Behind The Tracks: BLASTED HEATH - Ape (Single) (2022)

Ape was the final song written for the record, we began with seven song "concepts" that were pulled from two initial jam sessions back in February 2020. One song didn't make the cut, it just sounded a bit more in line with our previous project Crown Hill Vulture and didn't fit the new direction. So we decided to write a new song kind of on the spot to replace it. I don't exactly remember but I think writing another thrashy cut was pretty deliberate as that was definitely the direction the sound was going in.

The core of the song came together pretty fast at one band practice, with Billy bringing in the hardcoreish riff leading into the black metal tremolo bit that became the verse/chorus section. I believe the transition into the soft interlude was already conceived at this point as well. Billy and I worked on the song a bit after Conrad left and then we honed the middle/end of the song over the course of a few more sessions. The idea to have the bass riff lead into the next part happened by total accident at one point when someone came in too early, resulting in the final structure where the bass teases the bridge riff at the end of the soft section.

We conceptualized (though didn't actually figure out how for quite awhile) the idea of something sort of like a theremin going over the soft interlude, which fit nicely with the Sci-fi themes that were being developed. This wasn't actually figured out till much later when we finalized the recording and I believe Billy used an Ebow to achieve that sound. The sample from "The Meteor Man" was a very last minute addition. I was looking for samples to go over The Wind in Vela and found a bit where the alien mentions being superior to Humans "Above you as you are above the apes" which fit the song really well so we tried it out and decided to add that in.

I don't remember exactly when I came up with the lyrical concept but at the height of the pandemic I was feeling particularly disgusted with people acting extremely selfishly, which I felt was prolonging and exasperating the whole situation. Humans embracing their selfish tendencies as opposed to coming together as a community to solve problems. If you look at history it's kind of always been this way, and it feels difficult to envision humanity overcoming such obstacles to reach their full potential any time soon. So its essentially a song about how most humans are loud, stupid, and selfish.

My interpretation of the "Meteor Man" sample is that they're almost like a member of the Q continuum from Star Trek, an omnipotent being mocking humanity's perceived inferiority. This theme gets explored further in The Wind in Vela where more "Meteor Man" quotes emerge. I also wanted to invoke sci-fi imagery in a not so subtle nod to properties like Planet of the Apes and 2001 A Space Odyssey, which will be explored further in an upcoming music video that's going to be shot on black and white 16 mm film to get a sort of vintage look.