Shows
Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 67: Kelly Shaefer of Atheist (Florida, USA)In this episode, we talk with Kelly Shaefer, legendary frontman of Atheist - pioneers of Florida death metal. With the band’s groundbreaking discography freshly reissued in 2023, Kelly takes us on a wild ride through over two decades of extreme metal lyricism—from the raw aggression of 1990’s Piece of Time to the cosmic complexity of 2010’s Jupiter. While their subject matter swings broadly from criticism of religion to reverence for the moon, what remains constant, in Kelly’s mind is how every lyric is just as important as every riff that’s in every Atheist song.
Check out At...2025-05-111h 34Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 66: Chelsea and Tony of Dawn of Ouroboros (California, USA)Get ready to rethink everything you think you know about extreme metal lyrics—because Dawn of Ouroboros is flipping the script. Instead of blood, chaos, and darkness, their music explores breathtaking natural beauty, the warmth of home, and the path to healing. In this episode, we dive deep with Chelsea and Tony to uncover the inspiration behind their progressive black metal lyricism. From the crushing depths of the ocean to the dazzling heights of the sky, Chelsea’s lyrics step out of the dark black metal mould, painting a world of vibrant, multicoloured light. Tune in and prepare to see...2025-03-301h 15Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 65: Marco Ieritano of Crypt Crawler (Perth, Australia)Lingua Brutallica is BACK – and we’re kicking off 2025 with a killer episode! After a long hiatus, we’re diving straight into the brutal depths of metal lyricism with Marco Ieritano from Perth’s own death metal titans, Crypt Crawler. Marco reveals how his love of horror films, his Italian heritage, and sharp observations of human nature fuel his dark, gripping storytelling. Want to know what makes Crypt Crawler’s lyrics so hauntingly powerful? Tune in and find out!
Check out Crypt Crawler's latest work here: https://cryptcrawlermetal.bandcamp.com/
And sign up for updates on tours a...2025-03-021h 32Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 64: Andrew Lee of Ripped to Shreds (California, USA)In this episode, we interview Andrew Lee about the lyrics he's written for death metal band Ripped to Shreds as well as the aptly named grindcore project Houkago Grind Time. Though their music and lyrics are clearly distinct, both of Andrew's bands can be described as a study in contrasts. First, Ripped to Shreds presents songs that convey familiar images of flayed skin, amputated limbs, and spilled viscera, alongside others that critique real-world atrocities like the rape of Nanjing and contemporary anti-Asian racism. Similarly, Houkago Grind Time, while striking a jovial tone with lyrics that affectionately mock anime fandoms...2024-11-101h 14Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 63: Francesco Paoli of Fleshgod Apocalypse (Rome, Italy)In this episode, we speak to Francesco Paoli of Italian opera metal band, Fleshgod Apocalypse. Fleshgod Apocalypse is well known for composing music that blends elements from romantic and baroque periods, inspired by composers like Bach, Vivaldi and Rossini, with the aggressive instrumentation of classic death metal. Francesco explains how this creative amalgam informs his approach to lyric-writing, drawing on features from Italian, Greek, Latin, German and English languages to call upon references to diverse literature, history, and mythology, and in doing so weave intricate narratives that reflect on existentialism and the human condition. While Francesco's compositions and influences...2024-10-131h 20Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 62: Doug Moore (New York, USA)In this episode, we talk to Doug Moore who is the lyricist for not one but five “weird” metal projects including Seputus, Glorious Depravity, Weeping Sores, Scarcity and Pyrrhon that integrate an “interdisciplinary” approach to the genre. Doug is also the writer of an article entitled “Death Metal English” for Invisible Oranges which we have frequently cited in our own academic work. Doug explains that through this work, he developed a greater appreciation for death metal English, developing a “death metal lexicon” from which he can selectively draw for lyric writing. To wit, in some of his work, Doug reproduces many...2024-09-292h 00Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 61: Xander Bradley of Slimelord (Yorkshire, England)In this episode, we speak to Xander Bradley of “swamp death” band Slimelord. Xander explains that while Slimelord’s earlier EP’s “The Delta Death Sirens”, “Moss Contamination”, and “Insurmountable Peril” all have vocals, these vocals consist of improvised noises rather than written lyrics. And so, in preparation for the release of their first album, “Chytridiomycosis Relinquished”, Xander describes how he approached composing the band’s first set of official lyrics. Beyond simply writing lyrics, Xander constructed a whole backstory for this album focusing on the trials of an adventurer who looks to cure the world of a disease with the help of a demon-t...2024-09-011h 25Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 60: Corey, Jade, and Matt of Freedom of Fear (Adelaide, Australia)In this episode we are joined by Corey, Jade, and Matt, of Adelaide's premier melodic death metal outfit - Freedom of Fear. The band describe how, by drawing on fears and fantasies – of space, of vampires, of nothingness, and the impermanence of everything - their lyrics stress the power of nature vis-à-vis the insignificance of humans. To compose these lyrics, the band eschew their spoken Australian English vernacular, instead constructing a literary and archaic style, studded with old English and Latin forms, to transport listeners away from the everyday and towards their gothic fantasy realm.
