- electricdreamsmedi
Q&A With Melbourne Metal Band Scaphis
Melbourne metal band Scaphis recently dropped the heavy track “Blood Eagle” and with a new album on the way due to be released July 8th, we did a little Q&A with them to discuss all things music. Find out what they had to say below.
Firstly, Tell us about yourself as an individual, tell us about your band, what your band means to you, and describe your music for someone who’s never heard it.
Spyke - I have more hobbies than free time, I collect animal skulls and limited edition doom metal vinyls, and have a deep interest in death customs and green funerals. I am the sole vocalist of Scaphis, though I’d love for Ben to join in for backing vocals when we play live in future. Scaphis is a lifeforce, it’s a vital piece of who I am as a person and we’re like a family. I would describe our music as a kind of blend of American death metal, with a bit of euro influence, melodic catchy riffs, low growls and clean production. I personally think the band we sound the most like is Dethklok.
Ryan - not much to say about me, I am a massive nerd and a metal head. I am not sure how to put into words what Scaphis means to me, it’s such a huge part of my life and I can’t (nor want to) imagine my life without it.
Josh – Music has always been a passion of mine, from listening to it, traveling to see it live, writing it and playing it live to others! It makes up so much of who I am and what I enjoy and I never want to lose that. I also enjoy nature, hiking, going on adventures and gaming. Scaphis is heavy, melodic, something that tells a story but also makes you want to bang your head.
You’ve recently released a new single titled “Blood Eagle”. What is the inspiration?
S - Our songs are usually either based on something from real life, or just a real messed up thought or idea. Blood Eagle is about the notorious Viking method of execution by torture where a persons back is cut open, ribs broken, and the lungs are pulled out and placed on the shoulders like wings.
Tell us what we can expect from your new album “Dissected and Fermented” that drops July 8th.
S - It’s full of bangers. It’s got everything from catchy groovy riffs to being really dark and dissonant. The lyrics explore death, torture and gore in a variety of context from real world to fictional horror. It’s a great showcase of how much we have all grown since our first album, both as individuals and as a band.
Could you name a few bands that inspired your sound for the album?
S - I personally was really inspired by Travis Ryan from Cattle Decapitation, I saw them live right before COVID really hit us in Melbourne and was absolutely blown away. I didn’t try to really replicate any of his styles, I was just really motivated to expand my own vocals and play around more.
Favourite track on the album and why?
J - Dissected & Fermented is a strong choice for favourite song for me, but Plague is a close second.
S - It’s really hard to pick a favourite with this album, I love something different about each song. I’m especially proud of Broken by the Wheel because I layered parts of it with really low and high vocals and it sounds so demonic.
R - Probably Homicidal for the riff at the end and Spyke's low growl to finish the song.
B - All the songs are great and Dissected & Fermented definitely has a lot of very catchy head moving parts but if I had to choose a favourite it would have to be Plague.
Does Scaphis have any plans for the next 12 months?
J - Once the album is released in July we then have our album launch show on the 23rd of July at the Bendigo Hotel in Melbourne. We are also looking into doing some shows around the country later in the year.
