Polyptych
From:
IL,
United States
Last Known Status: Active
Polyptych Interviews and Features
Below are our features and interviews with Polyptych.
Interview
Interview With Polyptych
Polyptych's second full length "Illusorium" is one of the most interesting extreme metal recordings of 2014 as it exudes a unique kind of frantic ferocity and epic scope.
Mixed at the legendary Tampa's Morrisound Studios, its sonic and musical pedigree definitely stands alone. If you haven't heard much about it before, please don't blame yourself. You should blame the circumstances surrounding its release. After all, the Chicago-based band wasn't able to find a proper label that could help to expose the new genre-blending juggernaut to the metal masses out there.
MetalUnderground.com wants to help to change that. We spoke with the band's bassist/vocalist, Frank Lato, about the creation of this commanding 10-track journey and the complexities of working as true independent artists in the already saturated underground scene.
Oscuro: It's been 2 years since your fierce debut "Panels Engraved." It's a relatively short period between albums having in mind that you basically are an independent band.
Frank Lato: Polyptych was initially conceived as a studio project only, and has never had a stable lineup until the inception of “Illusorium.” When “Panels” was written and recorded, the band only consisted of [guitarists/vocalists] Young Werther and Scott Skopec, with Matt Kaminsky providing session drums. Following the release of "Panels," I joined the band, and “Illusorium” quickly came together. Having a third member allowed our songs to develop much differently than they did on “Panels” because there was an extra person on which ideas could be bounced. Once the album was written, we decided that Matt would also be a great fit for this new material, so Matt once again recorded drums for the album.
Oscuro: The previous album was more straight forward Death/Black Metal with a lot of Scandinavian influences. However, "Illusorium's" musical scope is broader, with richer textures and atmospheres, more complex rhythmic patterns and occasional dissonant riffing. Is this a sign of musical 'maturity' for Polyptych; maybe as a consequence of the growth you've experienced as musicians during your 6 years-career?
Frank Lato: It is definitely a combination of all those things. As you grow older and play your instruments longer, you develop as a songwriter, and you acquire new musical influences. We knew with “Illusorium” that we did not want to repeat ourselves, so we made it a conscious point that this new album would be more varied, dense, and complex, while allowing it to retain a very specific atmosphere.Also, as mentioned before, the addition of a full time bass player helped the band to develop ideas more fully, and "Illusorium" has bass lines that either complement or counter what the guitars are doing – something that is not present on “Panels.” Frank also helped introduce some other textures not present on “Panels” such as extra vocal parts, synths, and fretless bass. Frank would compose synth parts, and then as a band, we would decide where they should go, how frequently they should be used, etc. Due to this new focus on the band writing music as opposed to individuals, “Illusorium” took the shape that it did.
