If you haven’t been listening to the lo-fi doom derisions of Spectral Voice, after Decibel hair lord Dutch Pearce told you to (several times, in an urgent if not high pitched voice), then you really haven’t been paying attention. The band’s dedication to the dusty, shadowed and frightening corners of the extreme music spectrum have led them here, to this month’s Eroded Corridors of Unbeing, released next week by Dark Descent Records. It’s the perfect record for the end of October, the perfect way to scare away the saints that usher in November. (That’s how it’s supposed to work, right?)
For this month’s issue (#157, November 2017, Cannibal Corpse cover), we had a chance to interview drummer/vocalist Eli Wendler, but since not all of his responses fit in our allotted word count, here’s the rest of the interview.
What are some of SV members’ other important interests? How else, beyond SV, do you spend your time? Can you pinpoint ways in which these other parts of your life impact the music you’re making?
All of us have our personal lives, but this band is a huge part of them. This band operates less as a collective of individuals, and more like one being with its own intention and direction. A lot of our time is devoted to the band.
Weird question: The music I was given sounds like it was mastered at a much lower volume… Is this a specific choice you’ve made? Or is this a moronic question?
Not a moronic question, but the album sounds the way it was intended to be heard. Each element of the record has its own purpose, and we worked meticulously to achieve our desired presentation. The mixing process took place over 3 days and Pete from World Famous worked with us to get the sound that we wanted. He did a great job mastering it, and it compliments the aura of the music well.
SV members have a lot of experience with other bands… Does SV work similarly to those other bands, or are there particular differences in the way that SV functions?
I personally try to maintain SV as completely autonomous as possible. Naturally, we do things in ways that we feel are right, so those ethics carry into other projects we’re involved with. As far as operations, we’ve been doing the same thing we always have. Certain sounds and riffs are for different bands and nothing brought to SV is considered for any other band, and vice versa.
How often have you performed SV material onstage? What have your tour experiences been like so far? Any highlights or particularly frustrating situations?
Very often. We tour as much as possible. So far every tour has been a success for us. Highlights for me would include Covenant Festival with Sempiternal Dusk, and touring with Undergang in July of 2016, since we had talked about working together since (before) the beginning of SV. The list of shitty things that happen on tour is an endless one – from getting robbed, to the van breaking down and canceling shows. Every tour is full of both but every tour ends up being worthwhile, and there are no plans to stop anytime soon.
Do you have any current plans for SV’s next step? Tours, more recordings, etc.?
We have a European tour planned for October. We have some more splits planned, an EP that would accompany the full length, and more tours in the works. the plan is to keep moving until its time to descend back into the 5th cave and work on new material.
Pre-order your copy of the new album here.
