Interview with Guitarist Matt Markle of Angelic Desolation

October 07, 2020

Interview with Guitarist Matt Markle of Angelic Desolation

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Matt! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it is greatly appreciated.

CV: How would you define sustainability for a band, especially young, up and coming acts, in the current musical industry climate?
Matt Markle: You have to be crystal clear on everything, with every member. Ideally, you are looking for a democracy of some sort but since a democracy can sometimes yield unwanted results, you just have to learn to pick your battles. If we decide on a shirt design and one of us doesn't like it, so that's three versus one, it's not as big of an issue. However, if you are planning a 12 date mini-tour and the last few days of the tour get in the way of somebody's family business…that can start a much bigger argument. It's really just about being upfront with each other. If you aren't, then that will eventually accumulate and then you've got yourself into a situation where 10 things come to a head instead of one.

CV: How would you define or describe "American Razorgrind" to someone who has never heard the band's music before?
MM: We take the riff stylings of thrash and death metal and the lyrical direction of grindcore. A lot of our song structures don't follow your classic chorus, bridge, verse format so there's a bit of grind in the structures as well. However, being a guitar player, I am not a huge fan of loose distortion so that's where the razor part of the name comes in; it's very tight distortion with grind-y structures. Thrash is all about the power of the riff and we try to inject that feeling of needing to jump into a mosh pit as well.

CV: Angelic Desolation's new EP, "Quorum of Unspeakable Curses," promises to deliver a level of annihilation like the world has never known before. What do you feel warrants the EP to receive such a portrayal?
MM: I mean, every band tries to use the best buzzwords to get people excited about a new release. We're just making death metal that we love to play. If the songs cause our fans to want to punch the person next to them or drive 45 miles an hour over the speed limit, then we have done our job. The new EP is certainly our loudest and most in your face release to date. So, if we turn everything up to 11 on our end, we hope it translates into that for our fans.

CV: What do you feel sets this EP apart from other similar vein releases? If you had to use only three words to describe the EP’s musical impact, what would they be and why?
MM: Grindy, catchy, death. I think what sets it apart from other similar releases is that even though at our core we are death metal, we blend thrash and grindcore in there well enough that you can't really pin it down to a single sub genre, hence the American Razorgrind moniker.

CV: How would you describe the band's culture on stage compared to how the band interacts with one another while working in the studio? Is it one in the same or is there a difference? If so, does that difference lend to the energy, drive and intensity the music has in your opinion? Is it more than just four guys playing instruments?
MM: They are simultaneously different and the same. Where we are the same is the professional attitude. When we're on stage, we make a point to entertain and not waste anybody's time. We are on and off the stage quickly, we don't have any kind of rock star attitudes and we deal with the venue personnel in a respectable manner. Same goes for the studio. You are there to do your job and not waste anybody's time. We do not get inebriated to the point where it affects our performance. Simultaneously, when we perform live we make it a point to have you remember our show. There will be tasteless jokes, dead babies everywhere and lots of windmill head-banging. Nobody wants to see a live band where the members seem like just some local music dudes. When it's your time to be on stage, you need to portray being larger than life. That's how you put on a show, that's how you entertain people.

CV: Can music have a good and bad ripple or domino effect in your opinion? How influential do you feel music is to the world?
MM: I feel that on an individual level, music can be extremely influential. The effect that music has on the individual level is likely where most people even picked up an instrument in the first place. As far as influencing the world, not so much. Sure there are trends in music but with the advent of the internet and 1.2 million bands in any given genre, it would be incredibly hard if not impossible to have an effect on music the way that say The Beatles did.

CV: Can music cross a line...be it social, moral or ethical in your opinion? Does music hold a level of responsibility when it comes to who's listening and what they are listening to?
MM: I believe that music can cross a line if you are advocating for causing pain to someone and saying it in a hateful manner. However, with death metal at least, we kind of look at it as the horror genre of music. Take the movie Scream for example. Wes Craven is not actually going around in a cloak and mask murdering teenagers, it is an entertaining movie though. Nobody in Cannibal Corpse is walking around killing people…actually, who knows with Pat. Parental advisory stickers exist for a reason so if you are a concerned parent then don't put your kids in front of that movie or in front of that stereo. On the other hand though, if a band makes a person go out and commit crimes then the fault of that belongs on the parents. Don't blame artists for your shitty parenting skills.

CV: Following the new EP, what can music fans expect to see coming from Angelic Desolation for the rest of 2020 and beyond?
MM: We are already hard at work on new material. If touring doesn't go back to normal by 2021 then we will likely be back in the studio sooner than later. We haven't written any dead baby songs in a little while so there will likely be a few more of those coming down the pipe. We'll just keep writing songs that we enjoy playing and we'll do our best to keep up the intensity so as to gain even more fans.

CV: Thank you again Matt for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.

Check out Angelic Desolation at:
Bandcamp: angelicdesolation.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/angelicdesolationofficial/
Instagram: instagram.com/angelicdesolation/
Twitter: twitter.com/angelicdesolate
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/angelicdesolation
Spotify: sptfy.com/angelicdesolation

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.