Since their first document in 2007, Baton Rouge sludge steel titans Thou have constructed a repute for an unmatched work ethic: their launch timeline is studded with numerous splits, EPs, compilations, cowl albums and collaborations, in addition to the ‘mainline’ information. Throughout these prolific releases, the band has hardly ever stood nonetheless – collaborations clearly invite sonic shake-ups, and their tentpole albums take varied approaches to charting experimental depths of heavy music.

Umbilical is the sixth of these tentpoles, and marks a change in course for the band’s sonic path. 2018’s Magus expanded on 2014’s Heathen: its prolonged songs have been constructed round emotive, fairly chord adjustments and moments of lightness as a lot as they have been droning, down-tuned sludge and spiralling doom riffs. However on Umbilical, songs are leaner, shorter, sooner – Bryan Funck’s visceral snarl is unadorned of any clear counterpart, and there’s little respite from the slabs of thundering, distorted guitars.

In some methods, it’s a return to the method of early Thou, shedding the extra explorative components and specializing in the hardcore-influenced aggression quite than grandiose doom. The principle factor the band explores on Umbilical as an alternative is pace – whereas punk at all times knowledgeable Thou’s general method and aesthetic, they have been most frequently taking part in to a doom-metal metronome. Right here, the foot is rather more closely on the accelerator.

I spoke to guitarist Andy Gibbs concerning the back-to-basics writing of Umbilical, in addition to the band’s wider method to songwriting, guitar tone and lyrics, the practicalities of maximum down-tuning and that age-old query: what style are Thou, anyway?

How would you sum up Thou to somebody who had by no means heard you?

“The reply to that query at all times is dependent upon who I’m speaking to. After we cease at customs on the way in which to someplace, they usually say, ‘you guys in a band? What’s your band sound like?’, I at all times simply say one thing like ‘oh, Black Sabbath however heavier’.

“But when I’m speaking to somebody who’s conversant in steel, then… I don’t know. I’ve a sophisticated relationship to defining our band by way of style. We’re most rooted as a doom band, however I wish to imagine that it goes past that – however it’s the closest factor that most individuals can perceive. Doom is generally only a lens we channel issues by – it’s not the defining characteristic.”

What’s your function within the band?

“It’s modified over time. It was that Matthew [Thudium, guitar] and I might every convey riffs after which type them into songs. Over the previous few years, I’ve been the primary songwriter. For Umbilical I wrote, I believe, all however two songs – and that’s been type of the case for some time.

“However once I say I’m ‘writing’ songs, I’m writing the skeleton of the track, I’m bringing it to practise after which all of us have a say. I’m not working alone – however so far as the supply materials goes, I’m doing numerous that. Getting an outdoor perspective is necessary. If I used to be left to my very own gadgets, writing songs with out anybody serving to me with the edit course of, it most likely wouldn’t sound almost nearly as good – so I’ve to provide credit score to the opposite people for shaping it into the ultimate product.”

The document sometimes evokes your earlier materials – it’s additionally comparatively quick, songs are shorter, and there’s extra pace and direct aggression on show. What led to Umbilical being punchier, rawer?

“The document we did earlier than this was the Mizmor collaboration, Myopia. Liam [Neighbors, Mizmor’s only member] was somebody who had listened to our band from means again and was excited to faucet into the stuff that he fell in love with when he first found the band. So on that document, we ended up doing the ‘older’ fashion – gradual, extra historically ‘sludgy’, and only a complete riff-fest. That felt good to get again into, as earlier than that, on the Emma [Ruth Rundle] document [May Our Chambers Be Full] and Inconsolable, we have been actually making an attempt to do totally different stuff.

“So, that carried on into Umbilical as properly. There are a few slower songs there – the primary and final track, and that’s the place the ‘conventional Thou’ factor shines. As for the opposite stuff – the extra aggressive hardcore-inspired stuff – after doing information with 13-minute songs and one million emotive chord adjustments, I believe it’s good to simply strip it again down. It makes for a special stay present expertise, too.

