Interview

The Unravelling Discusses Returning From Hiatus

Band Photo: The Unravelling (?)

A few years back our readers may recall a Canadian band releasing "Thirteen Arcane Hymns" (reviewed here) a little under the radar... and then disappearing for quite some time.

We're very pleased to announce that The Unravelling - consisting of duo Steve Moore and Gustavo De Beauville - is now back and ready to plow forward full steam ahead.

Following a battle with cancer, Moore recently reconnected with De Beauville to begin crafting new material, resulting in the two singles "Revolt" and "Master Drone" seeing digital release, but that's just the beginning, as full-length albums and live shows are on the horizon.

We've now got a new in-depth interview with the twosome, in which they discuss a shifting focus and changing musical influences (or as Gustavo puts it, he's "had a few years to clean the great Maynard James Keenan’s jizz stains out of my hair"), the labels people needlessly apply to themselves, and the many regrouping classic metal outfits these days. Check out the full interview below (photos courtesy of Ryan Donnelly).

xFiruath: The band was essentially on hiatus there for a few years due to serious health issues. In as much or as little detail you'd care to go keeping your privacy in mind, what happened with the band from 2011 onward and how did The Unravelling end up back together working on new music?

Gustavo De Beauville: I knew Steve was on a serious make it or break it journey when he embarked on his cancer recovery travels. But from the photos he sent me of him petting tigers in Thailand, meditating with monks or simply walking along the beaches of Vancouver there was no doubt in my mind that he would beat the disease. If we would ever collaborate musically again wasn’t the priority at this time - it was mostly about survival. Our live players continued on with their prog metal band Truck and I started composing music for video and games. My whole pallet had to be reworked - from only using guitars, drums, and bass to synths, midi, drum machines and orchestral instrumentation. Of course I had no idea what I was doing so I taught myself what I could by studying and watching interviews of composers who could create a dark vibe. Guys like John Murphy, Troels Follman, Charlie Clouser and Two Steps from Hell really inspired me during these times. After releasing some of these new songs as a solo record, Steve contacted me to tell me he was digging the new material and wanted to try laying down some vocals.

Steve Moore: At the time that I was diagnosed with cancer in January 2011, we were in the midst of promoting "13 Arcane Hymns" and giving it all we had. This seemed to stick a fork in things, but you can never really judge life events because life tends to want to move towards balance. We played live and enjoyed some of our best shows all the way up to my first surgery, and at that point I pretty much left behind everything except meditation. I thought that the life that involved me pushing so hard with music, from age 16 onward, was over and that this was the message that I should drop it; that it was causing too much stress.

It was a time of connection and inspiration, but also, depression and isolation, if that makes sense. I recovered relatively smoothly, but the next few years were not the typical "let's run a marathon" story you see people trying to play out. Fight, fight, fight. Whatever. I don't relate to that propaganda. I found myself confused about what I should be doing, and my musical mind was filled with doubts, from being too old to not being able to write well any more. Looking back, I just needed a break and I needed to stop the thought machine.

It was January 2014 that I started writing lyrics again and decided to reconnect with Gus. It seemed like Gus was ready for me at just that moment and we were ready to embark on another journey. It made sense, as we're musical brothers who share some of the same influences and some wildly different. That's why it comes out sounding interesting. I've found that the inspiration has come back full blast and I'm enjoying both the work and the process even more than before. There's a potency that I don't think we could have achieved in our previous incarnation. I'm really having fun with it (which is the point), and I don't like cliches such as "everything happens for a reason".... but we can all agree that everything happens and that's more freeing. I feel like just "doing things" now; meanings and reasons are very limiting, like tying an elephant to a tree.

xFiruath: You've got the new single “Master Drone” online now. Where did you record that track and how do you feel this one differs musically from anything on “Thirteen Arcane Hymns?”

Gustavo: “Master Drone” was recorded in my home studio. It’s more synth oriented than the first record for sure, but the objective was very different this time around. On the first record I was trying to make an album that would demonstrate my love of Tool. There ya go I said it… so now that I’ve had a few years to clean the great MJK’s jizz stains out of my hair, I think this time around myself and Steve just wanted to make ourselves happy and write songs that we wanted to hear. I don’t dislike Tool or anything; if they announced a new album tomorrow I’d probably set up a Santeria altar in my basement and light a candle for every year they made us wait since the last album. But if I told you what I was listening to these days compared to what our record is sounding like you’d probably wonder if I were bipolar. We’re getting a lot of industrial metal comparisons which is amazing but I can’t say I’m an expert on industrial, I grew up on grunge and metal. Let’s put it this way, I’d rather hang out and drink Crown and cokes with Pantera than go shopping for eyeliner and leather boots with Marilyn Manson.

