New Talent On The Horizon: On Captain Graveyards' New Album 'Stor Kuk Energi' and Staying True to Yourself
Captian Graveyard is not your quintessential run-of-the-mill metalcore band. After sitting through their latest album experience, you feel you have listened to something far-out, something that goes outside of the bounds of current metalcore standards. When it comes to bands that want to stand out in today's genre, you need not look any further than these electronic metalcore firecrackers. Infusing a bit of old with the new, Captain Graveyard is here to prove that you can do the same thing twice, but with an unconventional, satirical, fun twist.
Captain Graveyard ‘Stor Kuk Energi’ Album Art
Controversial? sure, but Captain Graveyard has never concerned themselves with wanting to be with the "In-Crowd." Captain Graveyard has never taken themselves too seriously and doesn't want anyone else to either. Confidently knowing their fanbase and embracing it to their fullest extent, Captain Graveyard consistently tests the waters with their unique approaches to the metalcore genre while still keeping in strides with the current scene. Given that the Dutch/Scandinavian Trio is still pretty new, they are making some pretty big waves with their latest release Stor Kuk Energi, Captain Graveyards' freshman release.
Creatively using electronic atmospheric elements while plunging into metalcore and progressive realms instrumentally, Captain Graveyard sets the tone with notably impressive vocal talents and witty lyricism that will keep listeners engaged throughout. Captain Graveyard encapsulates a nostalgic ingenuity and charm that has been long lost to another era, lending credence to the fact that this standout band is not going anywhere anytime soon. I got to talk to this up and coming band about their latest release, writing the record, and what is next for the electronic/metalcore band.
When you first started Captain Graveyard, how did the local scene and your music taste influence your band's philosophy?
Djennifer: My music taste growing up consisted of a lot of Attack Attack, which I found through Runescape music videos. There never really was a metal scene in my town where I grew up, so having YouTube as my gateway into this style of music was really an eye-opener for me. As for how it affected Captain Graveyards' philosophy, I guess it's all about that we're trying to have fun and make something that's equally fun to listen to, while at the same time being heavy and groovy.
Emil: I was into a lot of bands like Humanity’s Last Breath, Vildhjarta, and so on. I was also working on Frostbitt’s Solbrent album at the time, which definitely had an impact on my overall aesthetical choices when doing the early productions and writing for CG.
Don: Like Djennifer, I lived in a pretty rural area in Connecticut, so I knew very few people into the same music as I was into. It wasn’t until college where I met a good deal of musicians. Playing with them sort of pushed me to switch from making instrumental music to more of the vocally driven metalcore I’m involved with now. That was pretty essential for my current approach and tastes and was a big motivating factor for me to actually start doing vocals myself.
How do you maintain staying progressive while still using some pretty nostalgic metalcore vibes within your music?
Djennifer: I travel back in time to imagine what my 15-year-old self would listen to and then create something with a H E A V Y taste of pure cringe.
Emil: It all comes naturally, since both Don and I are huge prog fans, and we all listen to loads of different music. The nostalgia part comes from us starting with the 3OH!3 and Medic Droid covers, and we just kinda went with the same type of vibe. We all grew up with the same old school metalcore/alternative rock, so it just kinda falls neatly into place!
Don: 8 string + synths
What is Stor Kuk Energi all about? What bought about this project?
Stor Kuk Energi is about trying to live through depression and breakups while life destroys your soul. (Also "Stor Kuk Energi" means "Big Dick Energy")
Your music is known for being quite satirical and meme-ish, but it also has this charming and energetic quality about it that combines electronic-infused metalcore for the mid-2000s, while also blending in some of today's modern metalcore elements. With all of this in mind, what is the recording process like for your style of music and how do you balance that out given today's social climate?
Emil: Our process can be a bit chaotic. We usually start off with a discord session where Djennifer has a core idea that she wants to go with, and then the other (either me or Don) tries to put that into paper (or MIDI, if you’d like). I’ll then do a basic preproduction demo which goes through a round of revisions and we try managing all these elements that we want to put in there.
There can be some pretty drastic changes, and suddenly the songs turn out wildly different from what they were initially. Djennifer’s great at finding inspiration in various places, so this process can be a lot of fun! As for the actual recording of the songs, I’ll record all the guitars in my home studio, where I also edit all the vocals sent to me from Don and Djennifer. All the mixing and overall production are also done here!
Don: Emil nailed the writing experience pretty much spot on. We both usually compose with Djennifer and one of her strongest skills is the creative vision for a song and the overall aesthetic of the sound. The chaos sort of develops from ideas swapping directions and requires some pretty big rewrites, but it’s worked so far!
What have you taken from this release as an artist?
Djennifer: To not care about hate and just be ourselves!
Emil: To not use Pro Tools Standard on a 2015 Macbook Pro when mixing songs with a 120+ track count on average...
Don: That this music is fun to make and it feels good to be out of my musical comfort zone.
What do you want people to take from this release as fans or as people listening to you for the first time?
Djennifer: To party as hard as you can and break shit in your room while laughing from the pink guy energy.
Emil: I want to really drive home the point that bigger is better. Big grooves, big riffs, and big memes.
Don: I want our songs to get stuck in people's heads, I want them to be memorable.
Is there anything you would have done differently now that the record is out and why?
Djennifer: I think recording in a better environment is definitely on my list of things to do!
Emil: The songs were all written over 1 year or so, so consistency is an issue. I think next time I’m gonna put extra effort into streamlining the process and keeping the songs a bit more consistent throughout, especially sound-wise.
Don: I’m still trying to work on my vocal delivery and style for this genre. I feel like every day I improve, so I think I could have done a better job on a few of the songs stylistically speaking.
Are there any ambitions you still want to pursue with the next release that you didn't get to fully realize with Stor Kuk Energi?
Djennifer: We didn’t get the chance to create a music video while being at the same place at once so we still need to do that!
Emil: We definitely want to do a music video and do band meetings with everyone present!
Don: I’m looking forward to being more involved with the music as a whole. That is something I’m very much looking forward to on the next release.
I know you guys just released Stor Kuk Energi and it's quite a unique, memorable, and effective record given that I feel a lot of people in the scene will enjoy it. What is next for you guys? Is there new material in the works for you guys?
Djennifer: The next step in our journey will be to create a more dark and ‘’graveyard’’ vibe, and yes we’re constantly writing!
Don: We have a fair amount of demos and some pretty detailed plans for the next release. I hope we can get the opportunity to meet up in person next year and work on it together.
Check out Stor Kuk Energi here and their latest single, "Mercedes Dishes," (feat. Emil Reitan & A.J. Bartholomew of Eyes Set to Kill), down below!