“We’ve been a band for nearly 20 years. I believe it’s cool to attempt to show to ourselves that we are able to nonetheless do one thing that’s actually abrasive – one thing that perhaps our youthful selves would have written. When numerous bands get to a sure level, they both maintain making the identical document time and again, or they attempt to innovate in ways in which simply sound out of contact or too extravagant. So this complete document, it was like we have been doing it for our youthful selves – we may be in our 40s, however we are able to nonetheless rock [laughs]. I suppose we’ll go away it to the critics to determine if we succeeded…

“We’ve additionally been engaged on tightening up the track construction to the purpose the place there’s little or no ‘fats’ there. We did that on Magus, too, although among the songs on there are actually lengthy – our tolerance for that ‘fats’ has actually dwindled. Who is aware of, perhaps on the following document, we’ll convey it again, however on right here, for all the songs, all the elements wanted to hit. Even when it wasn’t the tight, punchy, catchy factor, when it was the droning shit, we wished that to be much more painful than common. Plus, I’ve been considering bringing a little bit of a ‘pop’ sensibility into among the songs, too.”

The Promise has a bonafide hook.

“The place that got here from, the concept was to do one thing grungy, Nirvana-ish however actually fucked up. So I wrote it to be catchy sufficient, however then it’s tuned means down and it’s gnarly. After which Panic Stricken I Flee was one of many final ones that we wrote – and it was particularly to steadiness out The Promise, in order that it wouldn’t sound completely misplaced. That one I conceived as like an Alice In Chains type of factor – the primary riff is kinda modelled after Indignant Chair a bit.

“The stress between one thing being actually heavy and fucked up and being catchy is cool – there’s a candy spot there. That’s why Nirvana was the largest band on the earth – they perfected that rigidity between the angst and the saccharine, sappy hooks.

“Like I stated – doom is a lens. On the finish of the day, no matter we select to do, we’re doing it with severely down-tuned guitars, the acquire all the way in which up, and screaming. Once you put issues that don’t slot in there, that’s while you begin to get attention-grabbing outcomes.”

How ‘extreme’ is severely down-tuned?

“After we first began writing, we have been in Drop B – type of like each doom band on earth, we wished to sound like the primary Pelican EP or Electrical Wizard. However we determined it must be heavier, and in our minds heavier equalled decrease – even when that’s not ‘technically’ appropriate. So Matthew had the concept of taking these strings and dropping them down a fifth. So we’ve performed in drop F and drop F# on a lot of the songs that we do – most of Umbilical is in drop F#.

“There are unwanted effects, just like the intonation being off, or it bending out of tune while you hit with a specific amount of drive – however all of these issues turned our options. We didn’t deal with them like issues we must always fear about, however as an alternative as qualities of the music.

“On this document, with the sooner stuff, there was a little consideration to the pace – however truthfully, we nonetheless performed actual onerous on the F# songs. Most of it’s occurring beneath the tenth fret, too, so there’s much less probability of the intonation being fully out. However even when it’s, generally it will possibly sound good.

“The Promise and Narcissist’s Prayer are in what can be drop F#, however you are taking the low string and take all of it the way in which right down to E flat – greater than an octave beneath commonplace. It’s mainly a bass tuning at that time. There, you truly do should be a bit of cautious concerning the drive with which you’re taking part in. I can’t bang the shit out of these songs as then it’d be completely off.

“However general, the out-of-tuneness can provide it this refrain impact. And, on the document, our engineer James is actual good at ensuring all the pieces sounds nice and tight, as there are 5, six, seven guitars on each track, with re-amping and overdubs – plus a separate bus of distortion that all the pieces is being despatched to earlier than it hits the grasp. So if some notes are a bit of off, there’s numerous room for forgiveness!”

What’s the remainder of the sign chain like?

“For me, once we go into the studio, it’s my Music Man HD-130 with a RAT – and I’ve one delay/reverb pedal from EarthQuaker. And that’s it. That’s with a 1977 Ibanez, not a lawsuit guitar, however it’s Les Paul-style. And Matthew will undergo a more moderen EVH 5150 and, if I’m not mistaken, a RAT too. Each cranked to 10, gain-wise.

“For overdubs, we did all types of loopy shit. I’ve this actual shitty previous Epiphone SG with a brilliant scorching pickup in it, and solely has 11s on it. We ran that by two RATs after which one other fuzz pedal, and a few amp turned all the way in which up, and did a bunch of overdubs with that. We wished one guitar that was virtually indistinguishable. So fucked up you would barely even inform it was taking part in. We had that happening on nearly all of the songs on prime of the opposite overdubs.

