Cephalectomy
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Canada has always been a good breeding ground for extreme metal. Truro, Nova Scotia-based act Cephalectomy have been churning out relentless brutal death metal since 1996 and recently released their critically acclaimed new EP "The Dream Cycle Mythos" on Discorporate Music. This new EP sees the band perfecting their Sylvain Houde era Kataklysm inspired sound of chaotic and technical death metal. Masterful Magazine recently had the chance to have a conversation with Jason Nichols (vocals) and Corey Andrews (guitars, vocals) about the band's latest EP, their deal with Discorporate Music and the Canadian scene in general. 
First off, I'd like to thank you for taking time to speak with me today. What is presently going on with the band? What new things are happening for Cephalectomy right now?
J: Right now we're in the process of preparing and recording our new, as of yet untitled full length follow-up to the recently released "The Dream Cycle Mythos" EP.
Since this is your first interview for Masterful Magazine. Can you give our readers a brief introduction to the band, for those who are unfamiliar with Cephalectomy. How it all got started, that kind of thing?
C: Well, Jason and I have been doing this together for about 12-13 years now, we started in school under a couple different names then in 1996 became Cephalectomy. We had a drummer on our very first demo "Gateway To The Gods" but we were always aiming to be more extreme and he simply couldn't keep up. At that point we tried to find a replacement drummer but being from a small area, not to mention metal was far less popular then it is today. There just wasn't anyone to fill the gap, so I played drums for a while and we just continued on as a recording band. Now in 2008 we're a 3 piece recording band.
Where did the name Cephalectomy originate from and is there a special meaning to it, according to you?
C: A friend of ours actually came up with it. Basically, we were in need of a name that wasn't already taken and our friend threw together a medical prefix and suffix together and came up with Cephalectomy, which means the surgical removal of the head. We knew since the word didn't really exist and we couldn't find any references to it anywhere that we'd be safe with this one.
Congratulations with your new record "The Dream Cycle Mythos" - this is definitely the best we have heard from Cephalectomy to date. How have the reactions from the specialized press and fans been so far?
J: So far the reactions have been great. We're still waiting on a lot of reviews but the ones we have received so far have been very positive. We're all very proud of the EP and personally it's my favourite of the material we have released so far. So it is nice to hear that other people feel the same way.
How long was the process of putting the album together, as far as writing the music, the concept and arrangements is concerned?
J: Our albums always seem to take a really long time to come together. Mostly due to us being lazy bastards. Well that and Corey likes to make sure that everything is perfect on his end as far as the song writing is concerned and it usually takes me a while to come up with the lyrics that fit the music the way they should. Then the recording process is usually a long drawn out affair. We record a lot of vocals and use a lot of tracks (Corey may correct me on this but I think we used somewhere around 90 tracks for the EP) so mixing usually takes some time..
C: Yeah, it's always a slow process, we figure since we don't play live, we might as well take our time and do this stuff as best we can and at our convenience.
The band has always been very inspired by Sylvain Houde era Kataklysm, both musically and lyrically.
J: Kataklysm has always been one of our biggest influences yes.. When Corey and I were young Kataklysm was one of the first death metal bands we heard that really made us say "holy shit.. this is just insane." in a good way. The early Kataklysm had an aura to them that was completely unique back then and still is today really. We have no problems admitting to Kataklysm as an influence but they are only one of the many influences we had growing up and we like to think that shows through in the music.
C: Yes, Kataklysm has always been a big influence, I love the guitar work on "Sorcery" and Sylvain, in my opinion, is one of the most unique vocalists out there. I think that's one area a lot of death metal bands tend to overlook. Everyone's trying to write crazier music but no one's doing anything over the top with vocals.
Your new EP is obviously inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Is there a particular work of this author that inspired the lyrics for this new EP?
J: Our albums since the "Dark Waters Rise" demo back in 1998 have been very heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. There is not one story that inspired the lyrics for "The Dream Cycle Mythos". I've read and re-read H.P. Lovecraft's stories so many times now that when I sit down to write I have that mindset instantly of the universe Lovecraft created so masterfully burned into my mind. I just imagine some other story that may have taken place in that universe.
What made you work as a three-piece instead of putting together a full line-up? Lack of like-minded people in your area?
J: That pretty much sums it up. Early on before Cephalectomy was really formulated we had a drummer. I played bass and Corey played guitar and did vocals but we wanted to constantly move forward in our song writing and technical ability, but the drummer we had at the time couldn't keep up by the time we adopted the name Cephalectomy. We didn't want to have to hold back our progression, so we unfortunately had to split with our original drummer and I had to pass on bass duties, because I simply couldn't keep up with Corey's abilities. We have tried finding other drummers, but it unfortunately never worked out so we just decided to stop looking and focus ourselves as a studio band.
