Hi! What sparked the shift in tone and intensity for your new EP, “Ruthless Intent”?
I don’t think any of us considered this a shift in tone or intensity. We’ve always been about pushing the absolute limits of intensity and garnering as much energy from the music and the listener as possible. I do believe we have been finding new and different ways to do that as we evolve though. The tone for us should always be the soundtrack that inspires one to let loose and unleash their frustrations on the world. Why keep things bottled up? That’s a formula to be walked all over.
Can you dive into the themes and influences behind your lead single, “Morality Bait”?
This one was one of the songs that lyrically wrote itself once the ball got rolling. Both people and corporations will always take a righteous cause and then exploit it for either personal clout or monetary gain and that shit is fucking sickening. Companies that tout gender and racial equality are the same ones funding Christian organizations that focus on anti-abortion stances and weapons manufacturers and racist politicians and funding a genocidal imperialistic situation unfolding before our eyes. “Hey let’s make a sale on a pride t-shirt or try to go viral with a TikTok about the tragedy in Palestine through crocodile tears and forget about it once I put my phone down”… another dollar, another follow. It’s foul.
How does “Prodigal Scum” differ emotionally from your past work?
Every release becomes more visceral and more personal. It’s ALWAYS been personal but often it’s been my personal feelings about something happening in the broader world. I spent some more time with my feelings and thoughts about my own little world or my immediate circle of existence this time. Finding the balance of feeling comfortable with using the band as an outlet to relate to other people on shared experiences of the world and my own personal life is difficult but also somewhat liberating.
How do the literary influences of Alan Moore and GeorgeOrwell show up in your songwriting?
I’m one of those people that believes I look at things realistically and try to prepare and live from that stance. A lot of people, or actually the majority of people I’ve know throughout my life think I am an eternal pessimist. I disagree, I’m just not a blind optimist. That’s formula for failure. I feel a kinship with Orville and Moore in those ways. They both explore SO deeply the yin and yang of their characters but always set in a world based on “you do see the patterns and where we’ve been and are heading right?” I feel like our approach of “is everyone fucking blind?!” is shared. Thing is, I know those guys are smart and I don’t believe I am smarter than other people, but that’s also what’s crazy about the situation… if everyone’s smarter than I am, why is everything leading towards shit? If I see it surely everyone else can.
What’s the significance behind the EP’s title, “Ruthless Intent”?
Attacking what’s wrong by any means necessary because you believe fully in what you are doing and that your cause is just. Sometimes I think some of us in the band belong more in the caveman times. Protect what you love and do what you need to survive, protect your tribe so everyone can prosper. Take no shit and feel free to demolish someone when they cross you without bullshit power games based on money and modern influence being involved. Maybe we should have called the album “if you can’t beat me at arm wrestling or logical reasoning then shut the fuck up and get out of my face” but it didn’t have the same ring.
How has your sound evolved over nearly a decade as a band?
Just always trying to write better songs. More intensity while never losing the intangibles that make a good song. Never just cool parts thrown together. Nothing can be haphazard. We’ve always had that mentality but doing it for 10 years you progress. I HOPE we have progressed in that way. Every time we have a new album it’s all we want to play live. That’s the mark of a good and fulfilling record to us.
How does “Ruthless Intent” build on the themes of”Culture of Violence”?
I believe just in the same way the band has always stuck to its core values. Speaking up against the ills of the world and the ills of life around us as well as proposing ways to navigate those problems. Sometimes diplomatically, more times not so diplomatically.
How do you balance political statements and personal perspectives in your lyrics?
That all depends on how one defines politics. The modern definition is so bullshit in my eyes. Social issues aren’t political. Politics is power hungry idiots crying about money and stealing land. Social issues are how we treat living things on earth. How those got intertwined that someone brings up abortion or same sex marriage or trans rights and someone says “I don’t wanna hear about politics” is based purely on the fact that people are fucking idiots. Like the re-designation of the word “literally” to actually mean “figuratively”. Yes I know it started as an ironic use of the word for comedy but that’s insane and infuriating to me to hear on a constant basis. The world is upside down yo. Therefor I feel like the only time I talk about politics is when I’m calling for someone’s head that is making decisions from an ivory tower about how I am to live my life while being stuck in a capitalist system that I don’t want to be a part of and playing by a set of rules that is stringent for poor schlubs trying to navigate life and a loose set of spaghetti standards for the rich motherfuckers that aren’t supporting any system aside from their own bloated existence. So everything is personal whether it’s a situation between myself and one other person, the society as a whole or my commentary on a political figure or decision. This shit is my diary masked as angry little poems, not a dissertation or historical document of the world as a whole.
What was the creative process behind the “ProdigalScum” music video?
“How can we make a fun and cool video that captures the mood of the song on a budget of favors over the course of one day” I wanted to do something very contrasted and Pete, the videographer and editor of the video had the idea of throwing in more color for the choruses. It’s a very simple video but that rawness is part of what we wanted.
How do you view the current state of the US heavy music scene, and where do you see yourselves within it?
It’s hard for me to feel like things are a scene anymore as opposed to “thousands of bands just playing music and sometimes certain bands play together.” The way music is today is entirely anti-scene from MY pov. That doesn’t make that statement a fact, it’s just my view. Let me also add that I’m 43 and a punk guy so I’m A) possibly outdated in a lot of ways and 2) coming from a different perspective of the word. D) I also use but don’t love the use of internet/social media in music. That being said, take everything I’m saying with as much salt or not as you may. I feel like there aren’t regional scenes and then a mixing of scenes for tours etc anymore. It’s just bands all trying to do shit and seeing what sticks or sometimes what the masses grab onto. I get it, that how shit works now but it’s not us. We do what we do whether people like it or not and try to surround ourselves with like-minded people.
What makes Extinction A.D. stand out in the metallic hardcore landscape?
Our energy, our ideals, our short hair and gym time.
For real, we love to write music and play shows but our goal isn’t to become this big and fancy thing. I honestly think that separates us often. The inner workings of the industry and such and the schmoozy shit that happens, the social climbing and everything, that’s not us. That shit is so prevalent nowadays. Always has been, but in my opinion it’s more than ever who’s ass your kissing and what person you’re trying to cozy up next to in order to ascend this hierarchy of coolness or renown. Not us. We like to make friends and hang out and have fun sharing music etc, but that vapid stuff people pretend doesn’t exist in some weird charade of “playing the game and pretending there’s no game being played”; not us. Ever.
What’s next for you? Thank you for your time!
Always more new music. We’re unbelievably excited about Ruthless Intent still and we’ll be doing some shows throughout the spring supporting that still and then there will be more music, more videos and we’re working on getting our YouTube show “It’s Go Time, You Asshole!” Back up and running regularly with a possible Twitch live streaming of the filmings as well. Thank you for your interest and support. We can never be more appreciative of anyone giving us their attention and time.
https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionAD
https://www.instagram.com/extinctionad/
https://extinctionad.bandcamp.com/
https://extinctionad.bigcartel.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1AVn1BUp281M9gQhYCrvGQ
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