“However my preliminary setup is at all times actually fundamental. The reason is, once we began this band up, till extraordinarily not too long ago, we actually didn’t have cash for gear. I purchased the Music Man as a result of I used to be sick of the upkeep that my 5150 wanted, and it was 400 bucks. I bought a RAT as a result of a good friend gave it to me, and the EarthQuaker pedal one other good friend gave to me. We simply used what we had.

“So so long as it has tons of distortion, we are able to just about make it work. The amp does should have sufficient acquire – I attempted happening tour with a Marshall JCM 2000 as soon as, and it was only a nightmare. There wasn’t sufficient acquire, and I needed to flip the treble all the way in which down and the midrange all the way in which up – and even then it was too trebly!”

Lyrics make up a big piece of the Thou puzzle, with a type of contemporary-feeling anger combined in with extra historically ‘steel’ imagery. What’s the method to putting that steadiness?

“I believe what makes it sound modern is that it’s saying one thing – there’s numerous conventional fantasy steel imagery the place it’s not a metaphor for something. It’s simply ‘wouldn’t or not it’s cool if there was a skeleton with a sword?’

“So one thing that Bryan, who writes the lyrics, at all times likes to do is take an concept after which twist it to suit our world a bit of bit. So we’ll have some epic fantasy imagery, however then it’ll be modified to suit with an concept that we’re making an attempt to get throughout. After which you possibly can derive one thing from it when you’re in search of it – however when you’re not, then it’s nonetheless ‘rattling bro, that’s epic.’ [laughs]

“It’s at all times attention-grabbing to me to see that dichotomy, the people who find themselves like, ‘dude this band’s fucking heavy and their lyrics are epic’ – after which the those who dig into it, in search of that extra refined stuff that we’re going for, beneath the facade of all this conventional steel imagery.

“We wish to have it so you are able to do that as a result of that’s the way in which we got here up – listening to the bands I grew up with, I’d sit in entrance of the CD participant with Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy on, studying the lyrics as they have been being sung, trying on the liner notes and all that stuff. You will get immersed into the band’s world, as an alternative of simply listening to it in passing and forming a imprecise opinion on whether or not you suppose it’s cool or not.

“We actually are considering curating a world – there’s numerous lore and characters in our bigger Thou world in order that, if persons are , they’ll actually delve into it and try to decode meanings, or discover out what we’re referencing, or discover the lyric we stole from Jim Croce or whoever. However when you’re not – you possibly can nonetheless get loads of enjoyment out of our songs.”

How do lyrics come along with songs?

“I believe Bryan’s at all times bought an inventory of working concepts that he needs to do. After we are available with a track, he’ll match them. Though, as a result of this document took some time to make due to the pandemic and different tasks, he heard some tracks earlier than he had any lyrics for them – so he was capable of mould some concepts to the songs themselves.”

Thou’s fashion has developed over time into its personal distinct factor. Had been there any defining influences while you began out?

“Lots of the the concept behind the preliminary fashion was listening to issues like Pelican’s first EP, Panopticon by ISIS, Dopethrone by Electrical Wizard, Blessed Black Wings by Excessive On Fireplace, Akuma No Uta by Boris – and pondering, ‘we like this, however might or not it’s extra excessive? How would we do that in our personal means?’ Much like dropping the tuning, actually. Going ‘oh this band’s heavy, however they’re solely tuned to B. Why would they restrict themselves like that?’ I perceive now they’ve superb causes for limiting themselves, however on the time I didn’t – I simply thought, ‘why wouldn’t you wish to make it heavier?’

“These days, once I look again to our earlier stuff, I’m actually interested by being a band for 20 years – crucial factor for me is to verify we’re not fully treading over the identical floor. After we do issues that sound like issues I did once I was youthful, I wish to incorporate stuff we wouldn’t have considered on the time.

“So the influences are in every single place, actually – and I’m undoubtedly not making an attempt to go, ‘properly, my greatest affect is me’, [laughs] I don’t suppose that’s one thing that anybody ought to ever say – I’m simply making an attempt to be actually self-aware with what we’re doing, and ensuring that it’s significant to us. And that’s actually the one factor I give a shit about, truthfully. What different bands are doing within the steel world is type of no consequence to me – I salute everybody who’s doing their factor, clearly, and I hope that we are able to keep related. But it surely’s not for me to determine.”

‘Umbilical’ is out now.