Explore Fre...2024-08-111h 49Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 59: David Bruno of Summoning the Lich (Missouri, USA)In this episode, we speak to David Bruno about how he creates lyrics for fantasy-driven death metal band, Summoning the Lich. The lyrics that span two albums weave an original linear story, beginning with the creation of the Lich that sets in motion the fall of the fictional Kingdom of Rodor and the darkness that spreads across the land as the Lich’s power grows, establishing his dominion over the planet Arrias. David explains that producing these lyrics involves balancing his desire to produce both good fantasy storytelling and good metal song writing. In service of this goal, David ha...2024-07-211h 56Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 58: Lord Foul and Naraka of Civerous (California, USA)In this episode, we speak to Lord Foul and Naraka about how they lure their listeners into Civerous’ dark and cavernous lyrical maze. The verbal labyrinth concocted by this aptly labelled “tomb doom” project sees listeners descend through gloomy caves where Latinate utterances echo, summoning occult rituals that pay homage to the Mexican heritage of several of Civerous’ band members. Though the caves may be supernatural, they are also familiar as the witchcraft therein evokes the terror of human suffering as well as the horror of the unknown. This latter point surmises the goal of Civerous’ lyrical composition – to arouse fear...2024-07-011h 14Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 57: Chris Grigg of Woe (New York, USA)Our latest auditory offering brings you an interview with vocalist Chris Grigg of black metal ensemble Woe. Chris explains how, departing from the individual focus of his earlier work, examining mental anguish and depression, Woe's most recent release draws attention to broader threats to humanity, some of which we thought we'd vanquished long ago. This shift in lyrical content emerged in tandem with what Chris refers to as the refinement of his lyric-writing skills over time. Such artistry bloomed through Chris' experimentation with rhyme, perspective, and even occasionally vulgarity, to ensure that Woe's music and lyrics are mutually enhancing.2024-06-092h 05Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 56: Jeff Young of Weald and Woe (Idaho, USA)In this episode, lyricist Jeff Young leads us on a journey through Weald and Woe's "castle metal". Drawing on his background in theatre, Jeff crafts castle metal lyrics by exploiting black metal's heightened sense of drama and aesthetics to reflect on personal struggles and existential dread within a medieval narrative. His lyrics adopt familiar fantasy language tropes to weave tales of battles and blood, so adored by devotees of the middle age (and indeed Dungeons and Dragons). However, the stories that result do not idolize war. Instead, his work questions whether the pursuit of glory and legacy is worth...2024-05-191h 37Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 55: Brenner Moate of BRAT (Louisiana, USA)In this episode, we interview Brenner Moate of “bimboviolence” outfit, Brat. Looking at Brat’s album covers, decorated with tea and cake, a Pomeranian dog and the iconic Motorola flip phone set against bubblegum pink hues, listeners are poised to anticipate familiar 90s and 2000s pop lyricism. But in speaking with Brenner, we soon learn that this imagery rather serves as the barbie-pink wrapping for much darker lyrical content. Brat’s lyrics contrast sharply with the band’s sweet feminine aesthetic, drawing more on Steven King than Elle Woods. Brenner’s lyrics instead speak of resigned suffering and the loss of hope...2024-04-281h 14Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 54: Jason Peppiatt of Domination Campaign (Hobart, Australia)In this episode we interview returning guest, Jason Peppiatt about his new project, Domination Campaign. In differentiating Domination Campaign from his longstanding work with Psycroptic, Jason explains that, in contrast to Psycroptic’s modern technical death metal approach, Domination Campaign draws on Jason’s traditional death metal background. Moreover, while Psycroptic explores Jason’s perspective on the modern world, Domination Campaign draws attention to the past, in particular the stories of World War I and World War II that he grew up with. Far from glorifying war, Jason’s lyrics expose the horrors of these events while recognising the bravery...2024-04-071h 05Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 53: Ross Sewage of Exhumed, Impaled and Ghoul (California, USA)In this episode our guest, Ross Sewage, talks to us about his lyrics for Exhumed and Impaled, and speculates on the lyricism of Ghoul - a band that he is familiar with, but definitely not a member of. Sketching the lyrical landscape of each work, Ross explains how Impaled probes the space between life and death, detailing grotesque medical experiments and surgeries gone wrong, while Exhumed disinters death and life thereafter. Ghoul then (Ross imagines) follows the misadventures of a cast of macabre characters in the fictional town of Creepsylvania. Littered with alliteration, medical jargon, grotesque puns and literary...2024-03-172h 09Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 52: Will Smith of Afterbirth (Long Island, USA)In this episode we chronicle Will Smith’s work with diverse death metal projects including Artificial Brain, Biolich, Reeking Aura, and most recently, Afterbirth. Departing from death metal’s love affair with gore, many of Will’s lyrics capture images of mental illness, invasive insects, and filth. Though such scenes would not be out of place in your average horror movie, Will explains that their inspiration is closer to fact than fiction. Many of Will’s lyrical motifs reproduce aspects of his past experience growing up in a blue-collar neighbourhood in Long Island and his current work in disability service...2024-02-251h 49Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 51: Ruttomieli of Moonlight Sorcery (Tampere, Finland)In our first episode of 2024, we interview Ruttomieli about the lyricism of his symphonic black metal project Moonlight Sorcery. Ruttomieli's work exhibits a perfect marriage of music and lyrics, both which honour the spiritual origins of the black metal genre. Weaving stories of witchcraft and myth, his lyrical poetry both guides their listeners to the skies to bask in the moonlight and drags them down to burn in the Finnish underworld of Tuonela. Whether in English or Finnish, Ruttomieli's lyrics ultimately prove that, as he says "black metal is more than just music".
