Disembodied

^{So I did this interview with Aaron of Disembodied back in April of last year. It was conducted via email over a couple of days. I have printed copies of it in my zine, Life of a Spectator, but I figured it'd be cool to throw it up on this blog for everyone to read.} 

^{To start off the interview, where do you think you would be if Disembodied were never a band?}

^{Aaron: Eh, I don’t really think along those lines. I believe everything happens for a reason. Disembodied had a huge impact on my life. So many enriching life experiences, so many places I would have never been to, so many different people I would have never met; I would have never met my fiancé or moved to NY had it not been for Disembodied.}

^{Can you tell me about how Disembodied got started?}

^{Aaron: Disembodied got started back in the winter of ’95.  Joel, Tara, and I were in a hardcore band previous to Disembodied and were looking to do something a lil heavier than what we were doing at the time. We met Justin at some different hardcore shows and had seen him perform in his old band “Rain.” When they eventually broke up, we knew we had our drummer.}

^{How do you think the lyrical content has changed from the start to finish of the band?}

^{Aaron: Lyrically, Disembodied was always very personal. Dealing with frustrations I had with the outside world and with relationships. Towards the end I think I branched out a little more and got more topical such as the ignorance of religion and blind faith. But I would say for the most part I wrote from a more personal standpoint but I always wanted people to transpose my lyrics upon themselves and draw their own conclusions.}

^{Disembodied broke up once before. Can you explain that break up in terms of this break up. Does it feel any different or more final this time?}

^{Aaron:  The first time Disembodied broke up was on pretty bad terms. We were all very frustrated with each other and our egos suffice to say had run amuck. We didn't even play a "final" show. We were just done. This time around I like to think was on more mutual terms. I think in the end, as much as we tried, we just found it too hard to feel a cohesive unit with myself living on the east coast and the rest back in Minneapolis. We thought (as many bands do these days) we could keep it alive by playing a few shows here and there. However in the end I think we found it too hard to keep the chemistry alive. I guess I wouldn't have minded recording our final few songs before calling it quits. But obviously the rest of the band did not have the same sentiments.}

^{What were the main goals Disembodied wanted to accomplish by coming together as a band? Do you think you reached those goals?}

^{Aaron: As far as our main goals or objectives were in Disembodied I can only speak for myself but I think everyone in the band would agree that really we just wanted to be the "heaviest" band in hardcore. I don't know if we achieved that or not but some would argue we did. Many bands were similar to us with "metallic" elements but I think we may have one of the lowest tunings in hardcore. As far as myself, I always just used the band as an outlet to vent my frustrations upon the world and have as much fun as I could in the process. I decided I didn't want to do it anymore when I wasn't having fun anymore.} 

^{Looking through the album artwork and lyrical content, I've noticed a reoccurring use of vampires. Was this symbolism for a deeper meaning within the songs or would you say that vampire culture was a theme for Disembodied?}

^{Aaron: Honestly we always just thought vampires were cool. I'm a big fan of Anne Rice's romantic symbolism.  Interview with a Vampire to this day is still one of my favorite flix.  I used Vampirism as a metaphor for the blood suckers that have crossed my path in my days.} 

^{Being a band in the 1990's, socio-political issues were a huge theme for many hardcore bands. Do you believe this had any effect on your music?}

^{Aaron: It was hard not to be influenced by the socio-political era of the scene back in those days personally. But Disembodied was never a political band.}

^{You spoke earlier about how most Disembodied lyrics were from a personal standpoint. What do you feel was the most personal Disembodied release for you? Could you tell us a little bit about why it was so personal?}

^{Aaron: All of Disembodied's releases were very personal to me. Reflecting different aspects of who I was when that record was recorded. But I would have to say Heretic is probably MOST personal to me just because of what I was experiencing when those lyrics were written.  The breakdown of my marriage as well as the slow disintegration of the band.}  

Are there any specific shows that Disembodied has played that stood out to you? Why? Could you tell us a little about the first show Disembodied ever played?

^{Aaron: Ya know we played a lot of great shows with some amazing bands in our heyday. California was always great to us in the past as well as more recently. But having the honor to headline the first day of the "Burning Fight" festival a few years back would have to take the cake. Headlining over so many bands that were so influential in their time was truly an amazing experience. Sharing the stage with "Unbroken" in London was pretty mind blowing as well.  Seeing as how they had been a major inspiration for me personally wanting to become a front man for a band and being a major influence on Disembodied as a whole. Which kind of answers your next question.}

Are there any specific bands who inspired you to front a band?

