Amidst a sea of reunions from thrash and old school death metal bands, (do we really need a new album from that Avon, OH gore band that put out an EP that wasn’t original even 20+ years ago?) it seems even more disheartening that an excellent band creating unique music has announced their last album.
Goes Cube hasn’t been an easy band to classify, which is part of why their name often appears in “sounds like” descriptions…. the other part being their abrasive yet distinct blend of metal, post hardcore, and generally boisterous rock. Guitarist/vocalist David Obuchowski (also of dB-faves Publicist UK) got in touch with us to explain a few things about the decision to discontinue the band. Read his sentiments below — to which descriptors like “authentic” or “genuine,” which are not used every day in extreme metal, seem very fitting.
Why it’s the final album/about the band:
This next album will be our third full-length album. But, most importantly, it will also be our final album. That is a really difficult thing to tell people, but it’s what needs to happen at this point. Goes Cube formed in Brooklyn in 2003 as a duo, but we didn’t really take shape until Kenny joined late that next year in 2004. Goes Cube was a band that practiced constantly (about 20 hours every single week), toured all the time, recorded a ton, and played way too many local NYC shows. We put all of ourselves into it. And I think we did something that mattered to some people, at least.
We tried to do something memorable and different. In the last few years, other projects have come together for us. Our bass player, Matt Tyson, produced a devastating documentary on veterans called Thank You For Your Service, which is being screened all over the country. Our drummer, Kenny, is in Cleanteeth and White Widows Pact, who are tearing it up. And I’m in Publicist UK who was fortunate enough to sign to Relapse Records. But throughout all these years, we’ve been writing and writing, and planning for this last album. When Publicist UK went on its most recent tour, a lot of people were asking me, “Hey, what’s the deal with Goes Cube? Did you guys break up?” It’s not right that Goes Cube would just fade away, like, oh, they must not be doing anything anymore. We just feel like we need to make this next album (and whatever shows we do to support it) our best yet, and our final statement.
About the label situation:
For this album, we’ve signed with Old Flame Records (who’ve put out records by bands like Dead Confederate, Potty Mouth, Life Size Maps). Old Flame has been a longtime supporter of Goes Cube, and I have worked with them on other projects (namely, Distant Correspondent). They’ve got a history of putting out a diverse range of music including noise, and punk, which are big components of our sound. We’ll definitely be the heaviest thing the label’s put out to date, which we like. And we’re honored to be a part of the roster.
About the studio and producer:
We’ll start tracking the album in late April. We’ll be recording in New Hampshire at the Wild Arctic Studios in New Hampshire. [Producer] Dean [Baltulonis]’ resume is a million miles long, especially when it comes to hardcore and metal, but we’ve got a very long and strong relationship with Dean that dates back to 2005. By then, he was already running a successful studio out of DUMBO in Brooklyn, and he had us come in and record an EP. It was one of those things, where he really liked us, he got what we were going for, and he wanted there to be a good recording. As we put ourselves on tour over and over and over again, Dean never lost faith, and he’d get us back in the studio. So when it finally came time for us to record full-length albums, we always went to Dean. So with this many years working together (Dean’s also produced some of our other projects, such as Publicist UK and White Widows Pact), he gets how our sound has evolved. And we also just work together really well.
About the songs on the album:
The next record is going to include some songs we workshopped on the road for years, and some newer songs that no one has ever heard before. We’re all so excited about this record, because it will absolutely be the heaviest thing we’ve done yet, but it’s also going to recall our roots a little more than our last record did. In other words, we think this really combines a lot of the hooks and catchiness of the first record and the heaviness that we were getting at in our second record. And since we had about 25 songs to choose from for this record, we’re definitely feeling like we’ve got the songs narrowed down to where it’s only the best of the best.
Band members and the end:
The end of Goes Cube has nothing to do with how all feel about each other. We’re like family. And I’m definitely including our original bass player (and co-founder), Matthew Frey, in that statement. He’s both supportive and excited about this next record, and also sad to see Goes Cube come to an end. But he gets it, too. Anyways, my point in saying this is that, I’m sure you’ll see us all collaborating with each other again somehow (and, trust me, I have no idea how yet, as there are no plans whatsoever). Putting aside Goes Cube will allow us to work together in new ways, too.
You can keep up with Goes Cube via Facebook; get more information about the band via the Wikipedia page that was created about, but not by, them; and stream their music via their YouTube page.