To experience Ruttomieli's work...2024-02-0450 minLingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 50: Himari Tsukishiro and Ricky Wilson of Isiliel (Tokyo, Japan)Welcome to our 50th episode!
In this very special episode, we interview vocalist Himari Tsukishiro and Ricky Wilson of Isiliel. Drawing on Ricky's translation skills, we explore how Himari's background as a Japanese idol has shaped her journey into the world of symphonic metal. A self-described "metal baby", Himari's relative inexperience in metal allows her to step outside of the subculture's many lyrical conventions. Breaking with the norms established inside and outside of her native Japan, Himari writes Japanese lyrics adopting themes of romantic love and perseverance seldom observed in the genre, using her lyrics and memories...2023-12-171h 02Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 49: Joe McGuigan and Philly Byrne of Gama Bomb (Northern Ireland)Speaking with Joe McGuigan and Philly Byrne, this episode takes as its point of departure a tweet written by Philly about Gama Bomb's lyricism, stating “interesting fact: most metal people who criticise us for being 'un-serious' or 'goofy' didn't grow up during a *civil war* like we did. Go ahead and write your wee songs about hatred and murder: must be great to be a tourist”. As the interview progresses, we see how well this initial tweet encapsulates Gama Bomb's guiding ethos, reflected in their lyricism. Many of Gama Bomb's lyrics are certainly humorous, with songs about zombies, ninjas and...2023-11-261h 22Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 48: James McBain of Hellripper (Aberdeen, Scotland)This episode investigates the dark lyricism of James McBain's solo-project Hellripper. James initially describes his lyrics, laden with satanic, occult, and antichristian themes, as written primarily in service of compatibility with Hellripper's black and thrash metal music. But don't be fooled, those that care to peer behind the curtain of black metal's most archetypal tropes will find not only captivating fictional stories of dark magic and witchcraft, but theatrical retellings of true events of the persecution of presumed witches throughout Europe. Hellripper's latest offering, "Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags", is particularly noteworthy for lyrics that, whilst still in keeping with...2023-11-051h 51Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 47: Serena Cherry of Svalbard (Bristol, England)Our interview with Serena Cherry begins with the vocalist setting the record straight on Svalbard's common mistyping as a hardcore band, instead offering post-metal, black metal, and even post-rock as more suitable alternatives, demonstrating how her music, and accompanying lyrics, are notoriously difficult to set against a single genre label. As our interview progresses, Serena guides us through her lyrical catalogue, starting with the unflinching critique of sexism and misogyny both within and outside of the music scene that characterised her early work before moving to the more abstract, emotionally-charged and introspective lyrics produced for Svalbard's latest release. Consistent...2023-10-151h 22Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 46: Kyle Schaefer of Fallujah and Archaeologist (San Francisco, USA)In this episode, we speak to vocalist Kyle Schaefer about his lyrics written for technical death metal band Fallujah as well as his progressive solo-project, Archaeologist. In our interview, we explore the evolution of Kyle’s lyrical approach, moving from writing the lyrics for the a small portion of Archaeologist’s songs that are non-instrumental, to writing a full album of lyrics for Fallujah’s latest release Empyrean. Kyle describes how, while lyrics he composed for Archaeologist move between fantasy and reality tracing a large range of subject matter, when approaching the writing for Empyrean Kyle made a concerted effort t...2023-09-241h 33Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 45: Garry Brents of Memorrhage (Dallas, USA)In this episode, we interview Garry Brents about his solo nu-metal project, Memorrhage. Listen as Garry guides us on our journey through 90s/00s nostalgia, combining lyrics about mechs and video games with a distinctly nu-metal sound. Garry explains how his revival and reimagining of nu-metal finds him stepping away from the genre's stalwart themes of violence and interpersonal conflict, but reproducing its archetypal angst. To do so, Garry composes lyrics describing dystopian worlds of cybernetics and time travel, while preserving tropic elements of classic nu-metal lyricism, including present tense first-person narrative as well as a raw and direct...2023-09-031h 16Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 44: Jason Peppiatt of Psycroptic (Hobart, Australia)In this episode, we speak with Jason Peppiatt of Australian technical thrash and death metal band, Psycroptic. Looking back over the lyrics he has composed for the band since 2012, Jason discusses how he departed from the prosaic narrative-driven sci-fi fantasy lyrics written by drummer Dave Haley and former vocalist Chalky, instead developing a lyrical style that more directly comments on the current state of our world. Jason’s lyrics have a strongly environmentalist bent, reflective of his reverence for the natural beauty of rural Tasmania. Contrary to suggestions posited in research on Australian extreme metal that environmentalism in metal ly...2023-08-131h 36Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 43: Alex, Damian, Jamie & Matt of Horrendous (Pennsylvania, USA)In this episode we speak to not just one or two but four bandmembers - Alex, Damian, Jamie and Matt - about how they collectively write lyrics for progressive death metal project, Horrendous. Although their name might conjure the images of blood and gore that death metal is most known for, the band's lyricism could equally be described as romantic and erudite. Using language more akin to poetry and literature than your favourite American slasher, Horrendous' lyrics not only challenge worn-out images of the dunderheaded metalhead, but embody what the band considers to be metal's quintessential