Interview: Thecodontion (2023)

 

The following interview was conducted with death metal squadrons THECODONTION! If you like unique death metal with a different approach, then you should definitely check them out.

Can you tell us a bit more about the descriptor “prehistoric death metal” and how it relates to your music? Does it represent a more individual stance in terms of creativity and setting yourselves apart from other bands?

We label our music as "prehistoric metal of death" because we take many elements from death metal, and we try to put them under a "prehistoric" form. You know, when we started the band we chose to use basses only instead of guitars in order to have a more ancestral, raw sound... which is to be interpreted as a prehistoric feature. For the same reason, probably there aren't many bands that could be compared to us so this is good in terms of uniqueness.

Can you please elaborate on your writing approach and why you choose to employ two bassists taking up the role of guitars?

Our process of songwriting is pretty simple. Usually G.E.F. writes the structure and the rhythm section of a song, then G.D. adds bass leads/solos and works on the arrangements. Since 2022 we're now officially a quartet since L.S. (second bass) and V.P. (drums) are now full part of the band (they only were live members before), so the process might change a little bit for our next releases. Regarding the choice of using two basses, this is linked to the creation of a sound of our own and our lyrics, centered about prehistory, paleontology and fossils.

Do you consider creativity as an integral aspect to what you do? How do you feel about bands that keep repeating themselves to the point where they become a weak rehash of their former selves?

Of course. We don't judge the other bands, but creativity should be indeed an integral aspect for all the bands, if your intent is creating something "artistic". Otherwise, it's just a matter of writing stuff like an autopilot, sounds a bit like the negation of doing art. We also don't like to repeat ourselves, we started as a war/death/grind band, and then we added more atmospheric elements. The most important thing is having something to tell, music is a form of language after all.

Which bands would you cite as inspirations that somehow influenced your work with Thecodontion?

We could say many, but no one in particular. There are many bands (metal and not metal) we esteem and that influenced us in some way. For example solos are often influenced by '90s melodic death metal bands, drumming has references to cavernous death metal but also post-metal bands, bass solos have a sound that reminds of some post-rock/shoegaze bands... it's hard to cite someone specifically. Bands like Auroch, Howls of Ebb, Oksennus, Mithras, Chaos Echoes and Mitochondrion, just to name a few extreme metal bands, can be considered influences for sure, though.

Are you interested in any literature? What inspires the lyrics in Thecodontion?

Everyone in the band has different interests in terms of literature, comics, etc. G.D. is the most well versed in books about prehistory and dinosaurs, like "The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs" by Steve Brusatte and the Michael Crichton's original novels about "Jurassic Park". Our lyrics are often inspired by scientific descriptions of prehistoric animals/fossils and geologic events, we even use official documents like academic papers for being more accurate. Then, lyrics are put in a sort of poetic form.

Can you tell us a bit about what you’ve released so far and also describe your evolution with each release?

"Thecodontia" and "Jurassic" were written very quickly, it's rabid, instinctive, war metal/grindcore with low budget production. They're recommended for fans of old school grindcore and some war metal. Then we started to experiment a little bit: "Supercontinent" and the split with Vessel of Iniquity are the result of these experiments, with longer riffs, more atmosphere, better equipment, more solos, etc. We're adding new elements and the forthcoming releases will mark another step up compared to "Supercontinent".

What are you listening to lately? Are there any albums from this year that you enjoy? 

Several things, it depends on the single member so you can have very different answers. Anyway, we listen to many genres, from dark pop to experimental/drone, from extreme metal to movie soundtracks. By the way, Aeviterne, Cosmic Putrefaction and the Bedsore/Mortal Incarnation split are some of the albums from this year we enjoyed the most.

If some major label offered you a deal, would you sign with them? And do you think working with a big label could affect the artistic integrity of a band?

Honestly, we don't have a specific idea about it. We don't think much to labels and so on: our main focus is the music and our artistic goal, which is just releasing what we want to do. If you start thinking about signing with a major, probably the risk is that you lose your focus and you won't produce genuine music anymore, and we absolutely want to avoid this. If a big label contacts us then we'll think about it, but we're happy with I, Voidhanger Records which is a very good label.

Do you feel that music can define a person’s character? And would you call yourself a “metalhead”?

Not sure, people can be attracted by a certain music genre for innumerable reasons. There's nothing wrong with calling themselves a "metalhead", but it's not something we really do.

Lastly, can you tell us about your future plans for the band and what we can expect from your output? Thank you very much for your time.

