Alustrium: New Label. Same Outlook

We have all had enough of talking about the global COVID-19 pandemic at this point. It is something that has been at forefront of our minds for what feels like an eternity as we have watched the virus mutate to not only survive, but to evolve. As negative as it may be, its goal is remarkably simple; keep adapting in order to keep ahead of the curve and reach as wide of a target as possible. A similar plan of action has been adopted by ALUSTRIUM. In the decade since their formation the band have modified and reshaped their formula to keep moving forward and have created something that we have not seen before. On every release to date, they have carefully honed their skills and have added more textures to their already intricate and crushingly heavy sound, culminating in their forthcoming third album A Monument To Silence.

In order to keep up their current upward trajectory the band have recently made the decision to sign to the independent record label Unique Leader Records after being headhunted by former SYLOSIS and HEART OF A COWARD and current VISCERA vocalist Jamie Graham. The decision to sign with the label was a choice that was not made lightly as guitarist Chris Kelly explains. “The fact that Jamie has been on the artist side of things means he understands what the artist wants.” The band are clear about their vision and what they want to put out into the world and that can be a hindrance to some, as their immersive form of complex metal has not always been the most marketable, but with a record label with the kind of connections that Unique Leader have it seems that the possibilities are endless.

Musically ALUSTRIUM are a band that do not like to repeat themselves. The aim of the game is to push their creative boundaries outwards on every release to date as they go. The previous full-length album A Tunnel To Eden saw the band begin to explore adding concepts to their music and expanding on them via multiple tracks most notably with the three-song trilogy The Illusion of Choice. Guitarist Mike DeMaria elaborates on embracing the challenge, “it felt like the logical next step. We hit some check marks with a three-part song. So, we decided that we should push ourselves and commit to a full concept album.”

All the artistic themes and subject matter that the band articulate through their music comes from the mind of the band’s frontman Jerry Martin. The way that they craft their sound is incredibly unique in the way that the lyricist would come to the other members of the band and explain his vision and the mood that he would want to convey on certain sections and the instrumentalists would then set about creating a suitable soundscape. “Jerry has complete lyrical domain over the lyrical side of things,” tells Kelly. “We have been working together for over a decade and that dynamic has never really changed. Jerry has a really type grasp on the vision that he has for everything and what he normally brings to the table blends perfectly with the music that we have in mind at the time.”

The subject matter of A Monument To Silence is the story of a character exploring the deeper understanding of mental health. At a time where the world is going through a historic event such as this where people have been isolated from their friends and families for prolonged periods of time and have been in constant fear for their health and well being it feels like the perfect time to explore such a topic. “The title of the album is a reference to what happens when you ignore and don’t reach out to help someone who is struggling with their own mental health,” Kelly explains. At this point it is important to point out that although this is a brief insight into what the album explores. Merely scratching the surface in fact, that it is the perfect summation of what the art traverses.

The music itself covers a tremendous amount of ground seamlessly within short periods of time. The guitarists attribute the original sound that they have cultivated to have such a broad scope of influences amongst the five members and the ability to take influence from them, but not to emulate them. “After our first album we began to lean into our progressive tendencies, when we decided to label ourselves as a prog band it gave us a lot more freedom to do whatever we wanted to do.” When you take a step back and take in that statement the whole idea of what ALUSTRIUM are about becomes a lot clearer. These guys are creative to their very core and want to push the boundaries of what they can do as they go, things never appear stale, and they never repeat to the point that anything becomes familiar and that gives the music a substance that people can relate to.

ALUSTRIUM are a band who are on a mission to carve out their own niche in technical death metal and with A Monument To Silence they may have just created the perfect vehicle to take themselves to that next level. This album is not one to simply listen to absent mindedly. There are so many layers and textures to every track that you must immerse yourself fully in order to truly experience what ALUSTRIUM are all about and it will be worth every second of your time.

A Monument To Silence is out now via Unique Leader Records.

Like ALUSTRIUM on Facebook.