1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Ectovoid was formed in autumn of 2010 as a three-piece. We had all been playing in a couple of other projects and decided to form something new that we would devote all of our time and energy to. We recorded our first demo, "Breathing Blackness," in January of 2011 and released it ourselves on CD-R and as a free download. We continued to work hard on writing material and we were ready to record our first album, "Fractured in the Timeless Abyss," by November 2011. The album was just released on CD by Hellthrasher Productions and will be released on vinyl by Blood Harvest Records towards the end of the summer.
2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Our sound is very dark and atmospheric, while remaining very riff-based and energetic. We pride ourselves on writing distinctive and memorable songs that each follow their own unique themes and motifs. In terms of style we are definitely a death metal band first and foremost, but we take a lot of inspiration from black metal and doom as well. It is a high priority of ours to make music that's original and stands out on it's own terms.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
As the primary lyricist for the band, I try and make each song tell a story or paint a picture in the listener's head. Our songs are primarily about various afflictions and states that plague the mind and soul, both in a literal and metaphorical sense. Specifically, my main inspirations come from the idea of existence before and after death, consciousness as it functions inside and outside of the body, and the vast and unknowable depths of space and the cosmos. We write songs about topics and ideas that interest, frighten, or otherwise engage our imaginations.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
We sort of stumbled upon the name when we were trying to think of one before the band was officially formed. We knew the kind of sound and lyrical approach we were going for, and the name just kind of appeared before us. The suffix "ecto-" means "outer" or "outside," so the name quite literally means "outer void" or "outer space." We thought the name matched our ideas for the band perfectly.
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Most of the shows that we've played have been small local shows around the area where we live. The scene in our city is dedicated but very small and there aren't a lot of bigger bands that come through our area that we can play with. Nevertheless, we love to play live and take our live performances very seriously. We have always practiced on a regular basis so we can consistently deliver the best show possible. One of our immediate goals is to start traveling farther outside of our immediate area and play some higher profile shows with some better known bands.
6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
Not as of now, no. We are all busy with work and school commitments, so a tour is something that would be fairly difficult for us to organize at this point. But we certainly hope to be able to tour parts of our own country sometime in the next few years, and Europe as well. We also plan to try to play some festival dates when the opportunities arise.
7. Currently you are signed to Hellthrasher productions, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support that they have given you so far?
Hellthrasher Productions were actually the ones to contact us. We had finished recording our album and posted a song online for people that were already fans to listen to. Hellthrasher heard the track and told us they were interested in releasing the album. We hadn't heard of them before as they are still a very new label (formed in May of last year), but it quickly became clear to us that they are very professional and serious about what they are doing, and we agreed to their offer. So far their support for our band has been excellent. They've done a great job of promoting the album and gave us total creative freedom as to how to present and design the CD. Since we signed with them they have been discovering and releasing a lot of killer music, and I have no doubt that they are already on their way to becoming a major player in the underground. We're happy to be working with them.
8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Well, our first album has only just come out, so there hasn't been much time for feedback yet. But so far the responses that we've received have been very positive. We've gotten some extremely flattering reviews from various webzines around the world, and there was a strong demand for our demo as well. We are also regularly complimented on our live performance. We look forward to seeing how the album is received as more people get a chance to hear it.
9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
That's hard to say. Our songwriting process is very organic, and we just write what we feel when we are inspired. I can tell you that we are interested in pursuing some more experimental guitar playing techniques, as well as a more varied vocal approach. But time will tell how these sorts of progressions will be implemented in the future. We have already started writing for our second album and so far I can tell you that the material is a natural evolution from our debut.
10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Ectovoid is primarily influenced by death and black metal bands that are able to achieve a distinctive atmosphere and write memorable music in the process. In terms of classic death metal bands, we love Immolation, Gorguts, Incantation, Autopsy, Demilich, and The Chasm, just to name a few. For newer bands, lately we've been listening to a lot of Ignivomous, Dead Congregation, Pseudogod, Necrovation, and Grave Miasma. We're also big fans of black metal bands like Sargeist, Inquisition, Taake, Leviathan (U.S.), The Ruins of Beverast, Aosoth, and many others. We all listen to a lot of different kinds of music and these are just a few examples. I must stress that, while these bands have influenced and inspired us personally, we never go out of our way to write a riff or a song that sounds like any band that we listen to.
11. Does Occultism play any role in your music?
No, not really. Ectovoid is the project of our own imaginations, and outside influences like Occultism or other belief systems and practices don't play any part at all.
12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Music is our primary passion, but to an extent we all enjoy film, video games, and literature as well. But music is the primary way that we interact and connect with one another -- it is what allowed the three of us to meet and became friends several years ago, after all. When we are not working on music we are usually focusing on our jobs and studies and enjoying the company of our friends.
13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks a lot for the interview, we appreciate the support. Our first album, "Fractured in the Timeless Abyss," is now available on digipak CD from Hellthrasher Productions, and the vinyl version will be out later this year on Blood Harvest Records, so make sure you pick it up!
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