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1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
lowheaven is a pandemic band. We started after the demise of previous bands, and the chaos that ensued during the lockdown phase of covid. The songs we created were directly impacted by the faltering of life.
2.You have a new album coming out in August, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
We never set out to create or be a specific style of band, but the intense chaos of life during the writing phase is evident. We started to realize that we were writing the soundtrack to our individual forms of hell. I think when that mindset really took hold is when lowheaven started to grasp what we really were going to sound like, and we continued to double down every chance we got.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
The lyrical content is bleak, to say the least. As mentioned, the utter chaos of the pandemic, along with the full fledged meltdown of my (Dan's) life is completely on display. There's no hiding from that fact. I think it would have been tough to write about anything else, considering the significant lack of distraction that was provided by the lockdowns.
4.You have also mentioned an interest in the works of David Cronenberg, Julia Docourna and Horror Films, what influence does this have on the musical style that you play?
I think this played into the actual recording of the record more than the writing. I think we were continuously in the mindset of "how do we make this sound darker, more uncomfortable" and having that kind of imagery on display for us, most waking moments, it was definitely going to infiltrate the process. It's definitely a weird but necessary part to creating darkness, for us at least.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'ilowheaven'?
The only real clue I'll give you is that it slightly involves Jack Kerouac.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork for the whole layout of Ritual Decay was created by Joel Villegas, someone we had been a fan of for a couple of years prior. We actually met while on tour with Holy Fawn. I inserted myself rather aggressively into a conversation that was happening, so I could share my joy and interest in his work. Since that point, we've been trying to find a way to work together on something, and this was the ideal project. He absolutely conquered this layout in a way I couldn't have even imagined when we first began speaking about it. There's something really special about Joel.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We take a lot of pride in our live show. We all grew up in a southern Ontario scene where the performance was of priority, and that's never left our bones. We've been lucky enough to play a plethora of incredible shows, I don't know that I could pick just one. Always just excited for the next show.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
There is some touring throughout the rest of the year, and it looks like 2026 is going to be quite busy. We're all extremely excited to get out there and play these songs live. It's been years of sitting on this stuff, so we're ready.
9.The album is going to be released on 'MNRK Heavy', how did you get in contact with this label?
The Cole's note is that our record was just put in the right hands by a friend of the band. It was quite the process, but we definitely feel like we ended up in the right spot. Sometimes things just work out, however rare that can be. And you just have to enjoy it.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of hardcore and post metal?
I think it's a bit harder for us to tell, as we are the type of people who just keep our heads down and keep working. That being said, seeing our name on the likes of Kerrang or New Noise has been pretty wild. Again, just trying to enjoy the moment.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
This is something we are always conscious of, with really anything we do. I think we have really established who we are, and now it's time to extend out what that sound is, make the prettier prettier, make the heavier heavier. But at this point, it's all about getting Ritual Decay into every ear possible.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also e=what are you listening to nowadays?
There are so many bands we all love, coming from so many different places, it would be hard to just choose a few.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Ritual Decay is out Aug 29th on MNRK heavy! You can order the physical representation now!
https://www.instagram.com/lowheavenband
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