CURSE THIS OCEAN, a post metal / post hardcore band based in Cagliari, Italy and Frankfurt, Germany have teamed up with us to premiere their upcoming album “Lightbringer”, to be released on December 15th, 2012 via StrikeDown Records. The outing is streaming in its entirety below! Watch out! This will be available for only 2 days!
Julian (vocals) and Mattia (bass) sat down with us to answer some questions about the album, touring, running a band based in 2 different countries, the end of the world 2012 and more interesting subjects. Scroll down to check it out.
The band started on Winter 2009 and thanks to Strikedown Records released a debut EP called “Cursed”. After lots of gigs a couple of European tours and some line-up changes, the band gets in the studio again, on June 2012, to record his first full length album called “Lightbringer”. Recorded at Hellsmell Studio in Rome, mixed at Die Tonmeisterei in Bremen and mastered by Magnus Lindberg of CULT OF LUNA, “Lightbringer” it’s an extremely raw, brutal and intense release.
Check out our chat with StrikeDown Records at this location.
[UPDATE] The full album stream has been taken down after 48 hours of streaming. It will be back after the official release date. Meanwhile, take a listen to their debut EP “Cursed”:
Welcome, guys! So nice to have you here. What’s up? I bet you’re busy as hell just before the release of your new record, huh? Nervous? [smiles]
Hello there, here’s Mattia and Julian from CURSE THIS OCEAN. First of all thanks for your time and support.
Yeah, it’s definitely a busy period the preorders of “Lightbringer”, our new album, started a few days ago, we are in the middle of the press promotion, plus we just started the booking of our next euro tour and we are setting the last details of a limited edition of our next release.
Many things are going on and we hope to get the most out of that.
How do you handle this promotion? How do you distribute the record?
Mattia:
Strikedown Records, our label is taking care about the distribution and press promotion even if we are putting our effort to do everything we can in first person.
Julian:
The social networks, at the moment, are really important in this sense, to spread the word, reach new people and help with promotion and booking duties.
You have recently debuted the official video for their song “Among The Wolves”. Tell us more about the picture.
Julian:
Basically, we wanted to give something different then the usual studio updates or previews to the people who were waiting for the album to be released.
The video was show during one of the shows of our Sardinian mini-tour, that we made in June before to get in the studio and its just a taste of our live show.
Mattia:
Plus it has been made without any budget, which is good since we are broke big time.
DIY, dawg! [smiles]
How many shows have you played this year?
Mattia:
Not so many. We had some logistical difficulties, cause I moved to London, Julian is from Frankfurt and the rest of the band is based in Cagliari, Italy. So the time we spent together we had to focus on the writing sessions and work on the new album.
Wow. Is it a threat to the band’s existence?
Julian:
It’s definitely different than a usual band. But also a lot of fun when were all back together. It offers different opportunities as well, for example getting the band known in three different countries at the same time due to friends and locations.
Mattia:
I think it’s a statement of devotion and commitment to the band.
When you see all the shit that comes together, in despite of the distance, you can be really proud and satisfied.
Julian:
We are all into the music and motivated enough to keep the band alive.
It’s a great potential to start multiple side projects, though [laughs]. Do you have any?
Mattia:
Well, yes. Except for the singer everybody else is involved in other musical projects. I’m starting a grindcore/crust/whatever band with some ex members of THROATS.
Marco, our drummer, has is own super occult black metal band called CROWED IN THORNZ; Corrado is playing in a incredibly good alternative rock band, THE EROTIK MONKEY and Nicola has a post rock solo project CHARUN.
Cool. But still, I guess this was the main reason for most of your line-up changes, right? How many times have CURSE THIS OCEAN regrouped?
Mattia:
Well, not really. We’ve changed a singer a drummer and two guitar players; most of the time we just split with them for personal reasons or due to a different conception of how being in a band and how to face sacrifices and troubles.
Julian:
Just Alberto, our former drummer left the band because He got sick of living in Italy and he moved away.
Ok, going back to the album, please tell us more about the time spent at Hellsmell Studio in Rome and people you worked with, Magnus Lindberg of CULT OF LUNA, and more.
Mattia:
It has been a great time. Like i told you it doesn’t happen too often that we are all together in the same place, so we enjoy this time together while recording.
We loved working with Alex at Hellsmell he is a really professional and focused studio engineer, we had some ideas in our mind and he did his best to make us happy; Role from Die Tonmeisterei took care about the mixing duties, he is one of the coolest and nicest guy we ever had the pleasure to work with, he would lose his head to get what you want if its needed.
Magnus Lindberg is a great professional as well, he gave us some good tips; we are still not sure about what he does [laughs] but he twisted all the things and made the them come together and sound as raw powerful and violent as we wished.
Did Carlo from StrikeDown Records arrange it? How did you tap those guys for this record?
