Interviews: Abaddon Incarnate

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Deathgrind band Abaddon Incarnate from Ireland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. For readers discovering Abaddon Incarnate for the first time, how would you describe the band’s sound and identity?

Olan: I guess, like most bands that have been going for as long as we have, tone and sound inevitably change over time. We continue to be influenced by the early days of Death Metal. There is no doubt that grindcore has had a massive impact on our sound and songwriting, particularly with the second album, Nadir, and the successive releases. I think that with the Wretched Sermon, we came back to a more deathgrind approach, which seemed to happen organically. Considering that the album was written remotely during COVID and with limited rehearsals, I think we did ok. The newer material has taken a different direction again, and it’s quite exciting. Bill and Cory have been experimenting with a lot of different approaches with tempo and melody while keeping that Abaddon aggression. With Dave’s vocal style, it is a fresh sound; you can hear hints of where it’s going with This Verminous Creation. So, yeah, a newer approach for Abaddon 2027, but we are not going soft, that’s for sure.

2. What inspired the writing of “This Verminous Creation”, and what themes or ideas does it explore?

Dave: The lyrics are about self-torment and punishment as a method of processing personal discomfort or negativity. It's a slow grinding away of the psyche, not only through circumstances, but also through personal neglect and abuse over a lifetime. It also goes into the idea of looking for an outward source of frustration, or a target of anger to lock on to, as it’s far easier, and more satisfying to do that than it is to actually face yourself when you know your problems are innate, or at the very least, of your own making. Essentially, it's the constant struggle between anxiety, fear, anger, and some kind of self-knowledge.

3. You’ve been active since 1994 under different names and lineups. How has the band’s identity evolved over the decades?

Olan: Yeah, the band was originally called Bereaved, and we released a bunch of [well-received] demos under that name. With the release of Altars of Madness, Deicide, and latterly Eternal and None so Vile, we ramped up what we were writing, taking a much more aggressive and fast approach to song writing, to the point that we felt the name Bereaved didn’t suit the style of music; it was more of a Doom style band name. We wrote the first demo as Abaddon Incarnate (When the Demons Come), and that got us signed to Season of Mist. The first album, The Last Supper, recorded in Tico Tico studios, was released on Season of Mist. It was a mess, ha! But we love it for what it represents; it’s angry, it’s chaotic, and I can still listen to it today and not cringe; in fact, I know of quite a few people who still prefer it to some of the more ‘professional’ releases. It’s tricky to recapture that raw intensity when you are constantly being enticed by modern-day tech with sound production and recording. Trying to find that balance is the goal, really. I think now, finally, we are taking things a bit more seriously, after 30 years! With ¾ of the Nadir line-up and new blood in the band, we have certainly re-ignited the old-school vibes. Think Brutal Truth, Nasum, Morbid Angel, Immolation, with 30-year music scene-hardened veteran grind-bastards. It’s a legacy we are proud of that’s for sure, where many have given up, we have endured, and that counts for a lot in my book. The songwriting now is mature and intricate and nuanced, but it has not lost the vitriol. We are keeping the grind ethos but allowing ourselves to explore musically, so again, quite excited to see how it all manifests.

4. How does this new single reflect where Abaddon Incarnate is creatively right now?

Dave: Right now, we’re in a rich vein of creativity, we have a lot of material already demoed, and we’re still working on new ideas. I think it's a good representation of where we’re at, but in saying that, we’re also incorporating new elements into our music, while retaining the sound the band has worked hard for over the last 30-odd years. I think the new single has a lot of different elements that we’ve been working on, like layering of guitar parts, dual vocals, speed, and aggression. Thematically, we are exploring several themes: societal decay, conflict, religious dogma, hatred, and internal struggles, but it’ll all be horrible, ugly, killer death grind once we’re done with it!

5. The track balances grindcore chaos with death metal heaviness. How do you approach blending those two styles while keeping your sound cohesive?

Dave: The simple fact is the lads can fucking play, and they play right on the edge of their abilities! We push ourselves in terms of speed, tempo, and aggression, but all of that is pointless if no one wants to bang their head to it, so it’s a balance. We play as fast and as heavy as we can, while still keeping a groove or something to latch on to and underpin the music so that it’s not just speed for speed’s sake, or brutality for brutality’s sake. That’s the sound that Abaddon Incarnate has been known for. There's always an element of pushing our own limits, especially live. I think that’s one of the things that makes the band what it is.

