Interviews: THE TONGUE OF EDEN

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Metal/EDM band, THE TONGUE OF EDEN. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

E: I came across and started obsessing over it after reading the book ‘Snow Crash’ by Neal Stephenson (an excellent read by the way if you enjoy futuristic sci-fi). ‘The Tongue of Eden’ is the name given to the fictional divine language (the language of Adam) believed by some early religious types to enable all humans to communicate with one another without misunderstanding. The very speech of creation.

We wanted to flip this idea out of its general connotation with god, and err on the side of sacrilege…as our message is not one of god/s, but that of humanity, and anti-religion. This is coupled with the allegory of Eden, where the tree of life is hoarded by an omniscient being, and to eat of the fruit, or gain knowledge, is restricted by this overlord deity. Rebelling this way is to sin and be banished.

For our purpose, it works toward our lyrical concepts that revolve around humans being capable of honing the knowledge to communicate and coexist with one another peacefully, harmoniously…without god, without weaponized religion halting progress, and towards the cultivation of a possible “Eden”.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

E: Ian and I both enjoy extreme metal, edm, and many other various things we hope to touch on with this project. I wouldn’t say that there are necessary “boundaries” for what we intend to do with it musically, but we both wanted to create something that primarily revolved around the blending of extreme metal and edm/synthwave that we felt we had not heard before. It fits well with us as people, and the concept of the band musically, lyrically, and visually.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

E: Yes. We met and became friends when my band Wrought of Obsidian played a show together with his former band called Debutante Brawl. We hit it off as friends do, and learned early on that we both had a similar love of music, art, and production, as well as a lot that we could learn from one another…and here we are.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

E: I really can’t name a “favorite”. I do know that we both are constantly looking for new things, as well as going back to find treasures in things that came before. Strong friendships exist when music is shared back and forth. You can tell a lot about a person that way. Notable bands I've been really into lately are Psycroptic, Gaerea, Inferi, Kardashev, and I'm anxiously awaiting the new Cattle Decapitation.

I: Favorites are difficult and constantly changing for me, like Eric said we both are always finding new music we love, and making a conscious effort to never become that guy saying “back in my day!” and just listening to the same stuff over and over haha, but some stuff I’ve been digging lately would be The Armed, Nitepunk, Vein.fm, END, and IMANU

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

E: Many things, but chiefly for this project I’d say for me, it is the rage provided me by many nefarious folks of the cloth and their followers. So in short, religious zealots take their beliefs out of their personal space and impose them with force upon the masses.

That, and always wanting to create heavy, interesting music/art that we enjoy, with the hope that others will too!

I: Anything and everything: movies, music, life experiences. I got really interested in filmscoring when I was younger so I like music that enhances concepts and stories, and Eric seems to have no shortage of either. So I mostly let Eric take the conceptual reigns and run with the ideas until I get somewhere that feels right.

6. Where was your last gig?

E: This project has not had any yet, BUT once the full album is complete we plan on doing as many as we can.

7. Where would you like to act?

E: We hope to start regular performances and touring cycles once we have enough material under our belt.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

E: Anyone who has belief in what we’re trying to do and it would be positive for all parties involved!

9. Whom not?

E: Anyone who is the opposite of the above statement. Haha

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

E: Personally I suffer from some anxiousness before any show, no matter the size. I generally try to stay hydrated, warm up, stretch, and do some breathing exercises. All those things help keep the mind level and best prepped for the performance. Once the music starts all the anxiety goes away for me as the adrenaline kicks in. If you’re thinking about other things while you’re performing (bills you gotta pay, what you’re gonna eat after, or saying to yourself “this fucking rules”, etc..) and not focused on if you’re messing up…that means you’re doing it right. Haha

I: I’m definitely always anxious before a show, and typically disappear into a solitary corner for about 30 minutes before I go up to silently panic for a bit haha. The more times I went on stage, the less time the anxiety lasted, so for me it’s really just kind of been a process of pushing through the discomfort until I got used to it.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

E: For the sake of not listing 1,000 bands, I’d say the ones that stick out to me right now pertaining to the direction of this project are: Behemoth, Perturbator, Igorrr, and Carpenter Brut…but there are so many others.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

E: Nothing weird yet. Hopefully, we’ll have some weird stories for a future interview!

13. What do you think of your fans?

E: Love anyone who is a fan of us, period. Again, we are a brand new project, but so far the response has been heartwarming, encouraging, and validating. We are very appreciative of anyone who enjoys what we’re doing.

14. What do you think of our site?

E: Very cool and very informative. I’ve been clicking through!

15. Something to add?

E: We appreciate you reaching out and conducting this interview, and would like to thank anyone who took the time to read this and check out our work! We’ve got a lot more coming. Cheers!