^{Aaron: There are other bands that have been a huge influence on me as well. I've always found a great deal of inspiration from Chino Moreno of "Deftones".  More than any other band. The range of his voice. From his crooning singing style going from a soft singing part to a screeching scream. Lyrically he is very metaphorical which I have always tried to mimic. But mostly just knowing how to use lyrics to fit the overall "mood" of a song is truly an art form. I think "Deftones" better than many bands out there know how to marry the dynamic of melody and heavy with precision. Part of the reason that band will stand the test of time where many bands in the same genre are already dying out or are so forgettable. There are so many others but I would say "Deftones" more than any other had the most impact on me and still does to this day.}

^{Are there any current bands that you are listening to that you would like to recommend?}

^{Aaron: I listen to a lot of different styles of music depending on my mood. There are so many good bands out there these days and with our current technological revolution we are in finding these bands is easier than ever. But you still have to dig. But as far as the "heavy" stuff here's what I've been listening to as of late:} 

^{1) Fall of Efrafa: The Warren of Snares Trilogy. I've been truly addicted to this band ever since I found out about them a few years ago over in Europe. The story is inspired by the book "Watership Down" by Richard Adams. a story about the exile and redemption of a small band of rabbits in England.}

^{The records really runs the gambit stylistically. From D-beat hardcore to post-metal doom with cello. Unfortunately I found out about them after their demise.} 

^{2) Light Bearer: Lapsus. The vocalist from "Fall of Efrafa"s new band. They kind of pick up where "Fall of Efrafa" left off but more evolved. This record is sheer genius in my opinion. Pick it up if you’re a fan of slow heavy music.}

^{3) Trap Them: Darker Handcraft.  Sheer brutal metallic politically inspired hardcore. Like being bludgeoned by a thousand war hammers all at once.}

^{4) Defeater: Empty Days and Sleepless Nights. Truly a rare gem in the sphere of "new school" hardcore. The 3 acoustic songs at the end are a special treat.}

^{5) Struck by Lightning: Serpents. Great for head banging from beginning to bitter end.}

^{There are so many more...but these have been my personal faves for the past year or so.}

^{Oh I can't fail to mention Meshuggah's latest: Koloss is a force to be reckoned with.} 

^{Can you tell us a little about your new band Enskye? How does the music differ from the music that Disembodied played?}

^{Aaron: Well first off Enskye is considerably more melodic than Disembodied ever was. There are certainly aspects that are similar but for the most part Enskye is a bit of a departure from the heavy down tuned demon of the "Dis". We really are shooting for a lot of dynamic in our song writing process.  We want there to be a stark contrast between our melodic parts and our heavy parts. So when there is heavy it sounds even heavier and vice versa. Lyrically I'm trying to "step-out" of myself a bit. As opposed to writing very personal lyrics as before. I'm trying to write a bit more thematic and dare I say poetic with Enskye. For example I drew influence from John Milton's "Paradise Lost" on our newest endeavor.}

^{What were your main inspirations for starting a post-metal type band? What can we expect from Enskye in the future?}

^{Aaron: I've always been an avid fan of the genre. Bands like Neurosis, ISIS, Cult of Luna. Etc. There is a great deal to be said about a driving melody as opposed to just chuggah, chuggah all the time. I've been very attracted to the overall dynamic of bands like this for a long time. Disembodied certainly had these elements to a degree but at the same time was limited only by the genre we were lumped into. Our fans had certain expectations. The great thing about starting a new band is all expectations go out the window and with the "post-metal" genre it allows us to be as experimental as we want to be. I mean we even had a banjo on one track as well as sung melodies.  I'm really excited to see what kind of evolution the band will go through. Hopefully it will surprise people and we'll be able to add something fresh to the ever expanding genre.   We will be releasing our album "Eosphorus / Quintessence" for free download in the very near future. Check us out on our Facebook page if you’re interested.} 

^{Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, I appreciate it! Is there anything else you'd like to add?}

^{Aaron: No I don't think so. Thanks for interviewing me. This will probably be my last interview with Disembodied. But if you ever want an interview for Enskye. Let me know.}