Enterprise Earth: The Foundations of Progression
At the start of 2020, tours were still in full swing and the idea that they would be cancelled/postponed was unimaginable. Fast-forward to now and the entertainment sector is in a worrying state of affairs. COVID-19 stripped the world of live music events, and venues have been forced to close permanently because of the lack of income. Many bands have suffered huge financial losses and the uncertainty about how they will be able to continue in the future. Fortunately, a large percentage of those bands have taken the initiative to use the time wisely to ensure music won’t go down without a fight. US deathcore band ENTERPRISE EARTH are one of those.
In the early days of countries going into lockdown, the band decided to drop a surprise EP on our laps titled Foundation of Bones. Speaking with guitarist Gabe Mangold he says, “the whole concept of the EP was kind of like a spur of the moment thing and it all just kind of happened very quickly and organically. We didn’t really see the point in building up a big thing here since it’s not like an album, it’s just like a bridge in the gap EP that we had the idea to do during all this craziness.”
The EP itself was self-produced, having been mixed and mastered in Mangold’s tiny home trailer rig in the New Mexico high desert. With many bands unable to access studios at the moment, Mangold took the experience he had from making demos from what he’s written over the years and transferred it to the EP, something the band were all happy with. “I’ve been making demos for anything I’ve written for years now and it kind of got to the point where we were pretty happy with the demo quality and this (COVID-19) whole thing happened. We didn’t have a budget to put out songs, we can’t fly to go to a studio or anything like that and we didn’t want to pay for a producer, so I was like ‘okay let me just really give this a shot, let me give it my full attention and see if I can pull it off.’” Mangold continues, “we were really stoked with how the sound came out and we were so stoked on it that we decided we want to do the LP next.”
As Mangold states, the band didn’t have the budget to do things the ‘usual’ way, and like others after the pandemic, they’re going to be turning to a lot more DIY approaches after huge financial losses. Despite the circumstances, it has meant that there’s a little more room to be free with creativity to take it into their own hands 100%. “The pandemic was a huge thing. We have lost a lot, tens of thousands of dollars, between having to rush home from Europe and then a cancelled North American tour, it’s lots of revenue lost. That’s just every band that was on the road or had plans for the year.” Mangold continues on the DIY approach, “it allows us to save a lot of money, if we do borrow money from the label we can recoup it faster and make our money faster, so in terms of a business aspect it’s great for us too, because we make more money now. Unfortunately going to a studio, that and music videos, is the most expensive part for any band, if you can do it yourself, you’re saving a lot of money which is great.”
Right now the music industry needs as much support as it can get, and Mangold wastes no time in thanking fans for helping out during this hard time. “I’m so thankful for our fans and the metal community, and the metal community in general. It’s just been really cool to see us banding together, pun not intended by saying banding together, through this pandemic.” With people being locked down, they’ve had more time on their hands to sit and explore new music or revisit albums they’ve not had the time to sit and enjoy again. Whilst bands have suffered, ENTERPRISE EARTH have seen the commitment their fans have to them. “Fans have been supporting us and helping us get out of our financial hole. I’ve seen lots of fans supporting other bands and stuff like that, just really helping out, it’s awesome to see what a great community that we have here.”
Despite Mangold’s humble attitude, the music industry could do with a hand from governments, because without it, grassroot venues that bands like ENTERPRISE EARTH rely on are at risk of permanent closure. “I read an article the other day where 90% of local venues are in jeopardy of shutting down, that’s at least in the United States. Different countries have actually had governments supporting the venues like Canada and other places in Europe, if I’m recalling correctly. Here in the states the venues are shutting down, it’s a big bummer because however long this continues to go on, it’s gonna put more venues and people out of business.” He continues, “we’ve seen a lot of great support from fans which is incredible but you can only ask so much of your fans, you can’t have your fans bail you out every single time there’s a big issue. It’s really hard for everyone right now, I’m not sure what preventative measures can be taken in the future to mitigate the haemorrhaging that we are experiencing and will continue to experience in our industry.”
Again, despite the knowledge that what is happening right now is hard for music, there’s still an air of positivity. There’s this ‘bright side of life’ attitude that Mangold holds. “If venues were to close, bands and artists will figure shit out. You may see them moving back to a more DIY touring scene, very punk rock or something like that, where it’s a mix of the dives and holes in the walls that you would play for a DIY venue, but there’s actually some organisation to it and contracts and stuff so folks are making money. Once bands can perform again, bands will find a way.”
Whilst we can’t tell what the future holds for the music industry right now, there is a lot of hope within this bleak pandemic. What ENTERPRISE EARTH have proven with their EP Foundation of Bones, is that whatever foundation this industry is built on, it will not go down without the mightiest of fights. We should all be looking for a solution in how we can move forward, even if it means taking matters into our own hands, and bands having to do it on their own for a while. There’s a long way to go but “To quote Jurassic Park, life finds a way.”
Foundation of Bones is out now via eOne Music.
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