INTERVIEW: Anthony Notarmaso – After The Burial

Few bands have endured the heartbreaking tragedy which has befallen progressive metal outfit AFTER THE BURIAL. Losing a cherished friend is never an easy task but somehow the quartet persevered and made their triumphant return with 2016’s Dig Deep album.  It is now time for the much anticipated follow-up entitled Evergreen which was released on Friday via Sumerian Records. Prior to the release of the record, we caught up with frontman Anthony Notarmaso to get the lowdown on what we can expect from this release and more.

Evergreen is due for release later this month, what was your main focus going into this album?

Anthony: I don’t think we actually had a main focus, we just wanted to write what we like and don’t try too hard to please anybody and don’t get lost in trying to do something which isn’t organic, to just let it happen. We just kinda just did our own thing.

Did you intend for it to be so ridiculously heavy?

Anthony: We’re AFTER THE BURIAL so I think now more than ever we’ve found our sound. We have our identity and there is no questions anymore. We’re who we are and we’re a heavy band but we also have lots of melodic riffs too so we do both. If you’re a fan of that kind of music or a fan of us that’s what you’re gonna get.

Of course, does it bring any kind of pressure that the fans will have an expectation of what new material should sound like?

Anthony: Fans are entitled to their own opinion and I think if at least we’re staying true to ourselves that’s the best thing you can do. Just write our own music and not worry about what everyone else is going to think. Are you going to worry or just write the song the way it should because it sounds good?  That should be the main focus otherwise it won’t sound sincere y’know?

Absolutely, at the end of the day you should primarily write for yourselves and if everyone else enjoys it it’s an added bonus.

Anthony: That’s exactly what it is, I feel like if you’re going to worry then it’s not going to be you. We don’t write music that is influenced by anyone else, our record label doesn’t jump in and mess with any of our music. There is never any outside pressure from other sources and they let us do our thing which is what we’re best at.

What was the inspiration for the album title?

Anthony: Oh man, Evergreen is something I’ve been sitting on for years, after Dig Deep came out and I really liked the sound of it and the idea that it came from. I never told the band I had something ready for the next album until we were in the studio. They were stoked I already had something in mind, I brought it up when it was time to talk about the album title. The first signed album with Sumerian was Rareform and it’s about an entity that is part roots, part human so you get this theme going on and with Dig Deep that was a big album for us as we had gone through so much and there was so much meaning behind the title and the art. You have this lantern which is buried under the ground and all these tree roots were growing from that light and wrapped round it. There is light down there somewhere, you’ve just gotta find it which described what we had gone through as a band. Evergreen was a continuation of everything, like what we had been through in the ten years I’ve been in the band. It was like after you’ve been through everything and you’ve grown from it and been through all the ups and downs. In Minnesota and in California where I’m from you have these evergreen trees and redwood trees which stay green all year long. It was kind of a nod to Minnesota and California which is where our bassist Adrian and myself are from and Dan and Trent are rooted right there in Minnesota. We go round and we play music for people and we plant seeds all round the world. Hopefully our music gives those people some kind of solace or joy that even helps them bang their head and laugh with their friends for a second that’s a seed planted. When you have those evergreen trees they’re all connected, those aren’t separate trees, they’re all connected like one big organism. That’s the theme really, we’re playing our music all around the world and we’re here to stay no matter what. Whether our music stays around forever or we only have a few years left we’re evergreen, we’re here forever.

That’s amazing. As you’ve quite rightly said you’ve all been through so much as a band and a lot of people were concerned for the future of AFTER THE BURIAL but I’m sure everyone is relieved to see you bounce back from it all and come back fighting with some of your best material to date.

Anthony: You never know what’s gonna happen. Playing music and being in a metal band it can be tough. It’s not like it really gets super popular. I mean it can but it’s a lot harder. We didn’t start feeling some pressure relief until Dig Deep came out. We we’re struggling a lot. At the time we were all talking about it potentially being our last record. We weren’t doing good as a band. It wasn’t like we wanted to give up but it was just really tough. The whole thing happened with Justin right in the middle of the studio and day one I show up and he’s not there. It was such a shock. I dunno man, we just kept going and here we are.

I can only imagine what you were all going through but you bonded and battled through it all together and you all supported each other through it and at least you didn’t have to endure that process alone.

Anthony: Exactly, my mom passed away when I was 23 and my dad was always there for me when I was younger but we were kinda butting heads then and I wasn’t the greatest kid when I was younger. I got into a lot of trouble and I was really angry and made it hard on my dad. I lived with him but I had my own little place in the back of the house and we kinda lived separate. When my mom passed my dad and I got a lot closer and we have this great relationship now, we talk all the time and I called him when I got offered to join this band. I was in school at the time and I was studying to become a paramedic and he was like “Anthony you gotta go do this, you can always go back to school”. He encouraged me to get out there on the road and start playing music and it brought us a lot closer through that tragedy. The same thing happened with the band. We all miss Justin and we want him to be here and so he could have seen all the good that has come recently. It sucks but it did bring the band a lot closer and we have a really good vibe on the road. It’s like a family, even our crew and the guys that work with us like our tech’s and merch guys we have a solid family, we go out with all the time. It’s kinda nice.

That’s fantastic that you have got such a rigid support system, I’m sure Justin would be very proud of how you guys have progressed. 

Anthony: I would hope so man. I don’t know what happens when life is over but hopefully it’s just another step. I would hope that wherever he is that he is watching over us and smiling.

Behold The Crown has been out for a while now, how has the response been from this track?

Anthony: I think it’s been pretty good. It’s kind of one of those songs that I knew people were going to think it was awesome. We’ve had really good feedback from it. It’s been pretty good so far. I’m happy with it and I think it’s rad. It was fun to record and it was a little tough in some parts but it’s us, that’s us. We didn’t just flop out a song, we worked hard on it and we hope people like it along with us.

I bet you’re excited to play it live as I can only imagine the pits that are going to ensue what that kicks in!

Anthony: I’ve been listening to the last two tracks we released and I’ve been going over them as I’m getting ready to fly out to Minnesota so we can practice before the tour starts. It’s gonna be fun. Man, I can’t remember the last time we played a show! It’s been that long. We’ve been off for a while and I’m all fat so I need to get into stage shape [laughs].

[laughs], obviously you’ve got the touring coming up very shortly. Do you have anything planned later on in the year?

Anthony: We’re going to be going to Australia in May or June? Everything is a blur to me. We’ve got some other stuff going on to like Europe later this summer. We’ve got a lot in the plans but that’s it for now. There is a lot of talk going on but we’re just waiting y’know?

Can we expect to see you guys back in the UK anytime soon?

Anthony: I’m not sure! We’re going to try get out there, we try to get out there at least once a year. That’d be great. We love it over there.

Thanks very much for your time man, it’s been an absolute pleasure. I’ll leave you with one final question. Do you have anything you would like to say to the readers of Distorted Sound?

Anthony: Thanks for checking us out. We’re just normal dudes that play music. We’re all humble guys and if anything thanks for sticking with us and giving us a chance. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you like us great, if you don’t then that’s cool too. If you like us please pass us along to your friends and hopefully we can start planting seeds everywhere!

Evergreen is out now via Sumerian Records.

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