One of the most interesting Death Metal albums of recent years was Occulsed’s debut album, released in 2021 by Everlasting Spew Records. It may be a new band, but with only a few demos on their record before the release of ‘Crepitation Of Phlegethon’, Occulsed can by no means be called a newcomer. The three musicians have a more than impressive resume, not in the least because of their large number of bands and projects. Everlasting Spew Records also released the demos on CD last year and the band already has a follow-up to ‘Crepitation Of Phlegethon’ in its pocket…. Perfect moment to catch up with guitarist and bassist Justin Blake Stubbs (also known for his work with Encoffination and Father Befouled) to evaluate the past and look into the future a little.
Hi Justin, thanks for taking some time out to take us into the world of Occulsed and welcome to the Whispering Darkness of course. Your debut album is celebrating its 2nd anniversary this year, a good time to reflect: how do you look back on the whole creative run-up to ‘Crepitation of Phlegethon’?
After the demos, I wanted the album to be more cohesive… neither demo really had any direction other than to just be death metal. I wanted to create something definitely rooted in an old-school sound but not borrow directly from any one scene. So with the album i just tried to make a dark, dynamic record.
I personally was quite impressed by the album, for me it was a wild but mostly dark ride through an all-swallowing chaos. At a time where Death Metal seems to be losing quite some of its creative power, ‘Crepitation Of Phlegethon’ was a welcome surprise. Although the album doesn’t really bring much new, it was still a 2021 highlight. How do you personally view today’s Death Metal scene and how would you position Occulsed therein?
I think the death metal scene of today is going in different directions. You have bands coming at it from an entirely different angle and becoming HUGE, such as Sanguisugabogg, 200 Stab Wounds, Undeath, etc… and then bands still firmly rooted in the underground that are amazing – Hyperdontia, Snet, Fossilization… and so many more. For me it’s all about the INTENT and INTEGRITY of the band. Are you making a death metal band because you think it’s cool? Or are you obsessed with it? Is it in your blood? I’ve grown up with it – I’ve listened to death metal for 30 years and played it for 20, so I definitely have a strong opinion. But I try to be open minded and not quick to judge. More than anything death metal is very over saturated now. Time will tell how it plays out. As for Occulsed, we are just laying in wait so to speak. We do not play live so our presence is minimal. But our intent is to be as dark/heavy/nasty/riffy as possible. We just want people to enjoy what we do without compromise.
While I can’t compare the two albums directly, a similar feeling to an album like ‘Blessed Are The Sick’ crept up on me while listening to your ‘Crepitation Of Phlegethon’. Musically, there are plenty of differences, but there is also a clear similarity: it’s that deeper layer of (slight) complexity and, above all, the atmosphere that makes the music memorable. How do you view this?
I love that comparison. While BATS was not a direct influence, it is certainly an album I am very very fond of. I can definitely fee a comparison in the atmosphere of our record though.
The album’s dark and abyssal atmosphere is also captured in its title. Phlegethon is the river (whether or not of fire or boiling (mud) water) that flows in Hades, the underworld in Greek mythology. It is a sibling river of Acheron and Styx. Were you inspired by Greek mythology for this album, or is there some other concept behind it?
More than anything I wanted to invoke darkness with the title. Ken wrote all the lyrics so that would be a question for him. But I name the albums. While I do love Greek mythology, there is not a mythologic theme really. The word Phlegethon reminds me of Lovecraft and I wanted something along this lines, something mystic and antediluvian. I’ve always loved the title to the Crematory song “Into Celephais” and I was certainly channeling that.
Leading up to the debut album, you recorded two demos. These are a bit rougher in character, they are demos for a reason, but they already clearly outlined Occulsed’s musical goal. Can you try to pinpoint the musical progression or premature phases of the music? What do you think is the greatest strength of these demo recordings?
When I first started writing songs I wanted to do something that recalled the brutality of early Cannibal Corpse with the atmosphere and eeriness of the early Swedish and Finnish death metal scenes. And those demos are the result of that. I wanted to step away from the bands I am known for and write something totally different. I think the overall atmosphere of those recordings shine: they are murky and dark and crusty.
