We're currently rehearsing for upcoming shows, specifically the Stardust VII fest in New York City with The Ruins of Beverast and Dead Congregation on July 5 at Brooklyn Bazaar. We also plan to hit the road for an east coast mini tour this summer.
2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous demo's, single and ep?
Our new album Emergence is the first record with our current lineup. Previously, Basilysk released Seasons of Misanthropy in 2012 with a different lineup, aside from our frontman and guitarist Josh. You can hear the difference in quality and overall composition from the first release andEmergence, although those old school songs still shred. We really obsessed over the production process of this album to get the perfect death metal sound.
3.The band has been around since 2009 and while you have some demo's released you waited until 2019 to release the first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait?
This line up came together in late 2016 and we've covered a lot of ground since then. We have a solid team now, and we intend to keep that momentum moving forward with new tours and an EP in the near future.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
The lyrical themes have always dealt with real life atrocities and personal battles. They do not revolve around fantasy or fiction but they cover the full spectrum of non-fiction topics and human psychology. When Mike (drums) joined the band in 2015, the songwriting possibilities were endless and the music took on a more technical direction.
5.Some of your other lyrics have also covered occult themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
Josh was exposed to the occult at an early age and has been able to sprinkle the symbolism and themes from life experiences into the lyrics while keeping the messages relevant.
6.I know that the band name comes from mythology, can you tell us how this name fits in with the musical style that you play?
Just as our songs can take on different subgenres within themselves, the Basilisk is often depicted as varying combinations of reptilian, fire breathing, and feathered creatures.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
The cover art is a manipulated photograph. The original titled, "Cicada Madness" was given to us by photographer, Gene Hilton, and then recolored by Josh. The cicadas follow the album title and symbolize the "emergence" of the band with the latest lineup after a long period of underground dormancy - true to the nature of cicadas.
8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We either remember the really great shows, or the really terrible shows, for very different reasons. Our stage show is just like our music, fast, aggressive, loud and tight.
- Our first show with our current line up was with Book Of Wyrms.
- Playing with our friends in Headrot in Providence for their hometown reunion show in 2017.
- Opening for Cannabis Corpse at the Philly Tattoo Convention
- Most recently, we played a DIY show in a school house-turned-concert venue to film our music video the song "Sad State Of The Art," which is also streaming at Kerrang right now. That video will be available soon.
10.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We'll wait for the industry to come to us when the time comes. Until then, we strive to be a self-reliant unit. Josh is an incredible artist who designs our merch and album artwork. Our Emergence album might be self-released, but if you look at the packaging and listen to the quality of the product, it sounds like a band that could be on Nuclear Blast! And it definitely deserves to be, if we may say so ourselves.
11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
People dig it. Not just extreme metal fans either. We’ve had a lot of people tell us they don’t listen to that much death metal, but enjoy our new album.
We certainly have the speed, complexity and brutality that comes with the "extreme" spectrum of metal, but our music also has hooks and melody, without losing its hardness.
12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Most of the songs on Emergence were already penned by Josh years before this line up came together. However, the last song on the album ”Karma” was a collaborative effort that the whole band wrote together. It is by far the most complex song on the album, on top of being 15 minutes long. So that is an exciting indication of what lies ahead of us. We have a thrashy new song in the works that we'll unveil this summer at Stardust VII Fest, and that too is something the entire band has written together.
13. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Our music is influenced by early death metal, Scandinavian black metal, and thrash metal from the eighties. Each member of the band listens to different styles of metal, but we can say that the next album will draw heavily from our thrash metal record collections.
14.What are some of your non musical interests?
Luke is into engineering and electronics, both by trade and by hobby, also plays in a new band called Blood Spore with an album coming out in April. He hopes to one day have a business making guitar effects and amplifiers for a living
Mike is a family man and makes his own Kambucha tea with Josh. Mike also plays drums in Necrosexual.
Jimmy works in the fitness industry and sometimes wears Kiss make up for entertainment.
Josh is an artist, as you can probably tell by the gnarly album cover and art work he has cranked out for Basilysk.
15.before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Buy our new album at basilysk.bandcamp.com. It will shred your soul to pieces.
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