So we took a moment to speak with Malcolm Pugh of Inferi about new material, touring and future of Technical Death Metal.
MP: Please introduce yourselves to what you do in the band:
Malcolm Pugh: My name is Malcolm Pugh and I do guitars and vocals.
MP: How did Inferi formed as a band?
Malcolm Pugh: INFERI formed from the remnants out a band called Death Looks Promising. We lost our drummer and vocalist in DLP, so our Bassist at the time decided to do vocals and play bass. Then we picked up Eric W. Brown (Vale of Pnath, Necrogoblicon, Destroy Destroy Destroy) on Drums and with that lineup change, so did the sound. We decided to change our name and thus Inferi took form.
MP: What inspired you guys to play Death Metal and do you have any musical influences that made you guys become a band?
Malcolm Pugh: Arsis, The Black Dahlia Murder and Necrophagist are the big three influences for INFERI, especially around the time the band started. I’m not sure why we chose Death Metal, but we’ve always strived to be melodic and intense, so I guess it was a very natural choice for our sound, but not necessarily a conscious one.
MP: You guys are based out of Nashville, Tennessee how was it like with the members being transitioned into a different area?
Malcolm Pugh: It was a struggle to have members leave the band with “The Path of Apotheosis” came out. Now, most of our members are here in town with us, which really helps expedite our goals for the band.
MP: The last album we heard from you guys was 2014’s The Path Of Apotheosis released through The Artisan Era and with your new album Revenant scheduled for an April 2018 release could we ask how was the songwriting process compared to the last album?
Malcolm Pugh: The songwriting was a lot more focused this time around, so we were able to refine it and expand on more symphonic ideas. Having Sam and Joel in the band really helped add new elements to what we do as well. We also tried to bridge the gap between our old and new sound and approach with “Revenant” and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
MP: Your last album had lyricism about wars, battles and dark fantasy stories but with Revenant does it continue where the album left off or is the lyrics bit different this time around?
Malcolm Pugh: The Path of Apotheosis was a concept album about Annunaki and human creation. Revenant doesn’t continue that story at all, it actually starts where our second album leaves off. It takes you on a journey through the nine rings of hell as described in Dante’s Inferno, but with our own story weaved in to make it a little more interesting.
MP: What do you guys think of the current state of Technical Death Metal in the extreme metal community today?
Malcolm Pugh: The community is great. I feel like its one of the smaller communities, but also one of the most loyal. As far as the genre is concerned, I think it has plenty of room to grow and evolve. That being said, I can see more and more TDM bands having larger fans bases as long as they stay on the grind.
MP: You guys are currently on tour with Alterbeast, Grindmother, Aethere and The Kennedy Veil on selective dates for the Feast Winter Tour 2018 lineup what was your guy’s thoughts playing with some amazing bands in today’s scene?
Malcolm Pugh: The tour was great! The turnouts were bigger than I thought they would be, which gives me hope for the future of the underground death metal scene.
MP: What songs can you tell us in supporting of the album Revenant what tracks you’ll play for your setlist on this tour?
Malcolm Pugh: We played Within the Dead Horizon and Behold the Bearer of Light on the Winter Feast Tour. We will have more new songs on our future tours planned this summer.
MP: What made you guys wanna be apart of The Artisan Era roster?
Malcolm Pugh: Mike Low and I own the label, so I think we were kind of a shoe-in.
MP: Are there any upcoming bands you guys are excited to hear new material for 2018?
Malcolm Pugh: Definitely looking forward to the Equipoise album and Singularity has some new stuff in the works as well. I think we are all waiting to hear some new Beyond Creation as well.
MP: Any advice for modern artists who want to start a band?
Malcolm Pugh: I would suggest writing a bunch of material and refine it over and over. Content is King, so new bands should focus on making new content to draw in more ears. Be prepared to make sacrifices for your art, because nothing worth anything comes easy.
MP: And is there any last words you want to inform your fans for the future time being?
Malcolm Pugh: I just want to thank all of our fans for the amazing support. We have more tours in the works and more music, videos, etc. in the works, so stay tuned.
