Is there something in the water in Austin, TX? The city consistently harbors mind-blowing tunes, and quartet Funeralbloom is no exception. The band blends the melodic ambience of post-rock with the chaotic, fast tempos of black-metal to create a sound all their own. They recently put out their debut album Petals on vinyl through Broken World Media / More Than Me Records, and what better way to celebrate the vinyl release than an awesome interview with the band!
B.G.M.- First things first, you guys have done something fantastic with Petals. It really is a great album. How did Funeralbloom come together to make music? How did you come up with such an awesome band name?
Austin- Thanks so much! Funeralbloom started as another band called The Measure Of, which all five of us created over 3 years ago. The Measure Of began with the break up of a local Austin hardcore band that Jad and Bryan were in. Jad and I had known each other since 4th grade and had came back into contact with each other just a couple of months before at one of his old band’s shows, so he asked me to do vocals in a new band along with a couple other mutual friends. We began as a melodic hardcore/post-rock band, but with each release our sound became gradually darker and heavier. We went into recording Petals thinking it would be the first The Measure Of full-length, but after a couple of months of the record being finished we realized that, even though it was the same members, and even though The Measure Of was one continual effort,we knew that this album was so much different and, frankly, better than anything we had put out before. We had all grown tired of the old band name by that point and decided it was time to change the band name to something more fitting while treating this as a new project. As for the band name it’s a juxtaposition, mixing life and death, the light and the dark, and as evidence by our music we’ve always been infatuated at mixing light and dark aesthetics. I also really enjoyed the name because I was super into Under a Funeral Moon by Darkthrone and I really enjoyed the lyrics “Flowers of doom, rising in bloom, you will see our immortality”. Also, we like making joke band names because we have a hard time taking a lot of things seriously and we came up with Orlandoom Funeralbloom as a band name for if we were a stoner doom band.
Describe the writing and recording process of Petals. Was there anything in particular that influenced the writing?
Jad- We began writing for Petals the summer of 2013. We did not really have particular bands or sounds that we wanted to build Petals around. It was more so as a band, we realized that we wanted to write a very dark, melodic, and atmospheric album and so we went into it with that mindset. Nicholas had a couple of song ideas as did I. So over the course of four months, we would take each others’ ideas as a band and build upon them. By the time we went in to record the album in December of 2013 at Polar Pig Recording Studios, we had four songs pretty much completed. There were some changes made to each of the songs while in the studio, but everything came out exactly as we hoped.
You released the album back in the summer of last year and it is just now seeing a vinyl release. Is it weird having the vinyl come out months after the digital release?
Jad- We finished recording Petals at the end of December of 2013, but mixing and mastering was not completed until April of 2014. We knew we wanted to release the album to a wide audience, so we had decided to present the album to various labels and see if there was any interest. We were willing to wait as long as need be in order to give the album the release we wanted for it. Derrick from Broken World Media got back to us fairly quickly with expressed interest in releasing the album digitally and on tape first with a subsequent vinyl release later down the road. So we went in knowing it would be some time before Petals saw a vinyl release and we are happy that Broken World Media and More Than Me Records have faith in us and believed in the release enough to help us release it.
Do you think Prince would be proud of your decision to press the vinyl in dark purple and cream?
Caspian- Well being that he was our main consultant in the planning of our vinyl. Yes.
Austin, your style of screaming sounds like a strain on the vocal chords. What techniques do you use to keep from blowing out your voice?
Austin- I used to have a tough time with losing my voice when I first started. I eventually changed my style after about a year or two from yelling into the more high-pitched growl/howl you hear on Petals. That transition actually came pretty naturally for me and I haven’t lost my voice once since the change. At times if I really have to push myself, like recording or tour, it can become a bit scratchy in the morning, but in all honesty that works for the best for the style that I use. I don’t follow any vocal warm ups or anything, if anything I do everything you’re not supposed to and drink and smoke. The thing I’ve learned the most though, is that it’s all about messing around with your own voice until you find something that’s comfortable for you and limiting how much you do at once; i.e in practice try not to go over an hour and a half of vocals or whatever works for you.
You guys seem to have a different twist on black metal, there’s a lot more ambient and post-rock influences than your peer bands within the genre. Do you set out to have a different kind of sound from the start?
