Acolyte: From Entropy To Acceptance

Having an eclectic sound and a penchant to expand beyond the usual tropes and styles of prog, ACOLYTE have been a band to watch for some time. The Aussie music scene is evidently stronger than ever, and with their blend of classical and progressive styles ACOLYTE have pushed further into more personal songs on their latest record Entropy. We caught up with vocalist Morgan-Leigh Brown about the process of making the album and the ups and downs along the journey.

While the past year has seen setbacks for countless bands, that in and of itself wasn’t an issue for ACOLYTE. “We actually finished recording this album in 2019 and spent the early part of 2020 getting the mix just right with Forrester Savell,” Morgan-Leigh tells us. “So we were lucky in the sense that we didn’t have to combat any COVID-19 related restraints to the recording process. Due to the sheer size and scope of production on this record however, it did take a long time to mix and master in order to allow all light and shade to show through just as we dreamt it would.”

Entropy as a record is highly ambitious, with massive swells and more contained, technical moments. It’s expressive and versatile in its themes and expressions, and while that’s always been within Morgan-Leigh’s range both as a writer and a performer, she’s undoubtedly pushed further than ever with that. “I think in the earlier days I had the tendency to write more about folk stories using old pagan tales at the centre,” she reflects. “I do emote my vocal melody a lot though both in the studio and when I perform live which I think has always contributed towards making my particular work more relatable. On this record, I almost had no choice but to be more personal, laying each of my stories out like diary entries from a time that was very difficult health wise for me. I re-worked each song to be more widely accessible and relatable for everyone however they definitely all were derived from a very personal space.”

The songs in question are all remarkably fluid and it’s evident how closely ACOLYTE work as a band to find the right tone and cadence to express the songs vision. It’s even more impressive the expansive nature of the music, given the incredibly difficult time Morgan-Leigh was having at the time. “As we recorded the Entropy record, I was right in the midst of battling a nasty case of Chronic Fatigue (CFS),” Morgan-Leigh explains. “I would attend the studio for a full day to lay down vocals and then come home and pass out for often days at a time. The pattern was quite isolating and lonely.”

Invisible health issues are hard at the best of times, never mind when trying to produce emotionally and physically draining work. However, Morgan-Leigh turned that to her advantage. “When you are that alone for such an extended period of time, the mind can work in incredible ways, both positively and negatively. So, I turned to my journal for inspiration. It ended up being an extremely difficult but also cathartic experience left on record forever. The boys started to build up the tension in the music and between songs as they began to learn where I was looking to go thematically. From that point it seemed we were all on the same page and progressed forward quite organically.”

The way the band has worked around this issue and not only shone a light on it, but made it a highlighted part of the record means that songs like Resentment express not just a surface level relatability, but make for a real connection with listeners who are in similar positions. “I finished this song last. I knew what I wanted it to be but communicating it all out loud was really difficult,” Morgan-Leigh continues. “Part of what I was going through created some pretty intense brain fog. It would often mean that even the most basic of words became hard to find in my own mind, so on my good days I really had to get stuck in for as long as I could. Our Engineer Prasheen Naran really assisted me with the confidence to get this all down and to back myself when it came to expressing the narrative that I agree is an exceptionally important message. Anger and frustration had to have a place on this record and it’s found it’s home on this track in a really healthy way.”

Entropy is out now via Wild Thing Records/Blood Blast Distribution. 

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