in the band and are a good fit?  We are not in for any surprises in that regard are we?!

I do enjoy it of course and am always humbled to be playing alongside some of the best musicians in Death Metal.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't ever feel that sort of 'Imposter Syndrome' or second guess my value of contribution to the band, but that's also the curse of anyone who's an artist or creative type.  With the time and work I've invested in the band and the positive feedback on the albums and performances I've done, plus knowing I give everything I have on every performance, it's a good reminder that what I'm contributing to the band has value.

So we officially know you now as the full-time vocalist of the legendary Defeated Sanity.  A lot of fans may also know you are a recording engineer.  Is that the correct title?  Can you list some artists that you have worked with?  

It is! Or audio engineer generally speaking, though I'm specifically a studio guy.  I've worked with almost every kind of music under the sun, and with some fairly big artists like David Crosby, Norah Jones, Marc Broussard, Cecile McLorin Salvant, etc.  Specifically in Death Metal I've worked with Brodequin, Emasculator, Embodied Torment, Virologist, and more/more to come haha.

Can you give the fans a few names of vocalists that you looked up to and were/are inspired by?

Some of my biggest inspirations growing up were George Fisher, Joe Horvath (Circle of Dead Children), Matti Way, Chris Barnes, AJ Magana, Ruben Rosas, and plenty of others but these are the ones who come immediately to mind.

Can you name a few album that are NOT any sort of metal that you really love?

 I listen to all kinds of stuff so this will be all over the place and tough to nail down haha.  I love Classical/20th Century Classical music a lot so some are more of extended pieces/symphonies and things like that.  I love Mahler's 5th Symphony, Giacinto Scelsi's 'Uaxuctum', Gyorgy Ligeti's Requiem, Penderecki's 'Utrenja', Chopin's Nocturnes, I could go on and on and on.  I'm a big fan of Hozier's first self-titled record, Bon Iver's: For Emma, Forever Ago, Jedi Mind Tricks: Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell, Porcupine Tree: Fear Of A Blank Planet, Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell, Melody Gardot: The Absence, just to name a handful of favorites from all over the spectrum.

Well Josh, thank you so much man!!  I've been following you in one way or another since the birth of Autonomy.  Cannot wait to see what happens next for you!!  Good luck with everything!  Any last words?

Always appreciate the support my friend!  Knowing I have people who've known me and have supported what I do for a long time definitely helps keep me going when times get tough (and times get tough when you're 100% in music as a profession) haha.

AUTONOMY DISCOGRAPHY

JOSH'S FIRST SHOW WITH DS

A RECENT DS PERFORMANCE

OUR 2011 INTERVIEW WITH JOSH

DEFEATED SANITY BANDCAMP

Embodied Torment Interview 2025

Long-time BDM fans and listeners are most certainly familiar with "Liturgy of Ritual Execution", the now decade-old classic album from Embodied Torment.  When news began to surface up an upcoming second album almost 11 years later, I knew I had to know more.  I was excited to catch up with Joaquin, the band's guitarist, below.

Let's start with who we are talking to and your role in the band?

- This is Joaquin, I play guitar and do backing vocals and I'm a founding member of Embodied Torment.



Who all makes up Embodied Torment?

- We have Andy Smith on vocals, Mark Chandler on bass, Alex Lopez on drums, and myself. Our founding bassist David Ko also helps us out with a lot of our live appearances since Mark lives so far away from the rest of us.


How long have you been a band?

- We first came together in 2011.


Embodied Torment had a long hiatus, correct?  What were some of the biggest obstacles to make it back to where we are now, with an album on the horizon?

- It was a perfect storm that put the band on ice for several years: everyone was having kids, I was in a new position at work and in my union that left me no time to write, personal changes happened... we had all intended to continue with new material right away after our first album came out but life had other plans.  The biggest obstacles to getting things going again in 2022 were just the way that life had spread us out all over the country and made it impossible to get together the way that we used to. Fortunately we were able to re-form with a complete lineup, welcoming Andy and Alex into the fold, and things have been going great.


I think I saw on your latest single you guys worked with Josh Welshman?  How did that connection come about?  What was it like?

- We've known Josh from playing shows together over the years and seeing each other at the same fests. 

He also engineered for Brodequin, so with the connection there it was an easy choice to reach out for our song Tongue of Iron.   Josh was great to work with and we were very pleased with the mix, so I can't recommend him highly enough!


I've always appreciated your attention to detail in the artwork and lyrics of Liturgy of Ritual Execution.  Would you say the band's "theme" or general subject matter has changed over the hiatus?  Will we get to see more beautiful lyrics?!

"Pustules of an indiscernible mass

Writhing spasmodically

Watch it roil

Adhered by bilious fluid

The corpse becomes entrenched

In the virus of subjugation

Externally digested

Fermented in existential terror

Providing sustenance to the parasite

Whose corpulence now dominates it

The vile womb ruptures desiccated waste

No longer fit to feast upon

Despoiled and evacuated

The cryptic earth razed under

Beating morbid wings,

And carpeted with remains

Like an inconceivable ossuary

Relics of a beleaguered past

The host remains adjunct to its history

Unknowingly harboring fallacies of its freedom

Abandoned, only the human husk persists

Its forlorn destruction"

Thank you! The aesthetics and the lore in our songs are a real source of pride. I studied medieval and ancient history and have leaned on a lot of primary source documents to underpin our lyrics, such as in the account in Rädern of a man being broken on the wheel.

