As Spiritual Deception gears up for the release of "Semitae Mentis," the band takes us on a journey through the album's creation, featuring insights on collaborations, thematic depth, musical evolution, and future plans.
1. Congratulations on the upcoming release of
"Semitae Mentis"! Can you share the inspiration and creative process
behind this full-length album, especially considering the guest contributions
by Karl Sanders (Nile) and Luc Lemay (Gorguts)?
"Semitae
Mentis" was written over an extended period and after numerous lineup
changes. The band's stability was found with the EP Oxymoron, from which we
began to define our sound, shaping it into what it is today: a modern and
melodic yet technical and brutal death metal. The writing of "Semitae
Mentis" began in 2018, continued in 2019, but was put on hold with the
arrival of Covid19. We couldn't record and finish the album as we wanted, so we
limited ourselves to releasing the EP Oxymoron, which was easier to manage
remotely. The global standstill of the pandemic gave us the chance to revisit
what had been written and refine the songs. From that point on, in 2022, we
finalized our first full-length album, "Semitae Mentis." We entered
the studio in August 2022 and concluded the recordings in late 2023. The album
was ready in February 2023.
Within a
few months, we were fortunate to have found two labels of the caliber of
Amputated Vein Records, for physical distribution, and Earache Records Digital
Distribution for the album release.
During a
tour in Italy with Nile, we were lucky to meet Karl Sanders in person, who then
agreed to collaborate on our song "Thousand Lives Within." Considering
the song's sound, Karl was the perfect guest. The track draws inspiration from
Borges' story "The Immortal," where the first half is set in the
Middle East and we wanted to recreate those sounds. Sanders was fundamental because,
besides singing, he contributed by playing the Baglama in the final part of the
song.
As for Luc
Lemay in "Dirac Sea," there was a different approach. When we wrote
the intro to this song, we had no doubts that Luc could be the perfect guest.
The intro of this track recalls some of the atmospheres that Gorguts have
crafted in their recent songs. So, I tried to contact Luc, who promptly
responded and expressed his full willingness to participate in this song. Once
the song was mixed, we sent it to Luc, who was very happy with the result! We
are also euphoric and can't wait to share "Dirac Sea" with the world.
We take this opportunity to thank our guests once again!
2. "Semitae Mentis" marks a
significant progression in your sound. How would you describe the evolution of
Spiritual Deception from your earlier EPs to this album?
As previously mentioned, in the past works, the lineup of Spiritual Deception was never stable. It was only with Oxymoron that we managed to solidify it. We can even say that Spiritual Deception truly begins from this EP: in fact, Oxymoron can be considered a kind of "raw product" of Semitae Mentis and quite different from the two EPs preceding it. Semitae Mentis further develops the sounds already explored in Oxymoron and takes them to a higher technical and compositional level.
3. The album's tracklisting suggests a thematic
connection with the concept of decadence. Could you elaborate on the
overarching theme and narrative that runs through the songs, particularly the
"Decadence" series?
"Semitae Mentis" is Latin and literally translates to "the
paths of the mind"; all the songs contained in the album indeed deal with
philosophy, history, literature, and/or science, which are the highest products
of the human intellect. Semitae Mentis is a tribute to the disciplines
developed by mankind over the centuries, in their purest and most disinterested
form.
The DECADENCE series is a meta-concept within the album. We aimed to
address the process of decay from different perspectives. In "The I
Swells," the focus is on the interiority of the self, on the selfishness
of the individual that inexorably leads to destruction and self-destruction. In
"Atavic Future" and "The Days of Sleep," we imagined the
decline of human society, describing in "Atavic Future" what could be
the remains of our society once destroyed, and in "The Days of
Sleep," the possible causes of this destruction.
In "To the Coldest Decline," we wanted to expand the viewpoint
as much as possible; we started from a physical theory (the heat death of the
universe) to envision and describe what could happen at the "death"
of the entire universe billions of years from now.
4. Spiritual Deception is known for its blend
of atmospheric, technical, and brutal death metal. How do you navigate these
diverse influences to maintain a cohesive musical identity?
To maintain
coherence in composition, we always follow the same process. Each of us has
different musical influences and skills, which helps us bring diverse nuances
to our songs. For instance, Mirko is influenced by death/core/slam, Manuel by
black metal, I, Riccardo, lean towards technical/progressive, while Billy
prefers death old school.
Typically,
Mirko and I do the initial writing, and then, depending on the type of song we
aim to create, whoever is more attuned to that particular sound will take
charge, ensuring a solid song structure. Once the structure is defined, we
rehearse it in the practice room.
5. Your band name is rooted in a philosophical
concept from SĂžren Kierkegaard. How does this philosophy influence your
approach to songwriting and the themes explored in your music?
