1. You have been active since 2012, when did you decide to create the band and why did you choose the name Act of Impalement?
The original drummer Zack and I decided to form a band while we were still in highschool. The summer before our senior year. We were obsessed with Vlad the Impaler at the time so that's what inspired the name as well as Zack's stagename for the time Vlad.
2. Like any good underground band, your first years and releases revolved around demos and eps until the release of your first album “Perdition Cult” in 2018, how were these beginnings of the band until the release of your first album? And what did it mean for you to finish this first stage with the release of “Perdition Cult”?
We started playing shows in August of 2012. Through the local DIY punk scene, we met Jimmy and recruited him in late 2013 I believe. We recorded basically everytime we had 10 or so minutes of material and played shows often. In 2017/early 2018 we had enough material for a full length. It definitely made us feel more serious and it's still a good end to an early chapter of the band.
3. It is striking that the members of Act of Impalement are not involved in other projects, does the band cover all your needs when it comes to expressing yourself as musicians? However, you have incorporated two new members last year, what is the reason for these new additions?
We all actually had multiple other bands throughout the years. Zack and Jimmy most notably played in a punk band called Shill and I played for 7 or 8 years in a black metal band called Vile Desecration. There were some personal problems in the band during the recording of Infernal Ordinance in 2020 which left the state of the band uncertain until I was joined by 2 other former members of Vile Desecration.
4. “Infernal Ordinance” is your second album that will be released imminently. How has the process of writing and recording this new work been? What brands of instruments have you used for the process?
We started writing immediately after the recording of Perdition Cult and tested the earliest written songs on stage locally and on short regional tours. We felt it was time to record come the beginning of 2020 and we went in the studio approximately 3 years to the day before its eventual release. I used an ampeg vh140c and a Gibson Gothic Explorer for most of the recording but I don't know the specifics for anything else unfortunately
5. The sound of “Infernal Ordinance” is compact and dense, with styles such as doom and death that complement the black tone of the compositions, which at first may seem somewhat complex, but in your hands it flows coherently How would you define the sound of this new album and what main differences do you think there are with respect to your previous album? What bands, in some way, have influenced and inspired you when composing this new album?
I've generally always referred to our sound as death metal first and foremost though this release is the most coherently so. Our main influences for this record and overall are Autopsy, Celtic Frost, Incantation, Cianide, Bolt Thrower, Archgoat, and Beherit
6. Once you have finished recording the album, there has been a change in the formation of the band, has everything related to the recording and composition of the album been too hard a process that in the end has taken its toll on you in this way? ?Has the continuity of the band been in danger at some point?
There were some personal and professional clashes between me and one of the other members but that's as far as I'll delve into that. I definitely believed the band was done for a while but I didn't want a recorded and finished album to go to waste. Eventually my former bandmates, Aaron and Jerry, from Vile Desecration joined the fold.
7. The album was ready in February 2020, however the vocals were recorded in 2021. What is this situation about? What topics do you deal with in your lyrics and why do you consider them important?
March 2021 is when the decision was made by myself to completely finish the record and commission art. My lyrics for the most part deal with history/myth and blasphemous themes. I've been interested in history since childhood and there are plenty of wars and cruelties for lyrical fodder. I was also raised devotely Christian so the blasphemous themes come from a hatred of Christianity's stain on humanity.
8. Shibby has been in charge of the recording and mixing, why did she decide to work with him for this process and what do you think she has contributed to the final result of the album?
He has done recordings for us since 2013 and I've always liked how organic recording feels with him. He's a musician himself so it seems like he just tries to make a recording scenario he'd want to be in himself which I appreciate. Shibby also more or less let us mix it through him too which is a plus.
9. The mastering has been done at Dead Air Studios, why did you choose to work with them?
He was affordable and trusted by the label.
10. Diablo Macabre has been in charge of the artwork, what does this cover represent and how is it related to the content of the album?
It's simply a mesh of the lyrical themes. Warfare and anti-christian stances combined to signify a state of literal spiritual warfare. I'm a lord of the rings fan as well but the fact the main figure looks like Sauron was somewhat of a happy accident.
11. The veteran and charismatic label from Tampa, Caligari Records has been in charge of publishing the album, why did you decide to change Unspeakable Ax Records to Caligari? Regarding the publishing formats, the cassette format is somewhat surprising, isn't it? what is the reason for this decision?
As far as I know we technically never were on Unspeakable Axe. They did just the CDs and tapes for Perdition Cult and Caligari spearheaded the collaboration while pressing the vinyl. Our previous dealings with Caligari have felt good in the past so I figured we would keep it going.
We have CDs as well as tapes with this record but vinyl aren't in the cards so far. Tapes are fine too. Many bands I know still make tapes and they sell decently so the choice to include that format never gave me pause at all.
12. You come from Nashville, what can you tell us about the extreme metal scene in the region you come from? Is there a small black metal scene in your area that you feel part of?
In Nashville it's fairly scant. There are several metal bands around here but its not a very strong scene as far as a band community is concerned. There are other metal bands in surrounding cities for sure too but the scenes are not as healthy as say in Houston or Chicago.
13. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What event in your lives pushed you to want to be musicians?
Some of my first metal shows included DRI, Pentagram (US), and Death Angel. As for first albums, the first CD I bought was Metallica's Master of Puppets when I was 13 or so and the 1st record I bought was Master of Reality by Black Sabbath. Something about hearing records like these and Bon Scott era ACDC just kind of clicked with me. I still don't really know what possessed me to start playing, I just sort of felt compelled to.
14. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What last albums have you bought?
The essence of black metal to me would be probably Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark. It's aggressive but also has an atmosphere to it. Bathory is a classic for a reason. As far as what Records I've bought recently, the last few I bought were Venefixion "A Sign from Below" which is thrashy and evil death metal from France, Negative Plane "The Pact" which is black metal from New York with some Master's Hammer feels to it, Mortuary "Blackened Images" a death metal classic, and Omegavortex "Black Abomination Spawn" which is black/death madness from Germany that sounds like being ripped apart by a blackhole.
15. What future plans do you have for Act of Impalement in terms of concerts or the possibility of reissuing old material?
No plans to reissue anything at the moment but we have a few shows this spring regionally. We will try to do some touring later this year or early next year.
16. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for the followers of Act of Impalement this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
Thank you for reaching out! Hail death.
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