quality. That is...2023-07-232h 01Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 42: Terry Vainoras of Subterranean Disposition (Melbourne, Australia)In this episode, we talk to Terry Vainoras – the multitalented guitarist, vocalist, lyricist, and saxophonist of doom/death metal outfit, Subterranean Disposition. Terry guides us through the process or writing music that is decidedly experimental, featuring unexpected combinations of recognisably 'metal' lyrical themes, including death and rebirth, with non-traditional musical instrumentation involving saxophone melodies and jazz beats, which challenge metal’s archetypal genre boundaries. While Terry's lyrical composition engages with some of metal's canonical themes, he abstains from engaging with vulgarity, violence, and gore, choosing instead to blend rhyme, alliteration, and literary references to craft lyrics that are more roma...2023-07-021h 41Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 41: Sam Dillon of Lo! (Sydney, Australia)In this episode, we interview Sam Dillon of Australian sludge-metal project Lo! Sam tells us how he concocts lyrics that pull from his obsession with natural history and animal folklore, weaving together the surrealism of organic evolution and the realism of myths and fables. Sam details how, by exploiting his advanced palate for word-eating, he layers visceral and tactile words with rhymes and alliteration, composing decadent lyrics that seduce and ensnare. When he takes to the stage, Sam is the preacher at the pulpit, delivering the soul of Lo!'s music, captured in its words.
To devour t...2023-06-111h 28Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 40: Paul Masvidal of Cynic (Miami/LA, USA)Welcome to the 40th episode of Lingua Brutallica! To celebrate this milestone, we present a very special episode featuring Paul Masvidal of genre-defying Cynic. Paul takes us on a guided tour through the enormous breadth of lyrical material he composed over the span of his 35-year career in the industry. He details how the lyrics that accompanied each of Cynic's albums, whether more earthly or extra-terrestrial, reflected different moments and events his life, as well as the thoughts and feelings they generated. Though we frequently attempt to intellectualise lyrical choices that Paul describes as the unstructured products of creative...2023-05-211h 35Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 39: Simon Barr of Dawn Ray’d (Liverpool, England)This episode presents our interview with Simon Barr of Dawn Ray'd - the anti-fascist black metal project looking to strike back against far right provocation in the scene. Though his lyrics engage with fantasy and escapism, Simon's work is also overtly anarchist in the way it explores common struggles of the current time. At the same time, Dawn Ray'd's lyrics remain a sincere representation of his own thoughts and feelings. In this way, Simon aims to inject authenticity that has been lacking in black metal. Ultimately, the central goal of Dawn Ray'd's music is to give anarchism to those...2023-04-301h 42Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 38: Louis Thierry of Parius (Pennsylvania, USA)In this episode, we speak with Louis Thierry, vocalist and lyricist of Parius, whose lyrics work to transport their listeners or readers to a place beyond the world they know - most recently, into outer space. Though Louis' lyrics have previously drawn inspiration from various media, including the Ender’s Game novels, Eldritch horror, and Greek mythology, his latest work traverses new ground as his lyrics disseminate a "signal heard throughout space" that is of his own making. Louis' lyrics tell captivating stories of adventure and (occasionally humour-laced) terror, yet he maintains that in his view that the needs of...2023-04-092h 03Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 37: Dan Cooley of Foretoken (Virginia, USA)Episode 37 features Dan Cooley – vocalist of folk-inspired extreme metal project, Foretoken. In this episode, Dan takes us through the myths and legends, drawn from diverse contexts including Russian, Chinese, Greek, Norse, Irish and Persian cultures, that inspired lyrics composed for Foretoken’s two complementary albums – Ruins and Triumphs. Dan explains that these albums mirror the teachings derived from these folk stories, highlighting humanity’s setbacks and failures in the first instance, and their victories and accomplishments in the second. As a lyricist, Dan represents the origins of diverse folktales through carefully crafted language style. Specifically, Dan’s English-medium lyrics are writte...2023-03-191h 31Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 36: Chaney Crabb of Entheos (California, USA)In this episode, we speak to progressive death metal vocalist Chaney Crabb about her work with Entheos. We begin by unpacking how Chaney's continual self-auditing has produced style shifts in her writing over time, starting with the staccato format of their first release (The Infinite Nothing) and moving to the more cohesive approach adopted for their latest release (Time will take us all). Chaney explains this transition to a more accessible lyrical style, combined with repetition of lines across songs and inclusion of clean vocals, are part of a coordinated effort to render her lyrics more coherent. The resulting...2023-02-261h 19Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 35: Stan Liszewski of Terminal Nation (Arkansas, USA)This episode features vocalist Stan Liszewski of death-metal-leaning hardcore project Terminal Nation. Tackling capitalism, fascism, organised religion, and human destruction of the planet, Stan's lyrics focus on confronting real-world issues in our current society. Turning away from common metal themes of high fantasy and violent gore, Stan explains that he's more concerned with making his lyrics relatable to the listener. This aim is complemented by his minimalist and down-to-earth lyrical style, utilising a small selection of simple but striking vocabulary to convey ideas that are accessible to broad audiences. Moreover, Stan's use of repetition of key lines, peppered with...2023-02-051h 24Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 