INTRODUCING: Epiphanic Truth

The idea of a creating a string of musical compositions which stitch together by an overarching concept or theme is by no means a new proposition but to grab the attention of a technology driven society spoiled by millions of available songs at their finger tips, musicians have to think outside of the box and push forward into territory which is yet to be discovered or utilised by their counterparts. A collection of musicians who have united under the banner of EPIPHANIC TRUTH hope to raise awareness of some of the current failings of our existence.

“The ethos behind EPIPHANIC TRUTH can be bluntly summarised as ‘humanity is headed towards extinction over salvation’ and our music serves to demonstrate what we perceive to be our most chaotic, destructive characteristics. The internet ecosystem has innumerable platforms that nurture and amplify these sorts of traits and contribute towards an increasingly deluded and divided world. It’s true that the internet allows us to see certain dark truths which would otherwise go unreported, but it’s impossible to ignore the deluge of bullshit overflowing in real life. Those in power are increasingly aware of the effect cyberspace has on the real world, as well as the methods and technologies available to directly propagandise to individuals and groups more effectively than ever before. We feel if you are going to overcome these forces you have to understand them – but then, how much can or should we even trust our own perception or that of others?”

The collective have chosen for their concept and theme for their debut release to revolve around what is known as the Dark Triad of personality disorders, focusing on narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. This triptych formed the foundation of what became the three tracks that embody the title Dark Triad: Bitter Psalms To A Sordid Species.

“The initial emphasis was the lyrics as we wanted lyrical drafts to start forming music around. While those drafts were being written we were considering the motifs for each song, eventually forming skeleton structures around the first lyrical drafts. Those skeletons developed during our jam sessions and even during the transition from demo recordings to the final recordings. We commissioned Wilfred Ho to record drums for the album, who performed to our demo recordings. His more intricate and intense performances became what we recorded the final guitars to, meaning our rigid demo performances evolved to compliment or synchronise with him for the final recordings.”

As well as constructing provocative lyrical content, the collective have devised an intense musical offering to accompany their vision, meshing together a chaotic blend of varying styles that is sure to be as impactful. “We set out to create extreme and psychedelic music, so the juxtaposition of different styles, dynamics, tones/timbres can be a handy palette to wield. We’ll always try to achieve some sort of compositional balance between extreme metal and counterpoint genres.”

“In the current context, times are troubling and I don’t think many people really believe things are going to just neatly fall back into the places they were before – but nor do we all necessarily believe they should fall back into the places they were. In periods of crises like this, Dark Triad types within power will seek to benefit from the situation and manipulate the environment to better serve them and their cronies. These actions require a callous lack of empathy, greedy disregard for the well-being of others and manipulative, duplicitous public theatrics in order to control the crowd. All of these awful things beyond your control, so instead try to make positive impacts in areas within your control. Maybe we’ll get to leave some sort of positive impact within the metal scene. There’s a serious message but we’re not entirely dour.”

There are a variety of musicians who intend to remain anonymous, using masks and other such tools and imagery to withhold their identities. Some instances are to create mystique as the listeners wonder who is behind the project. For EPIPHANIC TRUTH it is to emphasise that the music and the messages they are conveying are more important than who is responsible. “We want our music to be heard so we need to find reasonable ways to create an awareness of it and the intent behind it. We aren’t interested in personal attention or recognition for the content we put out, that often the best work occurs in obscurity.”

Given the nature of this project it would be forgiven if assumptions were made to their future longevity, but EPIPHANIC TRUTH have no intention of making a one-off declaration and disappearing into the shadows. The collective intend to continue distributing their message and shining the spotlight on any aspects of life which need to be held accountable. “We are already working on future material, some more immediate, another that is likely to be our second album and we’re even already ruminating on future concepts. We cannot be certain of how regularly or consistently we’ll put out material, but we intend to whir away in the background emerging each time we’re ready.”

Dark Triad: Bitter Psalms To A Sordid Species is out now via Church Road Records.

Follow EPIPHANIC TRUTH on Bandcamp.