We're very passionate about philosophy and literature, and often, we
address themes related to them, albeit never too explicitly or in excessive
detail. We enjoy paraphrasing and drawing parallels with reality, adding a
tangible touch to disciplines that the audience might perceive as abstract but
are, in fact, very concrete. As a general approach to our songwriting, we aim
to spark an interest in the listener regarding a particular theme, so that they
are encouraged to delve deeper into the subject on their own. In our own small
way, we want to serve as a stimulus for knowledge in a society that seems to
have forgotten its importance.
6. The album covers themes of philosophy,
astronomy, history, and literature. How do these diverse subjects contribute to
the overall message you aim to convey through your music?
As mentioned in the response to the previous question, we strive to make
culture in general one of our core values! Therefore, we constantly seek common
ground among these different overarching themes.
7. Can you share your experiences working with
renowned figures like Karl Sanders and Luc Lemay on "Thousand Lives
Within" and "Dirac Sea," respectively? How did these
collaborations come about, and how did they impact the creative process?
I think I
may have inadvertently answered that in point 1 :’)
8. As an atmospheric death metal band, how do
you translate the complexity of your music into a captivating live performance?
What can fans expect from a Spiritual Deception
concert?
In recent
years, we've placed a lot of emphasis on enhancing the quality of our live
performances, both in terms of stage presence and execution. We've invested
significantly in upgrading our equipment, and when circumstances allow, we plan
to add a sound engineer to our team. Looking ahead, we'd like to handle our
lighting and tailor it to our live shows. Given the scope of the project, this
isn't something we can achieve in the short term, but we're confident that
we'll be able to accomplish this goal in due course.
9. Since 2016, Spiritual Deception has been
shaping its sound. What challenges and triumphs have you encountered along the
way, and how have they contributed to your growth as a band?
With each release, we've realized technical, compositional, or production
errors that have helped us "fine-tune" the path we wanted to pursue.
Simultaneously, we've become aware of the strengths of our songs and their
performance, both live and in the studio. We've actively worked to rectify the
former and emphasize the latter. I believe that with Semitae Mentis, we've
reached a good point. This is the standard we aim to maintain going forward,
always striving to improve.
10. Your music often delves into melodic
elements, from guitar harmonies to liturgical choirs. How do you balance the
brutality of death metal with these more intricate and melodic aspects?
All the members of Spiritual Deception love death metal, or else we
wouldn't be here. However, over the years, both as musicians and especially as
listeners, we've realized that the songs that stick with most people are the
ones with a melody... You know, the ones you sing in the shower ;’). This
peculiarity is a bit contrary to death metal, which by definition is brutal,
technical, and fast; conceived initially as the 'antithesis' of the melody
intended as that catchy tune you sing in the shower. Nevertheless, several
bands throughout history have developed the melodic aspect in their songs while
maintaining the brutality characteristic of death metal. We too decided to
embrace this aspect while staying true to the genre's roots. So, it's not
uncommon to find in our compositions fast and chaotic sections accompanied or
overlaid with melodic breaks, without, however, veering into a genre definable
as 'melodic'.
11. With the release date approaching, what are
your expectations for "Semitae Mentis," and how do you hope listeners
will connect with the album?
Given the effort and work we've put into this album, our expectations are high because we believe we've created a good product. With two singles released, the feedback from listeners so far confirms what we hoped for, and we're very pleased about it. Several months remain until the release, and during this time, we hope that the excitement continues to grow.
Regarding
connection, as in engaging with the album from the listener's perspective, we
always hope that people are encouraged to buy the CD and all the merchandise
related to it. Unfortunately, we're aware of the current times, and we know
very well that purchasing CDs is becoming increasingly rare. Spotify, iTunes,
Apple Music, and YouTube are the main sources of listening and promotion for
bands and we're aware of this trend, so we actively push our presence on these
platforms to reach as many people digitally as possible.
We'd like
to take this opportunity to tell our listeners that what truly supports a band
is attending their live shows and buying their CDs and merchandise. This is the
real support that a band receives from you to continue making the music you
enjoy and thus entertain you at live performances. Without this help there
wouldn’t be any, probably.
12. Looking ahead, what are the future plans
for Spiritual Deception? Any upcoming tours, collaborations, or new projects on
the horizon?
We're
currently heavily focused on the album release. We're organizing tours and live
shows in Europe and, as soon as we have confirmed dates, you'll see them on our
social media. The first announcements shouldn't be too far off. We're eager to
perform live because in recent years, between the pandemic and being confined
to the studio recording the album, we've had little time for live performances.
We'd like to dedicate the coming year solely to playing and promoting this
album; we want to understand what the public thinks of this album. People's feedback
is crucial to us because it will help us understand how to shape our future
work.
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