Interview

Chicago's Extreme Collective Polyptych Reveals Details Behind New Album, "Illusorium"

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.

Oscuro: Songs like "Apotheosis," "White Shores" or "Illusorium" to just mention a few, seem to perfectly capture what this album (and Polyptych by extension) is about: genre-blender and full of twists and turns. Was this something you were consciously trying to achieve while composing these new material?

Frank Lato: Those phrases you use – full of twists, and genre-blender—is exactly what Polyptych strives to achieve with every single song we write. We are glad that you picked up on this because it is totally a conscious decision; we feel that there is no need to limit ourselves and we honestly just write what feels right to us, even if it sounds odd or unpredictable.

When writing, we tend to get bored very easily, so when we do write songs, we really make sure that we like them and that they are worth putting onto an album. “Illusorium” is by no means a short album; clocking in at 67 minutes, we knew we had a lot of material, however, we were confident that there was no filler on this album, otherwise we wouldn't have put out an album this long. We carefully dissect each song and make sure that there are no dead spots, and that no section is waste of time.

Oscuro: As a musical journey, "Illusorium" feels like an epic, quasy-conceptual album. Would you agree with this? Is that the case?

Frank Lato: “Illusorium” is a concept, however, each song can function on its own, as each song is its own story that is part of a larger one. This album is definitely a journey, especially in the sense that we feel each song matches the lyrics appropriately, and there is an intentional ebb and flow from song to song that matches what the lyrics do from beginning to end.

Oscuro: The sound of the album is quite impressive. In fact it was mixed at the famous Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida and co-produced by the band and Dave Kaminsky. Could you tell us more about the recording process, and your approach to production?

Frank Lato: We knew off the bat that the production had to be better than “Panels”, otherwise there would be no point in putting out an album with the kind of material we had written. Production is important to us, and we had to ensure that the recording of this album was going to bring these songs to life. For recording, we flew Dave and his brother Matt into Chicago to record the album at Groovemaster Studios. We worked for a long time in pre-production with Dave regarding the album sound we wanted.

The first important focus was the drums – we wanted the drums to be big and to carry this album. That is why the drums on the album are very much in the forefront. We feel as a band that drums are a very important part of not only the songwriting process, but as part of the final recording as well, so we made sure to put a focus on making the drumkit sound huge. For guitars, we double-tracked everything using a combination of Engl and JCM800 amplifiers; blending these two tones gave the album its sludgey and dark, yet clear timbre. We feel that all the riffs can be heard, and all the intricacies of the record are audible—again, something that “Panels” doesn’t quite achieve.

For bass, it was important that it cut through the mix. Since we are tuned lower and the album retains a dark tonality, it made more sense to have a brighter, punchier bass tone instead of providing too much low end that can muddy up a mix. Bass was recorded through a Fender Bassman 300 Pro head and a Mesa cab, and mixed relatively high.

Vocals were also important to this album, with several spots having single, double tracked, group, and gang vocals depending on the part of the song. Since the three of us can do vocals, we are able to do specific textural things with them. Once the album was recorded, we brought the tracks to Morrisound where Dave was currently working, and there is where we finalized the sound of the record. Dave took the album to another level in the mix stages, keeping the drums beefy, the guitars crisp, and the vocals right in the middle. We feel the largely expansive sound comes from the drum sounds and a meticulous mix. The icing on the cake was having the album mastered by V. Santura (Dark Fortress, Triptykon).

Oscuro: Budget-wise, it must have been challenging to record an album like this without the proper support from a label. Did your monetary limitations bring any extra pressure or tensions while recording?

Frank Lato: Well, we actually did an IndieGoGo campaign to help with the creation of “Illusorium.” We raised about $2000, and we did not expect to get this much, otherwise we probably would not have been able to mix at Morrisound. We were overwhelmed by the amount of contributors and people willing to support the band, so in return we put in our best effort to make a great sounding album.

We were able to finance the recording at Groovemasters on our own, so there was no pressure or tension while recording; there was just no way we could have covered recording AND mixing without the help of the contributors.

Oscuro: Do you think that it would had been different with the support of a label?

Frank Lato: It is definitely hard not being on a label and there is a lot more we have to pay for, but with the limitations we have, we feel the band has been doing really well. We know there are mixed opinions out there regarding these fundraisers; however, not only can it allow artists to create something they might not have been able to initially without the money, but it also lets the artists give back to the people. The contributors then really feel like they were a part of the creation of something artistic, so it works very well both ways.

Oscuro: The magnificent album cover, painted by the talented Kris Kiesling of Misanthropic Art, seems to be the perfect introduction to the album. It really motivates the listener to find out more about music. How is this graphic (and also the inner illustration) related with the album's music and lyrics?

Frank Lato: We are completely happy with the artwork, and it is indeed the perfect introduction to the album—it is just as chaotic, unpredictable, and intricate as the music itself.

We initially hired Manuel Tinnemans to do the artwork; however, he was unreliable and did not provide us with anything, so we had to make a change. Fortunately, we noticed Chris had done some brilliant artwork for the recent Loss / Hooded Menace split, and we immediately contacted him. When we pitched the album to Chris, we told him exactly what you had mentioned in the question—that we want the images to be strong and compelling, yet cause the listener to want to find out more. We did not want a literal interpretation of the concept. Chris quickly translated sketches into broader visuals that nailed exactly what we were going for, and more. It was Chris’s call to do paint as well; we had initially wanted a black/white/grey drawing but the paint really made a difference.

The paintings both front and inside, relate to the lyrics in the sense that they are somewhat of a highlight / summary of what occurs in the overall concept. Chris managed to find a way to include the most important points of the concept into the images he made, while maintaining a nature that allows the listener to still question the images and what might be happening.

Oscuro: There's no doubt that you're a band with plenty of potential and impressive musical material. But, I imagine it must be hard for you trying to find a niche and solid following in today's over-saturated market. In your opinion: What are you biggest challenges as an independent band?

Frank Lato: Our biggest challenges are getting people (specifically the right people) to hear the record and to create a strong fanbase. We have started to slowly do that by playing shows in Chicago, and by promoting the album heavily online via social networks. This has worked well so far.

We have also been fortunate enough to play alongside bands such as Ulcerate and Leprous, which have been great experiences for us. The Chicago metal scene is pretty strong, so we feel that if we keep playing around Chicago, our fanbase will slowly grow and hopefully reach to other states and countries.

Another challenge comes in songwriting; it is very hard to separate your sound from other bands’ sounds, but we hope that we achieved that on “Illusorium.” When we write, we try to listen to our songs and decide whether or not they sound like other bands, or sound like Polyptych. We feel that “Illusorium” was a big step in defining our own sound, and that is something we will focus on evolving in the future.

Oscuro: "Illusorium" is out there for the world to enjoy. Now it needs to find a broader audience... Why people should give it a try?

Frank Lato: We feel that, despite all the other metal bands out there right now, “Illusorium” has a unique sound and feel to it. It is a dense record and a giant leap forward for us, and we believe that our attention to detail is what makes this album shine. It is a good combination of material from “Panels” mixed with newer sounds that we will continue to expand upon on future records. We think people will be hooked once they listen to this material because in each song, we made sure to have a part or parts that are memorable. Whether it’s the ending of “Apotheosis” or the intro to “Aphelion”, we feel each track stands well on its own and brings something new to the table.