ABYSMAL DAWN

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER AND GUITARIST CHARLES ELLIOT BY ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER

2020 is definitely the Year of Death Metal, and not “Just being out there and able to tour and play these new just because of catastrophic events. As undersongs live took some time,” explains Charles Elliot, guitarist ground bands like Gatecreeper and Blood Inand vocalist. “It's been a while since we've actually put out cantation find their time in the light, a rekindling a new record. I'm just excited about the evolutionary jumps of classic death metal roots is also in order. Enter the latest that I feel like the band made, and about everyone's reAbysmal Dawn record, Phylogenesis, out now via Season of Mist. sponse to it so far. Everyone’s been really welcoming when Although the band definitely have some technical and methey heard the new tracks and were hungry to hear more.” lodic leanings, they lie most clearly in the realm of straightWhile Phylogenesis still embraces the technicality found on forward death metal, with a progressive slant. And though previous records, with the drums working overtime and the Abysmal Dawn have been making music for nearly a decade, band at a more practiced point when it comes to solos and they paused for seven years before releasing Phylogenesis, technical prowess, the songs still have a stripped-down, raw making this album even more pronounced and special. quality. There’s also a more melodic focus in the guitar work.

“The basic song structures tral concept, the ideas behind still fits in perfectly. Elliot felt challenged and came together fairly quickthe songs all work together. pushed him. ly,” Elliot says. “But then perThe overarching notion of “We try and have catchy sonal things happened in our the band’s evolution persists parts, and I feel like we have “We had some extra time in lives, and things just got put throughout the record, and more melody than most tech the studio, and we wanton the backburner, which there is also some deeper lyrdeath or brutal death meted to do something people made it really hard to finish ical matter. al bands,” Elliot says. “I feel weren’t expecting at all,” he the album. I probably wasn’t like we were writing songs explains. “No one expects in the best place mentally, “There is almost an underthat are meant to be played me to do a lot of clean voand it took a lot to fuse it all lying theme about society, in a live environment, to get cals, or expects us to be intogether. But this time around, how modern society can the crowds going, and have fluenced by a doom metal we were also using a bit more drive a person crazy in varhooks that stick in people's band with operatic vocals, technology to piece it all toious ways, and what those heads and parts that people but we definitely are. I think gether, so that made it easier things in society are, how it can interact with.” people were surprised, but to use things later or cut them affects the individual,” Elliot we played it for a couple of out.” explains. “So, in that sense, Currently, Abysmal Dawn people and they liked it, so I guess there is some sort of are working on putting towe decided to go for it.” Lyrically speaking, it also theme, but it wasn’t comgether their next tour, sometook the band a while to settle pletely intentional.” time after quarantine orders Listen to Phylogenesis to hear on a solid theme. Elliot startend, and are hoping to get the band’s hard-earned ed with a grandiose concept, As the old-school scene to Europe some time this evolution, and look out for which he later abandoned flourished following the year. They’re also working to announcements about a because he didn’t feel like he oversaturation of slam and put out a two-song EP, and tour and more music later could connect to it on a hutech death, raw, progresrecently recorded a Canthis year.�� �� �� man or emotional level. Now, sive death metal is making dlemass cover for the New although there is no one cen- a comeback, and the band Noise flexi series, something