6. Can you walk us through the writing and recording process for this single?

Dave: The outline of the song was written by Cory (bass); he sent the track over to Olan (drums), who helped bring it to life with his patterns. I wrote some lyrics, and then we demoed some rough vocals, and Bill (guitars) spent a lot of time working on some crazy additional guitar layers. This acted as our pre-production before we went over to Wales to record at Penylan studios, which is a killer studio located on the outskirts of a small village in the Welsh countryside, the perfect place for a band to immerse itself totally in the recording. Once we got in there, we made ourselves comfortable with some cans, hung out, and planned our first day of recording. When we got down to recording, Olan tracked drums and beat the shit out of them, before we went for round two with more cans and box wine (well, you get the idea!) Then we laid down guitars and bass, which was really cool. We left no stone unturned in the search for perfect tone and balance, and Bill and Cory really brought the track to a new level. On the third day, we recorded vocals, which was important from our point of view as it represented a new beginning for us vocally. We pushed ourselves as far as we could, and the results were left in the capable hands of Chris Fielding, who left us with a monster track! Of course, no matter how well planned out the session is, you have to leave room for some spontaneous ideas or moments of magic that just take the track in a slightly different direction. This recording was no different in that respect. We could have used any number of tracks we were working on, but this one came together perfectly, and we just went with it.

7. Produced and engineered by Chris Fielding, how did his involvement shape the final sound?

Dave: We chose to work with Chris because we knew what to expect from him, from recording our last album, The Wretched Sermon. The lads loved working with him, and it seemed a no-brainer to get him to record, mix, and master for us this time. We knew that he had high standards, so nothing would slip through the cracks. He also has a way of conducting himself that gets the best out of bands; he plays in bands himself, so he knows what we need to get the best result possible. You feel as though you’re all working towards the same goal without any bullshit, and that’s an invaluable thing. I found his insistence on clarity and power for the vocal recordings to be really refreshing, and I think it got the best out of me, and I’m sure the lads would say the same.

8. This track is part of a new writing period leading toward a forthcoming full-length album. What can you share about the direction of that record so far?

Dave: We want to make a record that’s true to the Abaddon sound, while pushing it into new areas musically. Brutal Truth, Nasum, Pig Destroyer, and the Abaddon Incarnate back catalogue are pretty good reference points, alongside our own various influences, which are many! Right now, we have a glut of material that we are demoing and refining. We are incorporating lots of classic death grind riffs and blasts alongside lots of insane vocals, more layering of riffs and melodies, some slower, more crushing sections juxtaposed with plenty of short, sharp kicks in the face. Basically, you can expect an intense album that will induce headbanging madness and skin-crawling discomfort on the same listen!

9. You’ve released six full-length albums to date, with The Wretched Sermon being especially well received. How do you feel your songwriting has changed since then?

Olan: I have touched on this earlier, but in a sense, on this album, we don’t have a template. Bill and Cory have been sending over the tracks that they are writing, and I am putting drum tracks down and editing them. With everything they send over, we are not putting any constraints on the writing process. Currently, we have 20 tracks written, and once the process dries up, we will get together for an intensive rehearsal session over a week and jam out all the tracks. Whatever feels right, we will keep. For previous albums, most of the material was written during rehearsals. I do like this approach because you get a vibe pretty much straight away; however, you can also be swayed by virtue of the fact that you are jamming and the adrenaline gives you a false sense of appreciation, ha! Plus, sometimes it’s just so good to get a song completed, you keep it just because you wrote it, and it’s another off the list. The amount of work going into these tracks right now is huge. The guys are layering guitar and bass already, and even as demos, these tracks are sounding really good, lots of melody and subtleties for those who want to really listen, but again, we are not compromising on speed or aggression, just being more judicious in their application. I think Bill has really embraced the Pandora's box of extreme music possibilities on this one; nothing is off the table.

10. The band has toured extensively across Europe, South America, Russia, and Australia. What are some of the most memorable moments from those tours?

Olan: South America will always stand out. The band was the first Irish extreme metal band to tour countries like Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, and the reception was incredible. The audiences were relentless, every show felt like an event, and some of the wildest pits we've ever seen were on that tour. One of the biggest surprises was that a punk festival in Lima actually had an even better atmosphere than the metal festival we played a few days later. Russia was another memorable experience because the underground scene was so passionate despite being so far removed from what we knew at home. Australia was equally rewarding, not just because of the distance involved, but because people genuinely knew the songs and supported the band after all those years. More than any individual show, what stays with you is the dedication of the underground scene. Whether it's a tiny DIY venue in Europe or a packed club on the other side of the world, you meet people who put everything into keeping extreme music alive. That's probably the biggest takeaway from over thirty years of touring—we've been fortunate enough to discover that the global underground is much smaller, and much stronger, than most people realise.