34: Mirai Kawashima of Sigh (Tokyo, Japan)In this episode, we speak with Mirai Kawashima of Japan's legendary experimental black metal band, Sigh. Extracting influence from classical music, jazz, and even hip hop, Sigh's lyrics and music present a three-decades long exploration of Japanese religious stories, occultism and death. Mirai discusses how his perspective on these themes has changed over time, with his latest album Shiki marking a shift in his relationship to death as one that is more personal and real than ever. As a result, the lyrics for Shiki are written entirely in Japanese language, allowing Mirai to express his "naked feelings" in a way...2022-12-181h 23Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 33: Nekrom of Heruka (Rome, Italy)In this episode, we speak with vocalist Nekrom about Heruka's elegant black metal lyrics. Written in Italian language, Nekrom's lyrics typify the beauty of layered contrasts. First, the poetry of Heruka's lyrics, embodied in soft and fluid rhyme, contrasts with their vocal production, featuring harsh and distorted black metal screams. Moreover, Nekrom contrasts obscure and elegant Italian expression with the sometimes vile and grotesque subject matter of his lyrical content. Finally, Nekrom elucidates how the poetry of Heruka's lyrics is deeply inspired by both extreme metal's countercultural ethos as well as respect for history of great Italian art, architecture...2022-11-271h 44Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 32: Jason Netherton of Misery Index (Baltimore, USA)In this episode, we discuss Misery Index's punk and grindcore-infused death metal, with their vocalist, Jason Netherton. Drawing on his working class background, Jason's lyrics pose questions about the capitalist system - in particular, who benefits from it and who is exploited by it. Singing from the collective 'we' perspective, Jason's lyrics draw a stark contrast with Western hyper-individualist society, instead emphasising the shared experience of exploitation under capitalism. However Jason's lyrics are not all despondent, his frequent references to history and mythology place his discussion of postmodern issues in a broader context, that not only offers greater insight...2022-11-061h 40Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 31: Katie Davies of Pupil Slicer (London, UK)Bringing us our first insight to the genre, in this episode we talk to Katie Davies about writing lyrics for mathcore. Moving away from the ocular dissection described on their EP, Katie's lyrics for Pupil Slicer's latest album, Mirrors, offer unexpected vulnerability detailing experiences of inner turmoil and psychological distress. Their stories written from the first person perspective, in straightforward, direct language, punctuated with occasional expletives, deliver profoundly poignant emotional impact. Katie explains that their intensely personal lyrics combined with mathcore's irregular time signatures, syncopated rhythms and unexpected tempo changes make for a performance that showcases a balance of t...2022-10-161h 13Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 30: Jason Nitts & Alex Damske of Warforged (Illinois, USA)Our interview in this episode focuses on the writing of drummer Jason Nitts and bassist Alex Damske - the dual lyricists of progressive death metal project Warforged. Focusing on the band's 2022 release The Grove: Sundial, Jason and Alex describe how, in taking over responsibility for Warforged's lyrics after the production of their first album, they were determined to challenge the established boundaries of their music, creating lyrics for their second album that are entirely distinct from those on their first. In contrast to the narrative-driven fantasy of their first album, the lyrics of The Grove: Sundial are firmly rooted in the...2022-09-252h 02Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 29: Vincent Tweten of Phobophilic (North Dakota, USA)In this episode, we interview drummer and lyricist Vincent Tweten of death metal project Phobophilic, who presented some of the most diverse and thought provoking lyrical content we've yet discussed on this podcast. Vincent's lyrics address themes ranging from Lovecraftian horror to human consciousness and philosophy. Leading us through a brief introduction to absurdism and existentialism, Vincent explains that his lyrics, many of which include literal rhetorical questions, invite listeners to interrogate what human life is and what it means without the promise of easy answers. Though he often produces songs whose lyrical content is derived from personal experience...2022-09-041h 20Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 28: Lynn Wu and Anthony Vanacore of Ou (Beijing, China)This episode presents our first look at extreme metal in China by interviewing vocalist Lynn Wu and drummer Anthony Vanacore of convention-defying progressive metal band Ou. Drawing on Anthony's exceptional translation skills, we discuss how Ou's music and lyrics are born of a collaboration between Anthony's heavy musical roots and Lynn's background in popular rock. They explain the goal of this cooperation is to develop a unique musical approach that departs from the metal scene's Western English-language hegemony and typical sound. We discuss how Lynn's use of her native Chinese language allows her to draw on the aestheticism of...2022-08-141h 28Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 27: Riikka & Toni Hatakka of Hanging Garden (Finland)In this episode, we talk to husband and wife vocal duo, Riikka and Toni Hatakka of Finnish genre-defying band whose music has been variably categorized as melodic doom metal, progressive gothic post-doom metal, and even just depressive metal. Through our discussion, Riikka and Toni unpack the unexpected difficulties of writing metal lyrics in their native tongue, and the freedoms afforded to lyricists working in their second language (in this case, English). The two further explain that their lyrics, whether Finnish or English medium, frequently engage with universal themes of nature, earth and mankind's decay, and thus serve as a...2022-07-171h 37Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 