We've definitely evolved in a way that builds on where we were going by the end of the writing for "Liturgy of Ritual Execution" (LoRE). The final song we completed for the album was "Thrones of the Slain," which is about the Battle of Agincourt, and we were interested in talking more about the horrors of warfare and the cultural phenomena that intertwine with it. 

You can see the continuity and the change in the lyrics for the songs on Archaic Bloodshed:

In thy name and by thy hand

I laid low the vermin of Suru

I built a pillar over the city gate

I flayed all those chiefs who dared revolt

I covered the pillar with their skin

I walled up some within the pillar

 "Deconsecration of the Monolith" is written as a prayer to the god Ashur sacrificing a multitude of defeated rebels from around 880 BC, "Grasping Salvation" is about the massacres of the Sack of Magdeburg in 1631, and then "Tongue of Iron" refers to the mass execution of Saxon pagans by order of Charlemagne in 782. So there's a strong thread uniting our lyrics across time even as some elements have changed, which is that we draw on ancient lore speaking to man's inhumanity to man.


Archaic Bloodshed is 3 brand new songs?  Or were those written years before they were recorded and released?

"Deconsecration..." was basically written in 2016 and "Grasping" was largely drafted in the same period, and we even had concepts for "Tongue" before we went on hiatus too. I did substantial updates and refinement but if you just look at them in that order they basically show the conceptual development in the band in the time after LoRE.


The last big fest you guys played was Chicago Domination, (the last one, in fact) now you are on the upcoming NSE fest in November!!  Tell us what you know about the fest, how it all came about, and how you feel about it!

I remember that Dan Osborn was planning on NSE Fest a few years ago but it unfortunately didn't come together. It's cool that Ryan has revived the idea and it will be sick to be a part of a big label showcase like this. We've also got some additional dates coming together around the fest that we'll be excited to share details about soon!


What can you share about the upcoming album??

I believe it's going to be a decisive step forward for us. "Archaic Bloodshed" was an important way to get back into activity, but I think our songwriting is on another level now, and we'll see if listeners agree.

We're nearly finished with the writing for the next album but I can already tell you that the title will be "Sacraments of Eternal War." It will be blazing fast, darker, and more evil than what we've done before. It will be a statement against all of the casual, laid-back, fun vibes that are dominating death metal and much of so-called Brutal Death Metal today. No fun, no groove, no mercy.

Can you talk a little bit about influences?  Favorite bands?

Some of the more obvious collective influences are bands like Disgorge, Brodequin, and Suffocation. We’ve increasingly gone back to some of the traditional, blasting, evil death metal bands like Krisiun, Abhorrence (Brazil), and Imposer, to name just a few; stuff that a lot of people have forgotten - bands with furious, teeth-clenching riffs and a militant feeling. I’ve been listening to extreme metal for almost thirty years now and I draw on elements from that whole history when I write.

How do you feel about the current state of Brutal Death Metal?

I think it’s got its ups and downs at any time. A lot of veteran bands have a bigger audience now than they did ten years ago, in part just because fans have had a lot more time to find out about them, and that’s been positive. 

Personally, what got me into BDM in the first place can be hard to find nowadays, since groove is very big right now and the general “vibe” of a lot of the scene now isn’t really focused on darker forms of expression. There are some bright spots we’d point to among newer bands today, like Desecrated Ubiquity.

If you could tour with any 3 bands, active or not, who would make up your dream tour?

We’ve talked about dream tour mates a lot, especially since we plan on doing as much as possible on the road once “Sacraments of Eternal War” is out. There are so many sick choices, but if we had to narrow it down just to three we’re picking Putridity, Sarpanitum, and Suffocation circa 1998 for good measure.

Any newer bands that you guys are really liking?

Too many to name. At the risk of leaving out some of our friends, we’ll start with a few that we’ve been especially impressed by live and some who haven’t gotten much attention: Excrescence, Human Effluence, and Primitive Warfare are some of the sickest that we’ve played with over the past year. 

Grave Heresy, Abhorrency, Wyrmvold, and Venomous Agent X are a few of our favorite newer Black/Death bands. Molested Divinity, Putrescent Seepage, and Desecrated Ubiquity are labelmates making some of the best Brutal Death Metal out there. We’ll leave it there for now.

Thanks again for taking some time for this!  Any last words for your fans?

First of all thanks for the interview! We intend to make the long wait for our second album worth it and we’re eager to share it with all of you. AVE MORS! ⚔️

LINKS

New Standard Elite

Embodied Torment

Josh Welshman

Desecrated Ubiquity

Asphyxiate - Self Transform From Decayed Flesh - 2013 - New Standard Elite

Art by Jonrinz Art

I interviewed Asphyxiate (HERE) before I had even heard more than one song from this album.
THIS SONG
 I had hoped that the whole album would be as brutal and addicting as that one song.  Was I right?