Mattia:
Yes, Carlo set our recording session at Hellsmell Studio. At some point we were kind of unsure about our plans; He was there with his own band, Rise After Defeat and he told us some impressions and feedbacks about the studio so we decided to go for it.
Role did a really good job with ALPINIST and LIGHTHOUSE so we knew he was the right guy for us. Magnus worked with us in the past, we were amazed by his job and professionalism, so we decide to collaborate again with him.
What formats have you decided to use for this outing?
Julian:
The album will be release on vinyl in two edition, a regular one and a 100 copies limited edition. We are not interested into release a cd but maybe we will release a tape in the future. We’ll see. Both of them will be released with a digital download code.
Yeah, but four hundred 12’’ white vinyls is a lot, isn’t it?
Mattia:
Well you should ask it to Carlo from Strikedown Records, i guess he is just an optimist [laughs].
[laughs] Ok, guys. What gig are you looking forward to in the coming final weeks of this year? This year or maybe the end of everything! [laughs] December 21st is coming! [laughs]
Julian:
Unfortunately, there are no more shows for CURSE THIS OCEAN this year. We will focus on 2013 like we already said before, there is another European Tour coming up with COMITY from France.
Mattia:
Plus we are looking forward to play in Cagliari, our hometown on January. It doesn’t happens really often.
And what shows are you going to attend as audience?
Mattia:
Definitely NEUROSIS and GODFLESH in December, then CONVERGE plus TOUCHE AMORE and THE SECRET in November. I’ve already booked my tickets for the CULT OF LUNA show in January hoping for the world not to end till February [laughs].
Shit. You’re right. If you knew the world was going to end on December 21st, what would you spend that time doing?
Julian:
Puuuuh tough one.I would probably be pretty pissed because I’m going to do a trip to Jersey for Wrestlemania 29.I would spend a lot of hours crying because of that. All jokes aside: I’d probably spend some extra hours with my family and friends. I’ve been pretty lazy the last couple of weeks. So. Nothing special in particular.
Mattia:
Having sex, doing drugs, listening to BLACK SABBATH.
Ok, but seriously, do you believe in stories like that? Are you aware of the background behind the date?
Julian:
Yeah I’m aware of that. But they obviously miscalculated the leap years. So… fuck them.
Mattia:
I deeply despise everything that concern to superstition and religion. So, I know the story, but honestly it’s not my cup of tea.
Ha! Obviously you’re not a Christian metalcore band [laughs].
I’m at the AUGUST BURNS RED / THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gig in Warsaw this very moment (texting you another question). The DEVIL WEARS PRADA vocalist just shouted “One God”. What do you think about that? [smiles]
Julian:
I don’t know. I doubt that he reaches a lot of people with that statement. More over I’m not really a fan of “stage declarations” like that. I’m pretty much open for every persuasion, as long as people do not completely adjust their lives in god or religion. But I also understand that people need something to hold on to.
My answer to “One God” would probably be: Yeah, whatever.
I recently saw this amazing interview with Greg Bennick from TRIAL. We’re used to a lot of talking this guy does between the songs and people love it! I guess his words are more than just “stage declarations” and he tries to actually change things and make people know about stuff they’re not aware of. Lots of kids have changed their direction after such speeches.
Considering worldwide hardcore punk scene, do you have your own heroes, front men or authorities that you really respect for what they scream about and the message they spread?
Julian:
Yes, some singers are obviously pretty good in talking between the songs. Some politicians are pretty good in debating as well.I’m fine with that as long as it makes sense and has the right background like, for example, animal liberation or poverty in the world etc. etc. . I’m not really good at it so I prefer to leave the people alone.
I really like Jacob Bannon (CONVERGE), not because the stuff he screams, but for his passion for music. He just seems to be a nice guy.
I usually don’t visit a lot of hardcore shows here in Germany anymore. Especially in my city, the crowd cares more about fashion and tattoos, than about the music. (Hello “Wiesbaden-scene”, you really suck).
Mattia:
I wouldnt really compare Gregg Bennick to the guys in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.
From one side you can see a strong example of passion and dedication, he’s really committed into bearing a message of hope and change, trying to involve people and make them aware that a better world it’s possible; on the other side what do you have?! A mainstream band, that preachs of god and talks about “morality” to a bunch brainless teenagers?!
Well if you are into it, be my guest, I got better things to do.
[laughs] Dude, I’m not comparing what’s incomparable. It’s obvious. And you’re totally right. I was just asking about THE REAL people you have respect for.
Well, so that’s basically what’s up, I guess. Thanks guys for this chat, really appreciate it. Feel free to finish up with anything you want, shout out, whatever. Thank you! [smiles]
Mattia:
[laughs] No worries.
Thanks for your time and for supporting us, it has been a real pleasure.
I hope you and everybody will enjoy our next album so much that I can be forgiven for all the shit I’m saying.
Thanks a lot again.
