Interview Inherit The Ashes

Meet Inherit The Ashes, formed in 2022 as a departure from doom metal. Their debut single "FLORIDA MAN" earned international acclaim, blending death and black metal. Discover their unique sound and global impact.

Congratulations on the formation of Inherit The Ashes in 2022! Can you tell us about the origins of the band and how it all came together?

Nic: Thanks! We were a little burnt out on the slow, heavy doom stuff and decided that the three of us would like to continue playing music together. So naturally the question arose, what we were going to do genre-wise and since I'm a huge fan of both modern and old-school death metal I suggest we try that.

 

In April 2023, you released your debut single "FLORIDA MAN," which received significant international attention. How does it feel to gain such recognition for your first release?

Norman: Feels pretty surreal. For me it‘s the first release of any original music, hence I don‘t have any appropriate measure to compare the release of Florida Man to. Especially because it‘s my first release ever it feels amazing to gain international recognition from places I didn‘t expect.

"FLORIDA MAN" has been praised for its blend of Old School Death Metal with Black Metal and modern, technical elements. How did you approach creating this unique sound?

 

The band's members were previously part of Rage Of Samedi. How has your previous experience influenced the direction and style of Inherit The Ashes?

 Norman: I think because of the familiarity that comes with playing together for a while we were able to get into a productive and effective routine of song-writing, practicing and recording pretty smoothly. There has just been this foundation, be it technical, musical or on a friendship level that elevated the process of getting started and excited in the firsf place.

 

The quote, "These dudes are tighter than a nuns chuff!" from DCXPC suggests your music is incredibly cohesive. How do you ensure a strong musical connection between band members?

Norman: I think that‘s all about respect for each others’ creative liberties, aligned sense of direction, not putting ourselves into any particular boxes stylewise and mutual understanding of what it means to put in the work it takes to write and perform on a somewhat professional level.

 

"FLORIDA MAN" was described as "crushing" by Underground n proud. What themes or emotions were you aiming to convey through this song?

 Norman: For me it represents alot of stereotypes about America, especially the meme culture behind Florida people and the insane news headlines associated with it. After all, alot of things sadly but truly are not just exaggerated satire but can be traced back to serious issues that define America in alot of people‘s eyes. The best way for some people to cope and raise awareness is to make fun of it. We combine that with lyrics we feel highlight what‘s going wrong.

With international attention, your music has been reaching fans worldwide. How does it feel to have such a global impact with your music?

 Nic: like Norman said, it's absolutely surreal. This is our second single and we're reaching people from all over the globe with our flavor of metal and I think that just goes to show, that metal is a unifying force.

 

Headbangers News mentioned your music's blend of different metal genres. How do you balance these influences while maintaining your distinctive sound?

Nic: It's really not an either-or problem. I think we have a pretty unique sound because we don't stick to any particular box and allow us to experiment a bit within the confines of the extreme metal umbrella.

 

As a relatively new band, what are your long-term goals for Inherit The Ashes?

Nic: We're just getting started, so for now we're just focusing on getting our music out there and seeing if people connect with it. I'd personally love to play Rock in Rio or Wacken st some point, but that's not something we're actively chasing right now.

Can you share any insights into your songwriting process? How do you come up with the themes and ideas for your music?

Nic: Jan and I are responsible for the riffage, but we're also both drummers as well, which makes it fairly easy for us to see rhythmic patterns. We discovered with Rage Of Samedi, that we both like to work on riffs at home and record a rough skeleton of a track. We typically then do some arranging together in the rehearsal space and if we like the end product of this process I have to come up with lyrics.

Given my background in philosophy and my love for anthropology and astrophysics, topics generally seem to focus on human behavior or space-time or both as an allegory for each other.

 

"Any fan of the genre will be banging their head!" – Roadie Metal. How important is it for you to connect with your audience through your music?

Norman: For me it‘s very important to connect with people, especially through passion. Doesn’t matter if we’re the ones making the music or simply listening. Music is one of the most expressive artforms conveying alot of emotion you really have to experience before you understand it. With that in mind it‘s still not really that logical, it‘s more like a natural bond created through passion, enjoyment and shared opinions and emotions.

 

In the competitive world of metal music, what do you think sets Inherit The Ashes apart from other bands?

Nic: I think we really just focus on making music we like and that makes our heads bob. We're really comfortable not being in one box.

With the success of "FLORIDA MAN," are there any plans for a full-length album in the near future?

 Nic: Eventually yes, but for now nothing too concrete yet, we still have a bunch of tracks we'll release as singles for the first bit just to keep the momentum going.

 

How do you feel about the current state of the metal music scene, and do you see any trends that might influence your future work?

Norman: Metal music‘s currently gaining alot of attention in the public eye with huge artists who conventionally have no affiliation with the scene raising awareness about their favorite metal artists and alot of metal artists making it into mainstream through social media platforms. I‘m glad to see the scene a little bit more thriving, especially with more youth culture getting into it. As we‘re trying to keep it fresh and exciting I‘m convinced we‘re gonna do whatever we feel like doing with upcoming music, which is oftentimes influenced by what we‘re listening to, like trendy music, including but not exclusively in the metal genre. The point is that we‘re not trying to chase trends or copy specific aspects that are trendy right now, we‘re just having fun playing what feels right to us.

In addition to creating music, do you have any plans for live performances or tours?

Nic: For sure! This year we're looking forward to just getting out there and playing in front of people as much as we can and for next year ideally we'd like to hit a few festivals.

That being said, this year we're supporting Capra, Escuela Grind and Slaughter The Giant as well as playing our debut show in our hometown.

 

Is there anything else you'd like to share with your fans or potential new listeners about Inherit The Ashes?

Thanks for checking us out, thanks for supporting a young band, you are awesome!

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