Steve: It's very different musically, thematically and lyrically. "13 Arcane Hymns" found us going for a band sound, whereas this time around we'll use any tools and our only goal is us loving the music. Also, we've been encouraged (by ourselves, haha) to get stranger and run down the rabbit hole at full speed. Good things are in there. For the most part, I find that artists who try to project a specific thing, whether it be a genre or a limited rational idea, are really boring. Now is the time to paint pictures we like and not worry if it's understood. I think that people will understand the emotion behind it. To really go deep within and pull out what comes up; everyone can relate to that. That involves facing things that don't make linear sense. I like lyrics that paint a picture rather than spoon feed; most lyrics I find incredibly direct and cheesy. We're really aiming for something different, and of course, a main thing that differentiates us is that the lyrics are not about self-improvement, preservation, struggle, or pushing some agenda. They're looking at the concept of reality without a filter or a self.

"Master Drone" is an easy one to misunderstand, but to sum up, I'm playing in the song. There's no conspiracy theory about us being fully controlled by any authority. I'm poking fun at what we tend to do. We give ourselves endless labels, some legitimate for certain purposes, and some illegitimate for any. Whether it be religious labels, opinion-based labels, political labels, employment or skill-based labels, educational, whatever. We end up taking them up as who we are and calling ourselves seekers, atheists, Christians, entrepreneurs, liberals, and now, life coaches, rational thinkers, social media experts, nerds, gamers, and so on. There are no human beings any more, or at least it's very tough to find one. Even in spiritual circles they call you an "old soul" or say you were a prince in a former life. So I'm just playing, saying "a fool in your last life, a rat in the next" so that we can throw all that away for a moment.

The malicious aspect of the labels we give ourselves, I think, is that they act as perceptual filters, and we see our world only through those filters. Have lunch with any of the titles I mentioned above and you'll see what I mean. They can't seem to escape the filter they've given themselves; complete tunnel vision. This is where I get the line "billions of teachers, no one left to be taught." No one is just here with an empty cup. It's more in fashion to build a very impressive facade, so impressive that you fool yourself too.

xFiruath: Who handled the artwork and how does that connect to the single?

Gustavo: Shaun Friesen does all the artwork for the Unravelling. He thinks way outside the box and my kids call him “Uncle Shaun” so he’s become like family. His strength is visionary art so early on we decided to trust him and extend him carte blanche in terms of artistic direction. I secretly call him our personal Alex Grey because he studied with the man personally. As a matter of fact, because of Shaun, our band is rubbing shoulders with these amazing creators in the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. How amazing is that?

Steve: I've been close friends with Shaun for years, and he was in fact heavily involved with my former band Inner Surge, doing our artwork and even playing in the band for a time. He channels his artistic inspiration from a very deep place, and it resonates with what we do and how seriously we take our art. He's an incredibly unique person and one of the most talented people I've known without a doubt. Gus and I feel lucky to be on this path with him. His company is Free Zen Design.

xFiruath: Is this new single heralding an upcoming EP, full-length (or anything in between) or is this a one-off shot to let the world know you exist again?

Gustavo: I’m not sure how much Steve wants me to reveal about the project release because he’s pretty strict with our marketing, but considering we’ve recorded 9 complete tracks already - I’m aiming for a 14 track full-length album. I think we should have some of Shaun’s signed artwork in there and maybe some personal tidbits from the band in each package. It takes a special offering these days for even myself to buy a hard copy of an album so we know that we will have to deliver the goods. Or maybe we might upload the album to pirate bay with an embedded trojan so we can access our fans’ computers remotely and run amok on their hard-drives.