11. After lineup changes in 2024, how has the current four-piece lineup impacted the chemistry and creative process?

Olan: 100%. (was going to just leave it at that, ha!). Yeah, it took a while, but I certainly feel the spark has come back. Sure, there is a bit of nostalgia with Cory being back, but that has only served to re-ignite a lot of the old passion for it, not to mention the creative input, but with Dave in the band now, having been a long-time fan of the Abaddon, it just feels energetic and exciting again, rather than going through the motions. Line-up changes are hard, as any band will tell you, and being honest, Bill and I did discuss calling it a day when Steve and Irene left, but thankfully, the universe has other plans for Abaddon Incarnate. We consciously decided to stay as a four-piece, meaning just one guitar now. I really like the visual dynamic of a four-piece on stage, and having a dedicated frontman has really transformed our stage show. Dave’s energy is awesome. So, all in all, it's working really well. It’s easy to keep the status quo and change is difficult, but there is no growth without discomfort and challenge, and there is no doubt that over the years, Abaddon Incarnate has embraced those challenges

12. What keeps Abaddon Incarnate motivated after more than three decades in extreme metal?

Dave: It’s hard to say exactly, but from my point of view, we love being in the band, we just want to play extreme metal, have a few pints, meet our old mates, and play to as many people as possible. When we jam or just get together for gigs, etc., we’re excited, hungry, and determined to keep growing, to push ourselves to our limits, and to carry forward the legacy of the band. It's hard to explain it in this format, as it's a natural thing for us; we aren’t overthinking it, we just love playing this kind of music and have no intention of stopping any time soon!

Olan: Must jump in on this one. As with many things, if you have put blood, sweat, and tears into something, it will inevitably form part of your identity. After 30 years of playing in bands, none of us listens exclusively to Death and Grind, but could any of us play in a non-metal band with the same commitment and enthusiasm? I certainly couldn’t. All the elements that Dave listed above hold true for me, there is a new bond in the band now, I think if that hadn’t happened then things would probably have gone differently for Abaddon, but certainly for me, it’s who you are in the band with, that’s the real glue, the music could be the best ever but if the chemistry is missing, the bands days are probably numbered.

13. If you had to introduce a new listener to your catalog, which three songs would you choose and why?

Dave: Only three? I’m gonna have to go for 5, sorry!! It’d be hard to even give a top three from each album. If you want to give a new listener a good idea of what we’re about, you can’t go wrong with any of these: ‘I will Nail you In’ from Nadir, this is our signature track, for lack of a better term, and its fast, aggressive, hateful and chaotic, if you like it, then you’ll love us and if you don’t then we aren’t the band for you! Also from Nadir, I love the song ‘Transgressor’, only a minute long, but it’s as heavy, fast, catchy,  and vicious as anything you could ever hear, a perfect 60 seconds of unadulterated deathgrind!

Thirdly, I’d probably choose ‘1756’ from Dark Crusade, it's catchy, groovy and vicious, great dual vocals, plenty of blasting and some seriously killer riffs, rock solid! The song ‘Epic Desecration’, from The Wretched Desecration, is just a phenomenal live song, heavy, classic old school DM riffing, melody, and shows the band operating at a really high level musically, as good as it gets! Finally, I have to go for our new single, ’This Verminous Creation’, in part because it features the new line-up, but I think it's a great reference point for where we’re going as a band, fast, intense, relentless, groovy, and it jumps out of the speakers and grabs you by the throat!

Olan: Easy one for me… What Dave said. I would probably add Temple of Rancid Filth from The Last Supper, love the ferocity of that track!

14. What can fans expect next after the release of “This Verminous Creation”?

Dave: We have some Irish dates coming up supporting Benediction in Dublin, Belfast, and Limerick. We are going to continue writing and refining the upcoming album, and once that’s done, we’ll speak to some labels that we feel we can work well with. It’s important for us to make sure that the album will be promoted properly and that it will be heard by the people who appreciate our kind of music! Following on from that, we intend to play some festivals and tours in support of the album, throughout Europe and hopefully beyond.

15. Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Breathing the Core Zine?

Dave: Thanks for taking the time to read the interview, and thank you to Breathing the Core for the interview! Check out OUR new single, follow us online @https://www.instagram.com/abaddon_incarnate_official/ to see future tour dates and album info, and hopefully we’ll see some of you guys on the road in 2027, POINT.CLICK.GRIND!

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