Obscene have just unleashed what is probably my favourite record of theirs in Agony & Wounds. The band’s vocalist Kyle Shaw was kind enough to answer a few questions about this, so let’s dive right in…
Introduce yourself – who are you and what do you do?
This is Kyle. I’m the frontman.
Tell us about your latest release and why people should listen to your music
Agony & Wounds takes our brand of stone cold and obscene death metal to the next logical avenue. More of everything that has made our sound. Whether people listen to us or not isn’t terribly relevant. We’ll continue to pump out the jams at our leisure regardless of who responds.
What inspired the title for your new album?
Bad luck and personal injuries some of us endured.
How does the artwork relate to the music?
We had commissioned the art wizard, Brad Moore, with a loose idea of what we wanted along with some song titles, lyrics, and references. The art was Brad’s interpretation of what we wanted with what was given and we couldn’t be happier with what he delivered!
How would you say Agony & Wounds compares to your previous work?
I hate to regurgitate the press release, but it’s our most challenging, densest, and lengthiest record. I’m not sure how to really compare to the rest of our discography, but I’ll say it’s the end result of us all growing together with the same lineup the past 7 years without losing the plot.
Were there any moments when writing or recording Agony & Wounds where you surprised yourself with a particular idea or performance?
Some of the leads came out much more epic and melodic than what we had thought they would be, but that ended up being a very pleasant surprise.
What sets Agony & Wounds apart from other death metal releases this year?
In a scene full of recycled and repackaged deathcore posturing as death metal and artsy fartsy meandering, we pride ourselves in simply being DEATH METAL.
How do you think this album fits into today’s death metal scene?
This sort of falls in line with my previous response, but I don’t think there’s a band that sounds like Obscene. No, we’re not ‘reinventing the wheel’. That was never the point. But I feel we have enough character and chops that when people hear Obscene they know it’s us. You can’t say that about a lot of death metal these days.
What’s the most important thing to you about your music? What meaning does it give you and what purpose does it serve in your life?
I can only speak for myself here, but it’s one of maybe a handful of things in this world that brings me any sort of happiness whether it’s gigging, rehearsing, or writing. There’s no better feeling than seeing your work on wax.
Tell us a lesser-known interesting or funny anecdote about your band or music
Legal reasons prevent that, sorry.
Finally, what are you listening to at the moment that you especially enjoy and wish more people knew about?
Y’know, I just recently checked out Inquisitor from the Netherlands and that shit is insane. Some feral and wild vocals right up my alley. Some of the guys went on to form Centurian and Severe Torture. I’ll also shout out some Indiana bands like Graveripper, Atavistic Decay, Mother of Graves, Fuck of Death, The Lurking Corpses, Legion, Necessary Death, Vile Iniquity, and Apostle of Solitude.
Wonderbox Metal 