Steve: We're going to release a preview EP which will include our two new/current singles with another new single in about 6 weeks. From there, we'll certainly release more singles before the album in order to keep the momentum up and keep giving people new music. But yes, a 14 track full-length sounds right. In fact, I want to release two 14-track full-lengths within 2 years. 9 tracks have been recorded and I'm really excited about the variety of what's happening. A lot of surprises are in store, for us too I'm sure! We want to build a large catalog that we're happy with; simple as that. One that you can sink your teeth into...so "Revolt" and "Master Drone" are just the first two steps on a long journey.

xFiruath: So I noticed someone in The Unravelling has a thing for mantis head masks... care to take a crack at explaining that one to any thoroughly creeped out fan scrolling through your Facebook feed?

Steve: That would be me. It came about without any planning whatsoever actually. In "Revolt" there is a commentary that says "Youth feeds on itself like the Mantis bride, poised for endless future with the baby inside." Of course, the mantis will often devour the head of her mate, so it represents to me the cannibalistic aspects of humanity, ignorance, and the youthful idea of a perpetual future. It also symbolizes immediate menace, I think. I thought this would make for an interesting visual in some of our art, photography, and music videos, so I commissioned a very talented mask maker to create a custom mask for me. I'm lucky I found him, because there really aren't many mantis masks available anywhere. Some of our imagery has a direct meaning, while some is meant to get your attention so you can take in the emotional weight of what's being expressed. That has a value too.

xFiruath: Will The Unravelling be performing any music live in the near future or is this staying a studio-only project?

Gustavo: To quote Mr. Neil Fallon “If you're gonna do it, Do it live on stage, or don't do it at all.” that pretty much sums it up for me. To me Fallon is like the best of Anselmo, Rollins, and Maynard all rolled into one, so if the man thinks secluding yourself in the studio is bullshit then I’d have to concur. It’s gonna be interesting though because there’s so much sequenced material to add to the setlist along with our favorites from “13 Arcane Hymns.”

Steve: Yes, we're going to be putting a new live setup together and likely touring the U.S. and Canada. It's all very exciting.

xFiruath: The Unravelling isn't the only band getting back together lately. There's been a deluge of reunions and reboots from the likes of Faith No More, At The Gates, Entombed A.D. and a whole lot more. Have any of these comeback albums caught your ear and really stuck out as something worth hearing lately?

Gustavo: Holy shit - At the Gates I remember listening to those guys when I was a teenager back in Barbados. In terms of the Gothenburg scene I prefer Dark Tranquility - I saw them open for Opeth once and they totally took over the place. Complete rock star showmen. I can certainly attest to Steve’s love of Faith No More but I don’t know them very well and my tastes in music seem to bounce all over depending on the seasons. Behemoth can do no wrong in my books though, to date they’ve been the best metal show I’ve seen, followed by Rotting Christ. Favorite overall live musical experience was getting to see Dead Can Dance play their first reunion show in Vancouver. That was a transcendent show.

Steve: Faith No More's "Sol Invictus" is my album of the year so far by a wide margin. I find myself humming it all the time, or singing to my cat "Sunny Side Up." He seems to like it. I'm also really enjoying Failure's new album "The Heart Is A Monster." There's a track on there called "I Can See Houses" that is absolutely numbing... very beautiful, dark stuff. It's nice to have Refused back too of course. Other than that, I've been listening to everything from Kongh and Subrosa to Vista Chino, Russian Circles Zomby, The Souljazz Orchestra, Yakuza, Whores, Miroist, Daniel Lanois and Two Fingers. All over the place.

xFiruath: What's going on in your local music/metal scene and have you seen any great shows lately?

Steve: I haven't had a chance to reacquaint myself with the local scene as I just moved back to Gusland (Calgary/Airdrie) from Vancouver, but I did catch the recent Daniel Lanois show with some close friends and it was excellent. I'd highly recommend his latest album "Flesh and Machine."

xFiruath: Anything else you'd like to add?

Gustavo: I’ve been reading some of the interviews on your site and I love how no matter what country or sub genre of metal the bands are from - we all seem to share similar challenges and victories. Awesome work guys, heavy music doesn’t have many legit outlets nowadays, but Metal Underground is fighting the good fight - thanks so much for giving us support and exposure. Peace and respect!

xFiruath: Thanks for your time!

Steve: That sums it up. It makes such a huge difference for a band like us to be given the opportunity to reach the Metal Underground audience, so I really can't thank you enough. So thank you, and we're excited to share a lot more music with you.

Ty Arthur splits his time between writing dark fiction, spreading the word about underground metal bands, and bringing you the latest gaming news. His sci-fi, grimdark fantasy, and horror novels can be found at Amazon.