26: Chris & Stony of Party Cannon (Fife, Scotland)In this episode, we unpack an approach to lyric-writing that’s totally different from that featured previously on the podcast by talking to Chris and Stony of party slam project, Party Cannon. Unlike other bands we’ve spoken to in the past, Party Cannon does not publish any of their lyrics, and in most cases, doesn’t even write them down. In our interview, Stony and Chris take us through their creative process of developing a mood board of lyrical content that they draw on to record lyrics, continuously shaping their content throughout the recording process. The resulting product combin...2022-06-261h 34Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 25: Austin Lunn of Panopticon (Kentucky/Minnesota)Our 25th episode brings you an interview with vocalist Austin Lunn of Panopticon. This episode functions as a second pair part to episode 24, featuring Aaron Carey, and commemorates the split album released by Panopticon and Nechochwen in 2020. Our discussion with Austin brings forth a distinct but equally compelling perspective on blackened folk metal music as that developed in our previous episode with Aaron. Austin describes how Panopticon's music as a blend of Americana, traditional Appalachian music and black metal is complimented by his straightforward lyrical style that - far from being simplistic - paints a clear picture of human...2022-06-052h 20Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 24 (Part 2): Aaron Carey of Nechochwen (West Virginia)This release brings you part two of our interview with Aaron Carey of Nechochwen. In this segment, our topic of discussion turns to particular lyrical practices and how these patterns are connected to Nechochwen's thematic focus on native American history, culture and mythology. Shifts in Aaron's lyrical approach across albums, including shifting from writing from the first person plural to first person singular perspective, reflect different periods of his life where he was feeling relatively connected or isolated from community. Drawing on particular Native American conceptualizations of the passage of time, Aaron explains that even when composing lyrics that...2022-05-151h 36Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 24 (Part 1): Aaron Carey of Nechochwen (West Virginia)For Episode 24, we sat down with Aaron Carey of Nechochwen for what ended up being a THREE HOUR chat about his blackened folk metal features lyrics that address native American history, culture and mythology. While we are no stranger to long episodes here, we decided to do something unprecedented for Lingua Brutallica: split the episode in half. In our first release, we begin with Aaron’s explanation of how his exploration of Native American themes in his lyrics is part of his personal investigation of the lives of his Shawnee and Lenaupe ancestors and his history in West Virginia, an...2022-05-081h 24Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 23: Frank Albanese of Hath (New Jersey)This episode presents our interview with Frank Albanese - guitarist and vocalist of New Jersey's arcane progressive blackened death project, Hath. Although Hath is often described as having lyrics referencing dark souls lore, Frank discusses how this was more of a consequence of time crunch for their first release than a vision for the band. Rather, his lyrics instead more broadly draw on a wide range of fantastical and historical references, ranging from real-world mythology to the Jungian approach to alchemy, that give their music a distinctly dark and theatrical feel. Frank's lyrics are also not just inspired by...2022-04-171h 08Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 22: Kyle Beam of Undeath (New York)In this episode we talk to Undeath's guitarist and lyricist Kyle Beam, the first of our interviewees whose lyrics seriously engage with such well recognised death metal themes as gore, murder and, well, death! Kyle details his recipe for unpretentious lyrics that tell a good-humoured horror story and allow the listener to draw on their own imagination to depict violent acts that are not explicitly described in the songs' lyrics. Far from trying to be shocking for the sake of being shocking, Kyle's lyrics describing zombies and undead skeletons are decidedly fantastic and removed from real-world human experiences of...2022-03-271h 17Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 21: Cain Cressall and Tim Pope of The Amenta (Sydney)This episode brings to the fore the combined lyrical prowess of The Amenta's Cain Cressall (vocals) and Tim Pope (keyboards, samples). When approaching their lyrics, Cain and Tim draw on a diverse array of linguistic resources to engage in language play. Refusing to submit to presumed linguistic 'rules', the two lyricists wear their linguistic repertoire as an action suit rather than a straitjacket. The resulting amalgam of ambiguous neologisms, intentional mondegreens and graphic manipulations produce layers of meaning, extending across both oral and written modalities, whose significance is often mysterious, even to the authors themselves. In fact, Cain and...2022-03-052h 06Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 20: Jono Colliver of Dr Colossus (Melbourne)In this episode, vocalist and guitarist Jono Colliver from hard rock/metal outfit Dr Colossus embiggens us with his presence. Dr Colossus is best known for it's jocular yet affectionate retelling of episodes of the show from which the band derives it's name - The Simpsons. Although the Simpsons appears as unusual source material for metal lyrics, Jono highlights the show's well recognised dark humour, projecting dark reflections of society veiled by the program's innocent spirit. This balance of dark and light is one that Jono endeavours to reproduce when composing lyrics based on the stories that resonated with...2022-02-121h 21Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 19: Karina Utomo of High Tension and Rinuwat (Melbourne)In this episode, we speak with Karina Utomo about her longstanding work with extreme metal band High Tension, and her more recent undertakings with experimental project Rinuwat. While these projects may appear to discuss