The dizzying level of technicality and sense for adventure in the music is definitely something that sets you apart from the majority of your peers. Any contemporary or classic bands that you guys admire?
J: Corey and I have never really taken ourselves too seriously in Cephalectomy and otherwise. Music to us is about having fun putting out something that we think people will be entertained by - but will also kick them in the teeth and that i believe shines through in the song writing. We enjoy bands that kick ass and sound like they have fun doing it. Too many people these days take music and themselves too seriously, I think. I see no reason why I should have to have my head shoved up my ass to enjoy music.
C: As Jason said, it's all about having fun. It's funny, people like to label us as a technical band but I don't consider us as such. We do have a lot of riffs but we've never aimed to be technical. We definitely like to be adventurous, often I'll find myself trying to think of things I don't hear from other bands or purposely look at what people are doing and say, what would be the opposite of what everyone else is doing.
I must say that I've been listening to this new record a lot over the last days. Do you fear that it will be too complex or forward thinking for some listeners?
J: I think the idea was always there that this could be a really great thing. But at the same time it could perhaps be a bit "too much" for people, but again we do what we do because we want to and we always enjoyed the thought of having one long Cephalectomy song as an EP. I feel that the song writing and themes lend itself well to that idea.
C: I think going into this we knew that some people would just think it was too much, or complain that the song is too long, but frankly, this is something we wanted to do so we have a tendency not to worry about what the response will be. I figure, if we can create something we like, then someone else is bound to like it too, and for those who don't, they don't have to listen to it.
Considering the fact that you are only three members in Cephalectomy most of the time, I could imagine that you have never played any live shows so far, have you? Would you like to go out and play if you would find the right people to help you out?
J: We would love to play live if the right people were involved and we had the opportunity. We have tried to get a live band together on several occasions, but it has just never really worked out for us. I think it would be really hard for us to get an appropriate live sound also due to the amount of layered vocals and chaotic nature of the music.
C: Yeah, we always wanted to play live. But as the years went by and we had no luck we kind of just said fuck it, and decided to push things even further. At this point it would be pretty difficult to pull Cephalectomy material off live, even if we had the people to do it I think. It's a nice thought, though.
This is your third album for Discorporate Music. Are you happy the way Discorporate Music handled the record, regarding promotion, distribution and marketing?
C: Well, Discorporate Music is only a small independent label. Really, it's just one guy, Raland Kinley. Raland is great for helping us out, always has been. Unfortunately like us, he doesn't have a lot of resources, so it makes it hard to get the music out there. Distros tend to want to do trades, which is no good to us, as we have no way to push other people's albums. It's hard to find places that want cds at wholesale or on consignment. We're always looking for distro help, but Raland is great to work with and is why we've remained on the label all these years.
The Canadian death/black metal scene is well respected worldwide with veteran bands like Cryptopsy, Gorguts, Kataklysm, Martyr, Quo Vadis and Neuraxis coming to mind. What are your reactions to the scene today? Are there any bands that you feel are not being recognized that should be?
J: I personally feel the scene is becoming stale. I grow tired of the "arms race" that death metal has become in regards to who can blast faster and who can whip off more beats per second than the other band. I don't think that's what death metal was about. At least it wasn't to me. I do like bands that are fast but I wouldn't sacrifice feeling and atmosphere for speed. I still listen to the old death metal bands I always have liked: Edge of Sanity, Entombed, Macabre, Suffocation, Dying Fetus and At the Gates... That didn't have to play the fastest, they could but still managed to kick you in the nuts and make no apologies about it.
C: Yeah, as Jason said, instead of bands writing quality songs, it seems like everyone is just trying to outdo one another. I do like insane and technical music, but I think bands are starting to lose the "feel" of the music and are just out to try and impress.
Metal capitals in Canada are Montreal, Quebec and Toronto. What is it about these cities that makes their extreme metal scene so influential and thriving?
J: Montreal is just a great city.. I've been there 6 times now, I think, and every time I have to leave it pisses me off, haha. The people there are friendly and there is a lot of talent in that city. Same with Quebec City. I mean, I haven't been to Quebec city much because I can't tell what the fuck people are saying, but it's very close to Montreal. I would imagine they feed off each other and have developed an amazing scene. As far as Toronto goes, it is a gritty place and people there from what I've seen are generally pissed off. I guess that lends itself to making music with the same feel, haha.
Thanks for the interview, and good luck with all your future endeavours. Feel free to add anything you want...
J: Thank you. I guess this is where we tell you fuckers reading this to get your asses over to www.cephalectomy.com or www.discorporatemusic.com and order the damn EP! Don't forget to check our homepage for updates regarding our new full length coming in the hopefully not too distant future also.
C : Thanks Wouter and thanks to everyone for their support! Cheers!
Site: www.cephalectomy.com
Info: www.discorporatemusic.com