Those two demo tapes, originally released by the Italian Unholy Domain label, were compiled on CD in 2022 and released by your current (and also Italian) label Everlasting Spew Records. So a lot of support from Italy, can we consider this a coincidence? Everlasting Spew Records has raised its profile quite a bit in recent years with a slew of interesting Death Metal bands, what do you think of that collaboration so far and will those demos be released on vinyl as well?
I am so happy with Everlasting Spew Records. Funny enough, Occulsed signing with them was kind of an extra. My other band, Father Befouled, signed with Everlasting Spew Records and the existence of Occulsed came up in conversation. I said “well, we have a full length recorded that we are just sitting on, do you want to release it too?” Haha! So they pushed it and it did VERY well. I was amazed by the reception. If there is a demand for the demos on LP, I am sure we could work something out.
My guess is that, for Occulsed, you weren’t just guided by Death Metal, the chilling depth, the slower parts and the almost gloomy atmosphere hark back to Doom Metal aesthetics more than once. The instrumental album finale contains a piece that even leans very much towards Black Sabbath’s very first album. Is this a wrong assumption or are you indeed a Doom Metal enthusiast as well?
Oh for sure, I love doom. Love Black Sabbath. I play in another death/doom band as well that is extremely slow and suffocating so yes, this is a big passion of mine. I definitely want to have that dynamic in Occulsed’s music as well.
As a seasoned musician with quite a lot going on, what exactly was the reason for starting yet another new band? Were the musical motivations for starting Occulsed very different from your other bands?
Yes, as I said above I just wanted to write songs from a different standpoint with an entirely fresh dynamic. Stepping outside the norms of my mains band keeps me fresh and keeps my playing ability from getting too comfortable. I like to challenge myself. And I am a death and black metal fanatic, I love writing and creating.
Picking up on the previous question, you have a pretty solid resume when it comes to heavy and all-consuming Death Metal, apart from Occulsed you keep quite a few other bands, of which Encoffination and Father Befouled are the most evocative. If you let a random passer-by hear your music, they won’t hear any difference between most of your bands. How would you characterise the differences yourself? For instance, what makes Occulsed different from Father Befouled?
It all goes back to the idea of intention – my goals sonically in these bands vastly differ. I write riffs for Occulsed in different ways from Father Befouled. Maybe only I can hear that haha, but there’s definitely a huge difference. There are types of playing and riff styles in Occulsed that I would NEVER do in Father Befouled.
Obviously a question from a non-musician: how does something like this work? You make up a riff and then figure out which band it fits? Or do you sit down and then get to work for “band x”?
For me I generally work on one band at a time. I have several guitars in different tunings, so I know that if I pick up “X” guitar, I am only going to focus on Father Befouled at that time or whatever. I do not do a lot of just sitting around a mindlessly playing guitar – I will sit down with the intention to write for each project as needed.
As already cited, you keep a good number of bands, so you must have a busy schedule, and then when I look at Occulsed drummer Jared Moran who has 40+ active bands and projects at the time of writing, I wonder even more: when can we expect a follow-up to ‘Crepitation Of Phlegethon’?
The second album is recorded. Ken is working on vocals now. We all live in three opposite corners of the states so it is all done remotely. But Jared and I completed instruments. Once we have the vocals, we will send it off to mix and master. So maybe we will see some news by the end of the year?
And while we’re talking, is there any news worth mentioning about your other bands or those of your Occulsed band mates?
Not mush really… Father Befouled is my main focus right now through the end of the year. We are rehearsing for some gigs at the end of the year and currently booking another European tour for 2024. We are writing for what will probably be an EP to coincide with the tour. Encoffination is wrapping up a new split and after that… not sure. Maybe we will hibernate for awhile. Beyond that there’s always a handful of thing I dabble with the keep me busy haha.
Okay Justin, thank you very much and of course we are looking forward to your new work. The last words are for you…
Thank you very much for the support and interview!
