Interviews: Conflux Collective
On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Death Metal band Conflux Collective from Canada. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it, or did it just come out like that?
The name Conflux is based on the fact that it’s a confluence of many influences, individuals, and geographies. The name Collective came from our initial intentions to let our collaborators express their talent freely, bring forth their own original work if they wish, as well as featuring different styles of extreme vocals by inviting as many vocalists as possible to join the collective. Henceforth, The Conflux Collective. Not to be confused with the obscure Harvard (or MIT) research group, which, by the way, came after us…
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
The style emerges naturally from the collaboration between Chase and me, right from the get-go. He had riffs, I played beats, a couple of times he asked me to play a tu-pa or an alt-blast, but for the most part, we just brought our chops and souls to the music. The only guideline was to go nuts and not hold back!
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
When we founded the band, he was in Montreal just visiting. When we stumbled upon each other after a King Diamond show at the Olympia, we realized that we once shared the stage at the legendary (now defunct) Pound in San Francisco. So we made plans to jam. After the first jam, we had the best part of two songs done, so we made plans for a second jam, and it quickly became a project.
4. Each band member's favourite band?
Mallika: Deeds of Flesh
Max: Death
Jeff: Be’lakor
Jesse: cynic
Eric: Revocation
Jeanne and Chase: Akurion
For my part, it’s a tie between Gorguts and Cryptopsy.
5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?
Our new album, In the Wake of Saturn, was based on a lot of very painful and trying experiences I had to deal with over the last decade or so. In kind of a more general way, I think the main inspiration comes from the human experience, its challenges, and potential for evolution. You could say that transcending the ordinary and predictable patterns and developing something unique are the main goals of Conflux as a progressive death metal act.
6. Where was your last gig?
We’re solely a studio band at this point. But we did play one show at Foufounes Électriques in Montreal back in 2015 or 2016. There’s some bootleg footage of that on YouTube.
7. Where would you like to act?
We don’t have any plans for future tours right now. However, if the right opportunity came forward, I’d love to tour Europe again.
8. Whom would you like to feature with?
I’m happy where I’m at, and I have more original projects on the go. At this point in my life, it’s really important for me to realize all the ideas I’ve had on the “back burner” for the last two decades. That said, there are some awesome bands out there, and I’d love to be a part of the live scene at some point. For me, it’s important that I like the music and the personalities of the other band members.
9. Whom not?
That would be a long list. I’d say, not to name anyone in particular, but if a band wears masks on stage, I’m pretty much done for before I even start.
10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?
I used to have stage fright at the beginning. And even later on, if I knew there were some big label reps or press in the crowd, I’d get kind of nervous. One thing to consider is that most “mistakes” that you make go unnoticed from the crowd's standpoint. So be diligent, yet be kind to yourself. Secondly, the best way to overcome stage fright is to rehearse mentally. So before the gig, at any point, imagine yourself playing without fear. Get your spirit to experience and hash out all of that before you even get to the stage. Of course, reality will be different from your daydreaming in one way or another, but that mental exercise will help you, over time, to be more confident. The more opportunities you get to play in front of people, the more “normal” it will become. So if you’re just starting out, invite friends to come and watch you rehearse. If no one is around, pull your phone out and record videos. Instead. This may feel like you’re being ”watched” and counts as experience. It’s also a great tool to evaluate your progress. Lastly, perform regular maintenance on your equipment. This will ensure you can count on your stuff when you need it. Research and development on equipment knowledge will also help you troubleshoot problems faster.
11. What bands have inspired you the most?
For longevity, Judas Priest. For songwriting, King Diamond. For extreme music, Cryptopsy. This is to name a few.
12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?
Define “weird”? Honestly, nothing comes to mind. I try to take a genuine interest in people who are genuinely interested in me.
13. What do you think of your fans?
They are all my children! Jokes aside, I value loyalty and respect their opinions. I was never a major rock star or anything even close to that, so I would consider that most people who listen to my bands are my friends first and foremost.
14. What do you think of our site?
It looks awesome! I only just discovered it, yet at first glance, I can see there’s passion behind what you do. I’m excited to dig in, and I subscribed to the newsletters.
15. Something to add?
The Conflux Collective, In the Wake of Saturn, would not have been possible without our collaborators. I want to take this opportunity to outline some of their latest achievements:
Mallika’s band, Emasculator, has a new single out; I strongly recommend listening to it! They kick ass. https://emasculatorbdm.bandcamp.com/
Our amazing mix engineer, Jeanne Artemis, has an experimental/electronic album out:
In addition to that, I strongly recommend her services for mixing/engineering. As Mike Disalvo recently put it in a private conversation, “…she’s a miracle worker!” You can check out her stuff at:
Jeff’s latest thing is the 2021 release of "The Crimson Boughs and Other Short Tales" from Hands of Despair.
Furthermore, Jeff is part of an upcoming Temps Fort production of Basileus, an Oratorio for choir, percussion, brass, guitars, double bass, and 4 opera soloists, along with the Growler’s Choir, a metal vocalist-screamers choir.
Also, check out his podcast, Pouilleux Of Destruction, every Tuesday night at 8pm EST on YouTube.
Jesse has a couple of things in the works: “I’m really excited to have met Jeanne Artemis during this process of collaborating with Conflux”, he says, “and I have contributed vocals for an upcoming Coma Cluster Void release.”
His band, Gross Misconduct, is working hard on their fourth album, with the majority of songwriting done at this point.
Max, Eric and I are working on the upcoming Derelict album, and are currently tracking guitars and vocals.
Music: derelictmetal.bandcamp.com. Merch: threadless.derelictmetal.com
Our fans had best keep up to date with you. Are there any socials you want people to check out?
The Conflux Collective is on Instagram and Facebook, so far:
Pre-orders are available at - http://confluxcollective.bandcamp.com/
Vinyls and CDs available at - elasticstage.com/confluxcollective
Merch / Apparel available at - https://confluxco-shop.fourthwall.com/
You can watch the visualizers for the singles on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@conflux2651
Support independent metal journalism —
Visit the official BTC store
No hay comentarios