Today's
guests have released a brilliant album – 12 Areas – which is
winning a lot of praise within the UK Sludge/Post-metal scene for
it's style of haunting and hard hitting brutal riffs. Team member
Phil Weller recently said this about the album:
“This
is music to get lost in, its greatest form and the juxtaposition of
beautiful mellow and hideously brutal passages are executed with a
remarkable intelligence. It’s a trick that’s employed in
unpredictable ways throughout the record; you never know what’s
coming around the corner but you can’t wait to find out.
All
previous releases are being offered as ‘name your price’
downloads on their bandcamp; a selfless sacrifice, considering the
time, effort and years of painstaking practice that created these
records, but one that, you feel, in due time, with the aid of this
fantastic new record, will reap much-deserved rewards as their
profile blossoms and hoists them from out of the underground.”
Aaron
recently caught up with TELEPATHY. They are firm favourite of ours at
Sludgelord HQ. Read what they have to say and then check out their
excellent debut album.
(SL)
Welcome to the Sludgelord, pleased to talk to you guys and welcome.
First of all, Congratulations! 12 Areas is something special. You
must reflect upon it with a sense of a pride?
Rich
Powley: Definitely, it was a long process of writing, with bits of
touring in between. We’re absolutely thrilled with the result and
stoked it’s in such good hands with Devouter Records, Phil who runs
the label has been brilliant in helping us get it released in the way
we wanted.
(SL) Let’s kick things off, who are you, state your name (s) and purpose?
RP:
Hi, I’m Rich, I play guitar
(SL)
Summarise your musical journey to this point?
RP:
We released our first E.P Fracture in 2011, and a one off single in
2012 and we’ve just released our first full length 12 Areas in May.
(SL)
What can fans look forward to from Telepathy in 2014? How is
your schedule shaping up?
RP:
Definitely busy! We played Grand Collapse’s album launch in Bristol
June 21st, they’re a fantastic hardcore band I met in Berlin last
year, and then we’ll be off on tour of Europe in September to
support 12 Areas. On that tour we’ve just been confirmed for
Incubate Festival in Tilburg, which will be a dream to play,
alongside a lot of great bands.
We’re
also playing the Underworld in London, October 18th alongside
Oathbreaker, Undersmile, Coilguns, Kruger and Bast which is shaping
up to be one of the best bills of the year.
SL)
What springs to mind when you think about the completion of 12 Areas?
RP:
Good times, lots of shows and many days spent in Tom Donovan’s
studio going over tiny details
(SL)
Who handles song writing duties?
RP:
We all take part in song writing; we usually start with a couple of
riffs or ideas and try to expand on that with the whole band. For
this record we had a loose concept in mind, so we worked with a
general theme/narrative and tried to arrange the record and songs to
develop along that line.
(SL)
12 Areas is a great sounding record, where was it recorded and
mastered?
RP:
We recorded the record with our friend Tom Donovan, who is a
ridiculously talented engineer and mixer and went well out of his way
to ensure the record, was as close to what we imagined when we were
writing it. We then sent the record off to James Plotkin, who’s
responsible for working on a lot of our favourite records, for
mastering
(SL)
How long was the gestation of your new opus, 12 Areas, from
conception to delivery?
RP:
Quite a while! After we released Fracture we had some ideas for a new
record, but we left those aside to take the record in a much heavier
and darker direction. We try to be as honest and direct when making
music, and given circumstances around at the time, it was the way the
record was meant to be. We also built our own practice studio so
that took some time away, and toured Europe twice. All in all about 2
years, but now we have everything sorted the next one should be a tad
quicker!
(SL)
The artwork for the new album is fantastic, was it designed with a
particular physical format in mind? Who designed it?
RP:
Once Phil from Devouter Records offered to put it out on vinyl, we
took the concept of the album to Alex CF from Light Bearer, Fall of
Efrafa, Carnist and about a million other weird and wonderful
projects. He designed the artwork and layout based on the concept we
had given him of lucid dreaming, anxiety and night terrors and
filtered it through his own literary and mythological references.
(SL)
Who are some your favourite bands you have toured with and what has
been your band highlight (s) thus far
RP:
On our last European tour we got to take our buddies Three Thrones
out with us, so that is an obvious highlight for both of those. Being
able to tour throughout Europe with some great friends in a band you
love was a definite highlight. We’ve been lucky enough to share the
stage with so many rad bands, the list is too long to put here!
Getting
our first full length record put out by a great label on vinyl and CD
is a dream come true as well. Playing Incubate Festival in September
will be another one off the bucket list, and getting to see many
friends (old and new) on the road in September will be incredible.
(SL)
As music fans yourselves and given that music seems to be so disposal
at times, how important is it to deliver a great package to your
fans, and yet not alienate them by producing something which is not
affordable? What are your thoughts on the finished physical product?
RP:
That would be entirely down to Phil at the label, we knew we wanted
to deliver something with a strong visual element, and he’s allowed
us to deliver a great looking package with expanded artwork and
beautiful coloured vinyl whilst keeping the whole thing affordable.
(SL).
Speaking of the record, what are your thoughts about crowdfunding?
RP:
We’ve funded all our records ourselves at this point, and never
really discussed doing anything else. We have friends who have done
the crowdfunding thing and doine brilliantly with it, it’s a great
way to involve fans, whilst ensuring your overheads are covered, but
nothing we’ve considered before.
(SL)
The last album that kicked your arse?
RP:
Part Ache by Jungbluth, who are an absolutely stonking German
hardcore/screamo band made up of old members of Alpinist.
(SL)
What are your survival tips for the road?
RP:
Eat healthy and stay away from overpriced gas station food, have fun!
(SL)
Finally, do you have any final comments/word of wisdom you’d like
to bestow upon us?
RP:
Cheers for the helping us to spread the word from the beginning! And
massive thanks to everyone who continues to support what we do. We’ll
see you on the road in September.
Thank
you on behalf of the Sludgelord.
For
more information:
Upcoming
dates:
September
17th: Le Garage, Liege (BE)
September
18th: Music City, Antwerp (BE)
September
19th: Vortex Music Club, Siegen (DE)
September
20th: Incubate Festival, Tilburg (NE)
September
22nd: Nexus, Brunswick (DE)
September
24th: Kulturekafe Manfred, Leipzig (DE)
September
26th: Gdansk TBC (PL)
September
27th: Klub u Bazyla, Poznan (PL)
September
28th: Reil78, Halle TBC (DE)
September
29th: TBC
September
30th: TBC
Written by Aaron Pickford