The split with Vessel of Iniquity we released last year is the first of three splits. The other two will be probably published in 2023, plus another special split which will be dedicated to a famous (now deceased) Italian singer-songwriter. These new splits will mark a slight change in our sound, but we don't want to "spoil" anything, you'll see.

Thank you too for interviewing us!

Album review: Thecondontion – Supercontinent (2020)

 

Thecondontion – Supercontinent (2020)

Italy

I, Voidhanger Records 

Thecondontion is death metal quartet based in Rome, Italy, and “Supercontinent” is their debut full-length from 2020, released by I, Voidhanger. Having reviewed their excellent split with Vessel of Iniquity recently, I decided to review their debut album as well.

The band refers to their style as “prehistoric death metal,” and I absolutely cannot think of a better way to describe their music. Thecondontion can be distinguished from other bands in the sense that they don't have any guitars, instead relying on two bassists to act as guitars. The bass playing is done exceptionally well and features lots of delay and reverb, giving the music a somewhat psychedelic effect. Aside from that, they have a pretty unique sound with plenty of variation in the songwriting.

The overall production is decidedly raw and lean, emphasizing groove by way of lethal bass riffs, which works like a charm. Imagine if bands like Impetigo, Pungent Stench, and The Jesus Lizard were thrown in a blender. That's basically what we have here, even though their music isn't that easy to categorize. The sound and spirit embodied by the band is death metal through and through, and yet they have managed to create something distinctive in a genre in which it’s difficult to invent something new.

The vocals are emphatically harsh and raspy, reminding me of Mark of the Devil from Cultes Des Ghoules. In terms of musicianship, the band proves its worth by displaying a strong sense of craftsmanship and a knack for artistry. Overall, this isn't your typical death metal band, but if you're looking for something creative and different, then look no further. This is a very enjoyable album. Also, those who enjoy bands like Antediluvian, Karnarium and Demilich should check them out. (HT)

Split review: Thecodontion / Vessel of Iniquity - The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event (2021)

Thecodontion / Vessel of Iniquity - The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event

Italy / England

I, Voidhanger Records / Dead Red Queen Records / Bad Moon Rising 惡月上昇

Well, holy shit! The material on this split is great. I have never heard of either bands before listening to this release. Admittedly, I really like splits as it's always interesting to hear how bands represent themselves, and often times splits have great songs from bands that are not always featured on their other releases. The split in question features two pretty awesome bands: Thecodontion from Italy and Vessel of Iniquity from England.

Thecodontion is up first, presenting two tracks that reach the 6-minute mark each. This band has a sound rooted in pure black/death metal, but with an experimental touch, including the fact that the music is quite atmospheric. Now the term "atmospheric" can often times be misinterpreted as music with soothing melodies that bring tears to your eyes or bring a warm smile to your face. This is not the case with Thecodontion, as the music emits a deeply sinister tone that evokes a sense of utter horror, and yet the music is so incredibly catchy that it is impossible to resist. They have some of the best bass playing I have heard from a new black/death band in a long, long time. The bass is a driving force in the music and reminds me of Swedish death metal band Karnarium, as they employ it in an almost similar way. References could be made to bands like Antediluvian, Mitochondrion and Chaos Echoes as they have a similar approach to songwriting and atmosphere. The drums are very adequately played and even quite technical in a kind of straightforward sense. The drums and bass definitely have a good chemistry on this release. Thecodontian has a wholly unique sound and take on black/death metal and all I can say is that I will be listening to more of their music.

Vessel of Iniquity is the far more chaotic entry of the two bands and assaults the listener with a terrifying 11 minute piece of frantic black metal with some harsh noise elements. I think the overlapping elements make this a really interesting and enjoyable split. I am not sure what state S.P. White was in when he recorded this madness, but it certainly sounds like he was in a murderous trance or something. It seems like the track "The Great Dying" is split into two parts but stitched together as one composition, which is interesting because there's a bit of a breather from all the chaos about halfway through when the listener is subjected to a rhythmic percussion with an eerie ambience in the background, followed by more hyper-blasting madness and screams coming straight from hell. The riffs, percussion and vocals are all exceptionally well put together as the music shows a heightened sense of atmosphere that will transport you to another realm.

Overall, it's a very interesting and enjoyable split that I will certainly be coming back to, considering the quality output of both bands. Props to I, Voidhanger for putting out such a harrowing and abstract piece of aural sickness. (HT)