Demo:listen: SEEP

With all the incredible death metal coming out it’s easy to miss out on good releases. But last month saw the release of a demo that demands immediate attention. A one-man operation based in Maine, SEEP play brutal death-doom and their demo Souvenirs of a Necrosadist is exactly the kind of skull-fracturing, tolerance-breaking inhumanity that will keep our callused minds interested. Straightforward and single-minded, just as SEEP are at once bold and authentic. Born from a subtle mutation, a work of sadistic art, Souvenirs… brings forth three towering and toppling tracks of SEEP’s own brutal death metal + death doom hybrid sound. 

Finally coming to our senses after our first time listening to SEEP’s demo, we reach out to the band immediately. We were answered by one Vomitus, the everything-but-bassist behind SEEP. Vomitus confirmed they were the “solo skull” behind SEEP before explaining that bassist Meatsack “is a good friend of [theirs].” Vomitus tells us, “for the next release, it is likely that everything will be done entirely on my own.”

Souvenirs of a Necrosadist

They continue: “I’m a bit of an isolationist. I don’t like compromising my vision. And with SEEP, I have a very specific vision with regards to sound, concept, and visuals. […] That being said, it’s not all a personal choice. I really went it alone out of necessity. I live in a rural town that has a population of 2,000 people. There are more trees and trailer trash around here than there are musicians. […] I was a vocalist in a couple of local death metal bands in the past. I also have a long-running doom metal project. However, I’d prefer not to divulge the name of that project. It would give away who I am and I prefer anonymity. Living in a small town, raising children, it is best that people don’t find out about what I do in my spare time. Some people kill people; I make music about killing people.”

And we listen to the music they make about killing people. The way we see it, if one is to conceal their identity behind a band name, SEEP is an evocative and strong choice. 

Vomitus expresses their gratitude, says, “I knew from the beginning that I wanted a short, one-word band name. Meatsack and I bounced ideas off of one another. There were some other good ones but SEEP was just so disgustingly simple. It conjures up the image of pus oozing out of a wound. It’s gross. It’s memorable. And to my knowledge, it has never been used before.” 

So what inspired Vomitus to make brutal death-doom about killing people in the first place? 

“Originally, I had set out to write and record a demo in the death/doom genre but my love for brutal death metal seeped its way into the sound here and there,” they explain. “I really only had one goal with the songs on this demo: write the heaviest shit you can. No bullshit. No wankery. If a riff was too complex or too fast or not brutal enough, I trashed it or I slowed it way down. If a riff made me want to smash someone’s skull in, I kept it.

“I have been working on new material, and I’m taking the same approach this time, but I think the brutal/slam aspect is even more prevalent in these new songs,” Vomitus says. “It’s more of a conscious effort this time around to include it. I’m obsessed with the brutality of bands like Soils of Fate, Devourment, & Disgorge, but I also love the crawling filth of old death/doomers like Autopsy, Cianide, Disma, and Derkéta. Those two genres are the heaviest subgenres of death metal in my opinion, so it just makes sense to put them together.”

The demo title Souvenirs of a Necrosadist, Vomitus explains, came about because they “always liked how some old bands would do that with their demo tapes. Mythic with their ‘Immortal Realm’ demo or Internal Bleeding with their ‘Invocation of Evil’ and ‘Perpetual Degradation’ demos. Rather than pick a song title or a lyric, come up with a unique title that really encompasses the content within. […] The 3 songs on the demo are about murder and torture and cannibalism. I was trying to think of a phrase that encompassed all of that. I was lying in bed thinking about the lyrics on the demo and the title ‘Souvenirs of a Necrosadist’ just came to me. […] Think of notorious serial killers like Dahmer or Ed Gein. Oftentimes they will keep pieces of their victims (skin, a head, bones, etc.) as a token or a souvenir. That’s what ‘Souvenirs of a Necrosadis’ represents. When you have listened through the whole demo, you the listener have experienced being hung with a noose crafted from your own entrails, being cooked alive in a vat of urine, and other torturous tales. At that point, are you the victim or are you the mental-perpetrator of these vile acts? If you ask me: you are the necrosadist and this SEEP demo tape is literally your souvenir.”

Vomitus also reveals that “The track listing is actually ordered from oldest to newest. ‘Phlegm Burial’ was the first song I wrote for the demo and ‘Noose of Entrails’ was the last.”

Souvenirs… sounds massive and abominable, especially for a self-recorded demo. We thought for sure Vomitus had to be a sound engineer. Turns out, Vomitus says, “I actually have never recorded any bands before. I have only ever recorded my own music. I do’’t have any professional training. I don’t have Pro Tools or any other industry-standard DAW. I don’t re-amp my guitars. I record in a small room in my house; it’s not much bigger than a closet. I hit the record button, turn the amp up to 11, and play through the slop. That being said, I spent a ton of time on this demo with regards to EQ and mixing. Lots of trial and error. By the end of it, I was very happy with the result.”

Vomitus continues, “Fun is definitely the key to it all. When I write a riff that is so ignorantly heavy that it makes me smile, I know it’s a keeper. Same goes for lyrical content. When I came up with ‘Boiled In Piss,’ I was laughing at the absurdity. What a brutally disgusting way to die! Being cooked alive in your own fucking urine. Does it get nastier than that?”

We ask Vomitus what’s the formula for coming up for solid and refreshing aural violence. 

“I’d say that the formula is to not take yourself too seriously,” they say. “Don’t take your music too seriously either. I’m always of the belief that less is more. The simplest parts can be so much heavier than the complex. Some people like technical wankery and don’t get me wrong I do to an extent, but let me just say: if I had to choose between The Sound of Perseverance or Scream Bloody Gore, I’d choose the latter every time.” 

You’ve probably noticed by now that all the souvenirs for us necrosadists are long gone. Rest assured, Vomtius says, “Gurgling Gore [Maine-based death metal label] has sent the tape off to production. No official date yet but it looks like it will be available in mid-October. [The repress] be limited to 100 copies. There will be a sick longsleeve shirt to go with it, as well. So, I definitely recommend following Gurgling Gore on Instagram or you may miss out. If you’re into CDs, the NY death metal label Sevared Records released it on CD recently. Those are also limited to 100 copies. As of today, they still have some copies available in their shop.

Lately, Vomitus says, it’s been “lots of nasty riffing!” They continue, “I’m working on the follow-up to the demo right now. I will be recording it through the fall and winter. It will likely be an EP, though I may have a full-length’s worth. Just as before, I am going to hit record, turn up the filth, and whatever happens happens. Expect more downtuned heaviness, more ping-y snare drums, and more disgustingly violent lyrics.”

In closing, SEEP add: “Many thanks to Decibel for this opportunity and many thanks to everyone that has bought a tape, a CD, a patch, or a digital copy of the demo. You all rule!”