distinct contexts at first glance, Karina explains how both are vehicles for her exploration of different aspects of her Indonesian cultural heritage and research of Indonesian historical events. Lyrics from High Tension begin to reflect on revelations drawn from Karina's engagement with survivors of Indonesia's 1965-1966 anti-communist purge. Her compositions for Rinuwat then bring further focus to Indonesian history and cultural knowledge via a combination...2022-01-231h 57Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 18: Andy Walmsley of Beyond Grace (UK)In this interview, we speak with Andy Walmsley of death metal project Beyond Grace, based in Nottingham, England. We sink our teeth into in depth discussion of how Andy constructs lyrics addressing key questions about the nature of humanity, morality and choice that, whilst theoretical, are nonetheless very clearly grounded in the real world contexts. Andy details how, like a magpie, he collects excerpts from various sources, from Obama's political discourse, to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and even Rick and Morty, embeds them in lyrics attending to varied social and political issues. His frequent use of second person prono...2021-12-111h 58Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 17: Kat Gillham of Thronehammer (UK and Germany)In this episode, we speak to vocalist and drummer Kat Shevil Gillham of Enshroudment, Lucifer's Chalice, Nine Altars, Uncoffined, Winds of Genocide and Thronehammer. Focusing on her work with doom metal group Thronehammer, we talk to Kat about how her deeply descriptive lyrics immerse the listener in a multisensory experience of ancient battles fought amidst a ferocious landscape, drawing the listener's awareness to the brutality of both war and nature. Building on this discussion, Kat explains how she and her bandmates separate their lyrics from their politics, using their social media platforms to take a strong stand against fascism...2021-11-141h 06Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 16: Researching Extreme Metal with Laina DawesIn this episode, we interview Canadian heavy metal journalist, music and culture critic, and PhD candidate, Laina Dawes. Laina has written extensively about the social, cultural and political aspects of the extreme metal community, most notably in her book ‘“What are you doing here?” A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal’, first published in 2012. In this interview, Laina draws on her research and personal experience to discuss the complex and often paradoxical nature of the metal scene as space of freedom and liberation on the one hand, but also a source of exclusion and marginalisation of on the othe...2021-10-241h 32Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 15: Simon Girard of Beyond Creation (Québec)In this episode, we conduct our first exploration of multilingual lyrical practices by talking to Simon Girard of Quebec's progressive technical death metal project, Beyond Creation. Although Beyond Creation's work engages consistently with themes of good and evil, and the nature of humanity, Simon explains that writing lyrics in English and French involves different considerations and processes, resulting in distinct patterns of rhyme, word play and even grammatical tense. Ultimately, Simon explains that, like drinking beer, metal is an acquired taste, it takes time and experience to recognise all the complex notes that make up a single brew, making it...2021-10-031h 27Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 14: Rory Lane of Set on End (New Zealand)This episode presents our first retrospective interview. We talk to Rory Lane, drummer and lyricist of currently inactive New Zealand band Set on End. In this interview, we take the opportunity to explore this uncharted perspective on lyric-writing by asking Rory to discuss how his views on metal lyrics have changed throughout his time working with Set on End and in the years since the band ceased performing. We talk about how lyrics that speak to core issues plaguing humanity can, even if they were written years ago, have ongoing relevance for their audiences. We also discuss how the skil...2021-09-121h 04Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 13: Stevie Boiser of Inferi, Ahsen Horde, Equipoise and Tethys (USA)In this episode, we speak to vocalist, storyteller and self-described nerd, Stevie Boiser of Inferi, Ashen Horde, Equipoise and Tethys. Focusing on his work with Inferi, Stevie details how he navigates these three roles across his four bands by integrating complex wordplay, including rhyming, alliteration and cryptic phraseology into narratives inspired by his diverse interests ranging from Lovecraftian horror and Japanese anime to edh deck-building and contemporary political issues of income inequality. To see more from Stevie and his myriad creative endeavours, see https://twitter.com/ScreamyMc and https://linktr.ee/Mc_Screamy
2021-08-221h 48Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 12: Matt Hyde of Beastwars (New Zealand)In this episode, we return to the New Zealand metal scene by interviewing Matt Hyde, the vocalist of Wellington's sludge metal band Beastwars. Throughout the interview, we touch on the changes in Matt's writing style over time, how he has learned to weave his personal experiences into his music, and the ways that songs can become "spells". Further, Matt's straightforward expression and propensity for monosyllabic words, allows listeners to more easily connect with the stories composed in Beastwars' songs and relate it to their own experiences with adversity.
2021-08-011h 14Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 11: Oliver Aleron of Archspire (Canada)This month's episode presents our first plunge into the Canadian metal scene as we talk with Oliver Aleron, the vocalist of technical death metal band Archspire. Throughout the interview we discuss how writing lyrics depicting detailed sci-fi-inspired narratives represents Oliver's approach to metal as a space to escape the more mundane reality of our 'real' selves, and how locking yourself in a house and consuming nothing but coffee and eggs can assist with writer's block.
