EVOKEN, the masters of American death/funeral doom, are back. After their 2018 classic Hypnagogia, they’re unleashing their seventh full-length, Mendacium, on October 17 via Profound Lore Records. And now… here we go with the interview.
Hi! Mendacium is heavier, darker, more suffocating. Why return to that weight now?
It’s a reaction to the past few years. Everyone in Evoken has experienced difficult circumstances these past few years. As we age, so do those closest to us. Our parents grow older and pass away. Friends pass away unexpectedly. Even our beloved pets, which we consider our kids, pass away.
The world around us also weighs heavily. Human beings seem allergic to the lessons of history.
The title means “lie.” Who is lying, and about what?
That’s for the listener or reader to decide. Technology has made the world a much smaller place, and we’re no longer subjected to a single narrative.
Religion is the bane of humanity. Throughout history, it has remained a catalyst for bloodshed and has been used to stifle potential for growth. On an individual level, that’s where one should ask, “Who is lying?”
The monk at the center of this record – did his story shape the music, or did the music summon him?
The music shaped the story over a period of time. Lyrics and song titles are always last in the writing process.
When you wrote his torment, did you picture a demon, or just the mind breaking apart?
I’ll let the individual make their own choice.
The record is obsessed with the body falling apart. Is that personal, or purely allegorical?
It’s a bit of both.
Religion in Mendacium feels both sacred and hollow. Where do you stand inside that contradiction?
I don’t see it as a contradiction but as the same. They restrain humanity with contradictions, serving as a conduit for subservience, an expansion of lies over centuries. The universe is too expansive, rendering anything deemed sacred as hollow.
Isolation is central here. Did that theme come from history, or from your own time?
Both. I think it’s beneficial to mental health to take time to isolate yourself, but some people don’t have a choice. There’s also danger in doing so, as it can open you up to manipulation. History has a wonderful way of reminding us, if you’re willing to learn.
Ron Thal worked with you before. What did he bring this time that was different?
His own hot sauce. Haha.
Well, it’s twenty years later, and we’ve all experienced change. Something Ron said to me years ago stuck with me: “Always better your craft. Always learn, and when you think you’ve learned everything, you’ve learned nothing.”
He brought something different every day. His experiences over the past several years are the most significant difference.
The sound feels carved out of stone and echo. Was that a conscious pursuit, or did it creep in naturally?
It’s part of our DNA, carved out of our foundation, in a sense. We’re the stone and the echo.
This album refuses softness. Was that a reaction against Hypnagogia’s accessibility?
It’s a reflection of the past few years. Just like Hypnagogia also reflects a specific time period. Lauds, the first song written after Hypnagogia, can fairly be said to be a reaction to it.
Where on this album did you allow yourselves to wander furthest from what people expect from Evoken?
We write without compromise. Nothing is off the table when we write. Expect anything at any time.
Did you ever write directly to mirror the monk’s visions, or is the story just a shadow cast over the music?
The story only exists because of the music.
Worthless handled the cover art. How much was their vision, and how much was yours?
It’s 60/40. We provided the music, lyrics, and story background, and it was up to him to envision it. We try to avoid restraining an artist. We’ll offer some ideas here and there, but you have to let artists express themselves on their own terms.
Listening feels disorienting – like being pulled into the same delirium as the monk. Was that your intent?
Absolutely. There’s a push and pull to the music. It needs to flow but never allows the listener to settle in. It’s constantly moving and changing. It’s formless yet controlled, controlled yet chaotic. It’s reality defined by perception.
Profound Lore has released some of the bleakest music of the past decades. Why do they remain the right home for you?
They never impose pressure or time constraints. There’s mutual trust and understanding. Profound Lore is one of the few labels that only release music they’re passionate about. It’s not about which band can attract a larger audience. We couldn’t ask for a better home.
Seven albums in, is writing Evoken music ritual or reinvention?
Therapeutic.
In the larger arc of your work, what does Mendacium declare about who Evoken is now? Thank you for your time!
We still have more to say. We’re still pushing ourselves to flatline all other music. We’re your chronic arthritis, your hardening of the arteries.
Thank you for taking time for me.
https://linktr.ee/evokenmendacium
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