God Dementia : ‘Curse of the Unseen’ CD February 2018 Self Release.
Written by: Matt Drummond
Photo credit: GoldilocksCG Photography
The winter winds of Chicago, have picked up, and they’ve blown in a straight kill machine. Following up the release of 2015’s, ‘Consuming the Delusional’, the grinding, God Dementia are back with their sophomore album; ‘Curse of the Unseen’.
After having the pleasure of checking out the new record, I had formed opinions of mine own, but I caught up with a few of the guys, and was able to get their perspective on things as well.
“Both albums are really heavy on the riffs, as well as the drums, and vocals. We kept the same formula with the music, but the new album consists of a different side of the spectrum. As far as slower, more groove, some straightforward elements, and melodies. The new album is a bit of a melting pot, as far as death metal goes, but it still has a strong feel, and raw sound, that we had on the last record. We like to keep a fresh perspective with the tunes, and try not to sound repetitive.”
–Rick Hernandez
“This one definitely has more songs, with a kind of punk feel to them for sure. It still has a ton of grindy feel to them though. There’s also a few songs on the new album, like ‘Leech’, that have that punk sound. We always try to kick around new ideas, change it up a little per album.”
–Cody Zupan
“We really tried a lot of new vocal styles, Cody absolutely nailed it this time around. The whole album really shows what he’s capable of, you’ll hear all of us doing some kind of backup vocals, along with, our previous guitarist, Johnny Dove. Lyrically, it’s what you’d expect; reflections on our lives, the people around us, and perseverance. We’ve all been at this for a very long time, and sometimes it gets tough.”
–Zack Smolenski
Listening to their answers, basically verified everything I had thought myself. ‘Curse of the Unseen’, rips open with ‘Cowards’, a blueprint of the grinding style, God Dementia is known for. The title track, ‘Curse of the Unseen’, changes gears, to an eerie melody, laid over a drum clinic performance, by Rick Hernandez. That all leads into my personal favorite track, ‘Deliberate Torture’. In the meantime take a listen :
Impressed by the new album, and acknowledging the fact that God Dementia appears to primed, and ready to go, what’s on the schedule?
“We’d like to obtain more shows, as well as festivals, that could help us break through. We also, have our ears open for any potential labels, and look forward to networking further with promoters outside of Chicago. There’s also a music video on the horizon, for one of the new tracks. We’ve been on idle, for a few years now. We’d like to get our foot in the door, while we promote the album, and look for anything that can benefit us with any future events. We hope to get the most out of 2018, and make a significant mark in the scene.”
–Rick Hernandez
“I wanna get out, play more shows, and get started on the third album. I wanna really get moving, and get on track this year. We’re all definitely hungry for it, that’s for sure.”
–Cody Zupan
Cody Zupan, Jon Corston, Zack Smolenski, James Genenz, and Rick Hernandez, are all hungry, and chomping at the bit. These guys aren’t amateurs, and my money’s on a successful 2018 for the band.
“It’s, I don’t wanna say everything, but it’s a lot, I love it. It’s a great outlet, not just a hobby. It’s been over ten years, that I’ve been in a band. It’s a way of life, a way to keep you positive. It makes me feel positive at least. It’s like the music helps you get through life, ya know? I think about if I had gotten into a different style of music, when I was younger, how much stuff wouldn’t have happened. It’s weird to think about, I cherish this, I appreciate it, It’s metal.”
–Cody Zupan
“I love it, I wrote, and think it’s great, but that’s just me. It’s not for me to decide, if it turned out good, or bad. Whoever listens to it, will be the judge of that.”
–Zack Smolenski
Keep your eyes open, for the release of, ‘Curse of the Unseen’. This isn’t an album, or band, to sleep on. The new album will officially be released in early February 2018. It’ll be up to you to form your own opinions, I know what mine is 91/100.