Nick- I wouldn’t necessarily say we set out to have a different kind of sound; instead, I would probably contribute it to Jad and myself being enormous fans of post-rock. One of my favorite, if not my favorite, genres is post-rock, and if I had to guess I would say that Jad ranks it highly as well. We all also love post-punk, so traits of that genre have leaked into our sound.
Music, movies, people, tv shows, etc. Black metal received a lot of mainstream attention back in 2013 with Deafheaven’s Sunbather, but I think there is way more to the genre than that album that most people don’t hear. Why do you think there are so many great black metal bands out there that don’t see the success that Deafheaven did?
Jad- I think Deafheaven had the right sound at the right time with the right platform (Deathwish and now Sargent House). Those things in combination really helped them garner attention and recognition before Sunbather was released. I think Sunbather was the icing on the cake for them and gave them that little nudge they needed to go over into the mainstream. That combination of events is difficult to achieve for the vast majority of musical endeavors. With that being said, I am not trying to downplay Deafheaven’s talent. They are a great band and we all enjoy their music. However, there are many other great bands out there that have been doing wonderful things in the genre for quite some time. Austere, Wolves In the Throne Room, Alcest, Lantlôs, and Panopticon come to mind. There are newer acts that have been contributing great ideas; bands like Liturgy, Bosse-de-Nage, CAPA, Ghost Bath, An Autumn For Crippled Children, Clouds Collide, Downfall of Gaia, Ash Borer, Set and Setting, Vattnet Viskar, and Sannhet are just a few. The genre is extremely vast with bands falling all over a wide spectrum of influences and sounds. I believe Deafheaven’s success has been a positive gateway for introducing individuals to black metal-influenced music since there is such a negative, naive view of the genre in the mainstream that may be barring people from exploring. I am hoping the genre continues to garner attention and stereotypes are broken in the process.
What kind of influence does the Austin, TX music scene have on your music?
Bryan- Well, we’re not as involved in the local scene as we used to be, admittedly, but one band we have looked up to is Illustrations from San Antonio. I feel they really paved the way for bands like us to try and put ourselves out there on a larger scale, as well as to not be ashamed to have a taste for the dramatic.
Any bands from your local scene or just bands overall that you really dig?
Nick- Locally, we would have to say Illustrations, Lyed, Costumes, Moonassi, Weakness, Haunter, Wreaths, Flesh Born, Clear Acid, and Retirement Home. We also enjoy Hope Drone (looking forward to their new album), Katahajime, Toluca.
Jad- I would have to say we are big fans of This Will Destroy You, and technically they are local. Ghost Bath is also band that I think is doing great things.
Are the members of the band in any other off-shoot or side-bands?
Austin- Yeah, I’m currently in a darkwave band called Argue with my friend Matt (Illustrations, Capsize, P.S. Fuck You). We released two songs last year and we’re hoping to record a full-length this year.
We are really excited to hear the progression of Funeralbloom’s sound. Have you started writing any new tunes? If so when do you think they will see a release?
Bryan- We are currently in the process of writing a new EP called Beautiful Thugs and the Romance of Crime we hope to release later this year.
Are there any touring plans laid out for you guys in 2015?
Caspian- I’m sure we would all love if we could tour as much as possible, but due to everyone’s insanely busy school/work schedules it makes it very difficult to find the time to do it. We are hoping to do a little something this summer and hopefully again in the winter. I know I’m getting very antsy. So stay tuned.
Any insanely epic stories from your past tours you would like to share?
Caspian- Well other than the time we did pcp and buried a stripper alive, we are a pretty tame bunch. I mean there have been moments where we’ve stayed up all night binge drinking and practicing our improv or wrestling moves. Oh! there was one night we showed up to a house where we were going to sleep but it was a house party where people were coked out of their minds. None of us do coke but it was fun none the less to just see how excited people were. Everyone had a lot to say.
Which holiday is better, Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day? Any funny or sad stories from either holiday?
Bryan- St. Patrick’s Day all the way. I feel Valentine’s Day just polarizes people and makes them feel worthless if they’re not in a monogamous relationship not to mention to sell cards and doomed flowers. I’d rather celebrate some pointless drinking holiday than that. At least it brings everyone together. I mean, just look at our lyrics.
What’s next for Funeralbloom?
Nick- We plan on making an appearance at SXSW, and we also have an Austin vinyl release show in the works for later that month (March 28th).