2021-07-041h 13Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 10: Stace Fifield and Stu Minchington, Blindfolded and Led to the Woods (New Zealand)In our tenth episode, we interview vocalist Stace Fifield and guitarist Stu Minchington, of New Zealand avantgarde progressive death metal band Blindfolded and Led to the Woods. We explore their diverging approaches to writing lyrics for different songs and how this is influenced by the role assigned to vocals as more of a percussive instrument or a vehicle for narrative content. We also discuss the freedom that the metal genre allows to explore diverse topics and ideas from these different viewpoints.
For more from Blindfolded and Led to the woods see: https://www.facebook.com/balttw/, https://ba...2021-06-121h 47Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 9: Researching Extreme Metal with Dr Jeremy WallachFor the tenth anniversary of the book "Metal Rules the Globe", Episode 9 brings you our second academic interview with Dr Jeremy Wallach, an anthropologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio who specialises in Southeast Asian popular musics. In this episode, we explore Jeremy's research on several Southeast Asian metal scenes, presented in "Metal Rules the Globe" and discuss how the international metal scene has changed in the 10 years since the book's publication. For more information on Dr Jeremy Wallach's work visit: http://www.jeremywallach.com/
2021-05-0957 minLingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 8: Mallika Sundaramurthy of Castrator (International/USA)In episode 8 we speak to vocalist Mallika Sundaramurthy of international band Castrator about how her lyrics are reflecting on and critiquing death metal's history of misogyny, whilst also acting as a vehicle for exploring women's anger and frustration developed through trauma and oppression. To keep up to date with Castrator's music and, especially their upcoming release, follow https://www.facebook.com/CastratorBand/ and listen to their music at https://castrator.bandcamp.com/
2021-04-111h 33Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 7: Rikke Emilie List of Konvent (Denmark)In this episode, we chat with Rikke Emilie List, vocalist of death/doom band Konvent, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. We discuss how the relatable subject matter of Konvent's lyrics ask listeners to consider the brutality of everyday life. We also explore the broader role of metal in providing a space to examine difficult personal experiences and topics like depression and trauma. To see more from Konvent visit: https://www.facebook.com/konventband/, https://label.napalmrecords.com/konvent
2021-03-131h 41Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 6: Loki Robson of Hybrid Nightmares (Melbourne)This episode we briefly return to Australian extreme metal by delivering a much overdue interview featuring vocalist Loki Robson from Melbourne's sci-fi/occult obsessed extreme metal band Hybrid Nightmares. We discuss how the diversity in metal music generates considerable difficulties in distinguishing metal lyrics from non-metal lyrics, and why he feels that rhyme is an integral part of the lyric process for himself. For more info on Hybrid Nightmares' music, upcoming shows, merch and eventually tours, see https://hybridnightmares.com/
2021-02-121h 35Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 5: Fonzo and Grimo of Cytotoxin (Germany)Episode 5 presents our first departure from the Melbourne extreme metal scene! In this episode we talk with Grimo and Fonzo from Cytotoxin, Germany's premier "Chernobyl death metal" band, about their team approach to writing lyrics which balance brutality and respect for the victims of nuclear disasters. For more info on Cytotoxin's music, merch and upcoming tours, see https://www.cytotoxin.de/
2021-01-151h 30Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 4: Researching Extreme Metal with Dr Rosemary OverellOur fourth episode here involves a departure from our usual format by presenting an interview with lecturer in communications and media, Dr Rosemary (Rosie) Overell, in which we discuss her experience conducting research on the grindcore scenes of Melbourne (Australia) and Osaka (Japan). We share anecdotes about our experiences as participants and observers across the two scenes and highlight key differences in how extreme metal brutality is structured by different groups. To see more on Dr Rosemary Overell's work go to: https://www.otago.ac.nz/mfco/staff/rosemaryoverell.html
2020-12-282h 21Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 3: Spyke Jägerkrieg of Scaphis and Squashed Moth (Melbourne)Our third episode features a first for this podcast by interviewing a vocalist from not one, but two extreme metal bands. Listen as vocalist Spyke Jägerkrieg of Melbourne death metal band Scaphis and doom metal band Squashed Moth, talks about using language to navigate between depictions of horror-movie-style gore and expressions of deep emotional catharsis, and how to balance a desire to be shocking without being offensive. Find Scaphis and Squashed Moth on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/scaphis and https://www.facebook.com/squashedmoth
2020-11-131h 16Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 2: Jared Bridgeman of Earth Rot (Melbourne)In this episode of Lingüa Brütallica we discuss everything from the fundamental question of how to produce meaningful lyrics to the appropriate vowel sounds for low-pitch percussive vocal stylings in our interview with vocalist Jared Bridgeman from the blackened-death metal band Earth Rot. Listen to their latest album Black Tides of Obscurity released earlier this year at https://earthrot.com.au/.
2020-10-231h 43Lingua BrutallicaLingüa Brütallica - Episode 1: Andrew Hudson of Harlott (Melbourne)Lingüa Brütallica is a podcast where linguists and co-hosts, Dr Jess Birnie-Smith and Dr Wes Robertson, interview extreme metal musicians about their lyrical choices and discuss what makes lyrics distinctively dark, brutal and well... metal. This week we interview frontman Andrew Hudson of Melbourne-based thrash metal band Harlott, whose new album is out Nov 13 (for more see https://www.metalblade.com/harlott/)
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