I must be getting good at predicting these things.  Asphyxiate have produced what they promised, a return back to the roots of Indonesian brutality that is sure to have any Brutal Death Metal fan banging their head in recognition and agreement.
"Self Transform From Decayed Flesh" would have stood above many other 2013 releases on riffage and songwriting alone.  Giving the album an extra boost is the impressive production and mastering from Josh Welshnam.  Previously known as the brains behind promising one-man band, Autonomy, he has foreshadowed here a promising career behind the controls, helping bands achieve their prime sound and brutality.
The Disgorge-esque stylings of this record are unrelentingly punishing.  The opening track, "Suffered in Vivisection" begins with a slower riff, as if to warm you up for whats to come.  The mood is undeniably set, and the second half of the song throws you into a whirlwind of fast blasting riffs under half-discernible gutturals that are enunciated just enough to make you want to read along.
The whole album is riff after riff, providing little time to rest.

Josh (Guitar, Vocals) shows how it should be done.  It is mind-blowing listening to this when you realize the guitar and vocals are coming from the same person.  He has a real knack for changing up patterns between guitar and vocal riffs.  His lack of diversity in the vocal department is saved by a few occurrences of layered vocals, and his scrupulous, punctual enunciation, going along nicely with his guitar-work.

Yogi, the man behind the drums, has obviously been doing this for a long time.  Try as you may, and I have tried, but you will not find a dull moment in his perfect drumming performance.  The drums, for me, are what make this album.

A common complaint of mine is again an issue here: I wish the bass guitar (Adi) was a little more audible.  I here it thickening up the low-end, I just cannot tell if it is doing much else.  Being able to keep up at this pace is a feat of excellence for any bassist, turn it up!

The amazing artwork, from Jonrinz Art, gives an accurate visual representation of how I feel when this album is playing: I am being melted and torn into a thousand more versions of me!  Transformed from my decayed flesh!  He has many pieces of similar detail, check them out HERE.

Jonrinz Art-Ballpoint on paper 15,5 x 23,5 inches

Asphyxiate have been around for over 10 years now.  I am overcome with sadness and surprise when I say this is my first time hearing their music!  My next step is to check out their entire back-catalogue.
For now, I am thoroughly enjoying "Self Transform From Decayed Flesh," as should you!
Purchase here:

NEW STANDARD ELITE

More art here:

JONRINZ ART

Interview with Josh (Guitarist/Vocalist) of Asphyxiate - 2013

Asphyxiate, a three-piece Brutal Death Metal band from Indonesia, have a full length album being released November 23rd, 2013.  I was lucky enough to have Josh, the band's guitarist and vocalist, answer a few questions.  Check out the interview below!





Cerebral Reviewment-  Hello and thank you for answering a few questions!  First of all, who are you and what is your role in Asphyxiate?

Josh-  hello, my name is Josh, I play guitar and am the vocalist in Asphyxiate.

CR-  I am very excited to hear “Self Transform From Decayed Flesh,” your upcoming full length!  Can you tell us anything about it?  How would you describe its sound?

J-  It feels so awesome, finally we have a new album with the new line up!  We proud to join forces with New Standard Elite.  It will sound like "heavy blasting brutality."  We play a little different style from our previous album, but it still on the same atmosphere and riffing.

CR-  Who did the art for your upcoming full length?

J-   The art is a great match for the album title, killer art done by Jonrinz Art.

CR-  How did you guys start working with Jonrinz Art?

J-  Daniel Osborn give us the idea to use Jonrinz Art; he told us that Jonrinz had a unique style.  He is a great artist.

CR-  I understand the album is mixed and mastered by Josh Welshnam (Autonomy).  How did the band get in touch with him?  Are you pleased with how everything turned out?

J-  Daniel Osborn gave us three good mixers to choose from, and as a band we finally chose Mr. Josh Welshnam to work with us.  Yes, we are pleased to work with him, he did a good job on mixing and mastering this album.

CR-  Congratulations on the recent signing to New Standard Elite Records!  What can you say about the label?

J-  Thank you, we are really proud and excited to sign with New Standard Elite, good label, pure brutality label with no trends and fads. New Standard Elite know exactly what band needs.

CR-  Do you guys have any big plans in the future for touring?

J-  Maybe we will make a little promo album tour. We hope so.

CR-  Who are some of your biggest influences?

J-  Suffocation, Decrepit Birth (old), Deeds of Flesh (old).

CR-  Who are some other bands from Indonesia that we should check out?

J-  Check out Carnivored, Injury Deepen, that's it for now, to many to list bro.

CR-  Thanks a lot!

J-  You're welcome brother. Thank you for taking your time interviewing us.

ASPHYXIATE

PREVIEW OF "Self Transform From Decayed Flesh" HERE

NEW STANDARD ELITE RECORDS