Hi! Can you give a brief history of Then We Died, including the music style and the members (the band’s lineup is incredibly strong, including musicians from some of my favorite bands!)?
I ran into Stevo (Impetigo, Surgikill, Tombstones) at an Effigy reunion show some years back. While waiting in line we were talking about doing a project that would blend Assück with Samael "Worship Him", the line started moving as the show started and not much else was said about it. Years later I wrote a few songs that reminded me of Repulsion mixed with Asphyx and Impaled Nazarene and I immediately messaged Stevo. I've worked with Jim Higgins since the mid 90s, first with Assisting Sorrow then Coronach and currently The Promise Of Plague. I write music all across the spectrum, everything from industrial (Empyrean Asunder, Absence of Faith), electro-alternative (Alice in the Aftermath, Märcoda), to metal (The Promise of Plague, Assisting Sorrow, Fatal Step). Whenever I have a metal project in the works Jim is the first person I reach out to, his style of drumming works perfectly with how I write. Mike May (Sinistrum, Abominant, Effigy, Sarcoma) was someone that I had always wanted to work with, Assisting Sorrow and Abominant shared a practice garage in the 90s and played tons of shows together. I love his bass sound so he was the first choice when I was piecing together Then We Died. We recorded at Falcon Fork studios with Chris Leffler (Stonecutters, Assisting Sorrow, Fatal Step, Cataclysm). While recording I asked if he'd be interested in throwing in a few riffs here and there. While not technically in the band his contributions certainly rounded out the sound.
Then We Died has signed with CDN record label. Could you tell us more about that?
I've refused to sign to a label for the entirety of my music career and I've turned down every label offer. There was a brief moment with Empyrean Asunder where I considered a label but it ended in disaster only solidifying my "fuck labels" stance. After we finished Broken Skull Opera I had uploaded it to streaming platforms and really had no intention of doing anything else with it. However, after a few listens I thought that it deserved a physical release with actual distribution. I talked it over with Jim and decided a label was the best approach. I messaged Stevo who suggested CDN records. We signed shortly after and working with them has been great.
What is the difference between Broken Skull Opera and the band's very first rehearsal?
We never actually rehearsed together as a band, the first time that we were all in the same room together was while recording Broken Skull Opera. I wrote everything except the vocals and passed it around to the rest of the guys who in turn rewrote their parts to fit their own style. While we had a pretty good idea of how the music was going to turn out none of us had any idea what Stevo had planned. We had absolutely no idea what he was going to do until he stepped in front of the mic at the studio.
What inspires Then We Died's music and lyric writing? What do Then We Died's lyrics talk about?
When we were first discussing this project Stevo had one demand, he had no intention of doing lyrics. He didn't want words to constrain his vocal approach. Though we had never officially discussed it afterwards the first thing he said to me when he came into the studio was "Hey remember 10 years ago when I said I didn't want to do lyrics, we'll I'm not doing any lyrics" I remembered and I was completely onboard and intrigued to hear what he had in mind.
Do you play live often? Do you enjoy performing abroad?
No live shows. I think this will remain a studio project. I don't think I'd object to a one off show but it's not something that we've discussed.
How often does the band practice and work on new material?
No practicing at all but I am working on a full length. We've been throwing around ideas for additional material. In addition to the Repulsion, Asphyx and Impaled Nazarene sound the new material has some elements of Killing Joke and D-beat influences thrown in. Rather or not those influences materialize in the final recording will be determined by everyone's interpretation of my initial recordings. So who knows really
How did the band come up with the name Then We Died? What does it mean to you?
Then We Died is inspired by a card game called "...and then we died" which is a game where the group plays as ghosts trying to figure out how they died. The concept of the dead piecing together their final moments was incredibly interesting.
Could you provide more detailed information about Broken Skull Opera?
The interesting thing about both the name of the band and the album artwork was that I had no idea the direction. Without lyrics and without song titles to go off of I didn't know if this would be gore inspired, horror, serial killers or what. I had to come up with something that would fit whatever song titles materialized after recording. I also didn't want to rely on the typical cheesy imagery often used in this genre. I love that stuff but I just didn't want to go in that direction for this project.
What are the band's plans for the near future?
We had no original plans other than recording Broken Skull Opera. Everything after that materialized naturally, signing with CDN records and now the beginning stages of a full length. I think anything beyond that will follow the same path. If something else happens it happens, if not that's ok too.
Do you have a message for Iron Backstage readers?
I name dropped a bunch of bands up there, go check them out!