Interview

Carnivora Talks New EP "The Vision"

Massachusetts outfit Carnivora is about to release a new EP titled "The Vision," which we'll be premiering a full stream of in the coming days.

To get you properly prepared for these four tracks of groove-infused death metal, we also chatted up guitarist Cody Michaud about the release - check out the full interview below, in which we discuss the ghosts of angry witches and hitting small markets on tour that are starved for metal.

If you missed it, be sure to also read Carnivora's recent entry to our growing roster of Pit Stories in which the band ended up in a brawl with a crowd of hardcore dancers.

xFiruath: In terms of actual releases, Carnivora is a fairly newish band with the first album dropping in 2013. What projects were the members involved with before Carnivora and how did the band end up getting together?

Cody: Carnivora is really everybody's first serious project. Dan [drums], Cam [bass], and Mike [guitar] were doing a 3 piece cover band for a bit, and I was in and out of little startup bands for a couple years prior. Nothing really clicked in a serious way until Scotty [vocals] called together a group of guys to write a few songs so that we could participate in this big battle of the bands he had heard about. That group of guys is our current lineup, and we decided we wanted to pursue what we were doing beyond that battle of the bands.

xFiruath: So tell me about life in Massachusetts. Literature would have me believe its filled with sanity blasting tentacled horrors from the stars and the spirits of vengeful witches. More importantly, what's going on with the metal scene in your area?

Cody: Haha, we're actually about 10 minutes away from all that witch stuff in Salem. The town we originally all come from is Danvers, which is historically significant to that stuff too. More importantly, though... the metal scene in Mass has been doing well the past couple years. When we were first getting our feet on the ground around 2011, we had a tough time finding places locally where the scene was alive. Since then, a really cool scene has reemerged throughout different areas in the state. In our area, around Boston and the north shore, our friend Dante [Killer Robot Promotions] has worked hard to develop a kickass scene in the past couple years. There's another scene out in central Mass. And a good scene out in western Mass too, which is where a lot of the home state heroes like Killswitch and Shadows Fall come from. I'd say it's a good time for metal right now in Massachusetts.

xFiruath: “The Vision” EP follows that previously mentioned full-length from back in 2013. When were these tracks written and how has the music changed in that time?

Cody: All of the songs for “The Vision” were written last summer [2014], and we went into the studio at the end of that summer. The aim this time was to focus into a more specific sound with an emphasis on quality songwriting in terms of structure. In that process, the music has become more dynamic and multi-dimensional, with a diversity of voices and depth that really shine through. We've held on to elements of our debut “Eternal” that we felt were our strengths, and pushed ourselves to take it to the next level from there. So far, people have really noticed the change in style. Our band will never be one that puts out the same record over and over, and I think evolution and experimentation can be important to young bands getting their start.

xFiruath: Fill me in more on the recording process for this release.

Cody: As mentioned before, we recorded in August of 2014. We did it all at the same studio where we recorded our debut, Westfall Recording Co. in NY. Over the years, we've become really close with our producer, Anthony Lopardo, and he has absolutely influenced our growth and style as a band. Ray Marte, who drums for an amazing band called Moon Tooth, mixed and mastered the whole thing. Working with him is awesome, because he totally understands the sound we want to achieve and has his own ideas for how it should be. He's just one of those musical dudes who has a natural feel for any instrument he touches, so having him work on the record is great. Juan Ortiz was our engineer this time and worked a lot with myself and Mike on guitar tracking. I'm pretty sure he isn't even 21 years old and this kid can out-shred guys twice his age. He brought a lot of cool ideas to the table creatively as well.

xFiruath: What sort of lyrical themes are happening throughout “The Vision?”

Cody: Lyrically, Scotty wrote it all and took a much more personal approach than before. On our debut, we did a lot of the anti-Christianity, religious apocalypse type stuff. Moving away from that, “The Vision” covers personal struggles, dealing with pain, and themes in that realm.

xFiruath: Does this EP herald a longer full-length or is this a standalone release that fans will have to be content with for awhile?

Cody: For now, the mission is to tour as much as we can and get this EP into as many hands as possible. Ideally, we'll be doing another full-length sooner rather than later. But realistically, we don't exactly know how the next few months will pan out for us in terms of touring and taking the band to the next step.

xFiruath: Have you read many reviews of the new EP so far, and if so, what's the best compliment you've gotten and the complaint that's left you most scratching your head in confusion?

Cody: We've had a handful of reviews so far, and they have been overwhelmingly positive. I read a review from Dead Rhetoric that mentioned the "musicianship, diversity, and dynamics" on the EP, and that type of stuff is nice to hear from critics! My favorite compliments are ones like that, which seem to really nail down exactly what you were trying to do. As far as complaints, I can't really think of any off the top of my head. With a change in direction, it's easy for people to tear into you. We haven't had that happen... yet, haha.

xFiruath: I see you guys have two upcoming dates in Montana, which is an anomaly for any metal tour (I live in Great Falls) but nice to see, as we need metal here too. You guys ever been to MT before, and are there any locations on the upcoming tour you are really looking forward to hitting this coming summer?

Cody: Yeah, the guy who booked this tour [Scott Clute, Tone Deaf Touring] is the man. He is bringing our tour with Mobile Deathcamp to a bunch of places where I've seen people post stuff like, "whoa, metal never comes here!" and that's really cool. This is the first full U.S. tour we've ever done, and we're excited for every single state. I've been to almost none of the states we're playing in. That said, I'm especially excited for our dates out in California and Texas. And Albuquerque, NM because it's where Breaking Bad takes place.

xFiruath: What's the best show you've played in recent memory?

Cody: We recently had a hometown show which ended up being such a good one. It's rare that we can play less than 10 minutes from where we live, and it's always fun to be able to party with a bunch of friends at a show. Another one I'll never forget is playing Mayhem Fest in Connecticut about a year ago. That was a dream come true.

xFiruath: What's on your musical rotation lately, and what's coming out you are really looking forward to?

Cody: Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Steel Panther! Thinking off the top of my head, newer releases I really enjoyed were from The Agonist and Psycroptic. Both of those albums slay. We cover a pretty wide spectrum of metal listening, though. A few of our guys are really into all the doom and sludge stuff coming out these days. I'm sure I can speak on behalf of the whole band and say we're excited for the new releases from Battlecross, The Black Dahlia Murder, and IRON MAIDEN! I'm also really excited for Act Of Defiance to put out their record. Our manager, Matt Bachand [Manshark Entertainment], plays bass with them and I'm sure what they've cooked up will be nothing short of incredible with that lineup!

xFiruath: Anything else you'd like to add?

Cody: We'd just like to send a huge thanks to Metal Underground for the stream and interview, and to all the press sites posting about our EP! As an independent band, it's huge to see our stuff get out to these audiences. See you on the road this summer!