1. Insipidus is a rather young band, could you tell us a bit about your beginning and what were the goals you had in mind when you started to play?
Travis - When I moved to Denver, I’d left several active bands behind, including 38. Snub in ATL whom I still currently play with. I knew I needed to get with some people and get a project going out here. There weren’t necessarily any goals outside of the fact I knew I personally wanted a metal band with little overhead and a lot of room for exploration and touring. Music is also my excuse to travel as much as it is a way to push myself mentally and physically.
Timmy - I was living in Colorado Springs for a number of years when I had heard that Travis was moving to Denver, just an hour north of me. We started linking together and jamming. Soon after meeting with Yoav we began really developing a lot of chemistry and eventually decided to write together. I was playing in some projects at the time myself but I saw so much opportunity in Insipidus that I made it my main focus and the rest is history.
Yoav - I have played guitar for most of my life without knowing one day I would do something with it. My life was brought to Denver by Covid, where I saw a 'now or never' situation. Having the opportunity to play the music that I have been most passionate about since a very young age--Death Metal. Through Craigslist and some Facebook groups, I met Travis and Tim. Initially, the plan was to play some covers... and so Insipidus was born.
2. It is hard to describe and characterize your music. How would you describe your music and what would you say is the best way to approach it as an unsuspecting listener?
Travis - We definitely set out to form a death metal band, but I think this combination of players created something a bit more unique. We all have had pretty unorthodox lives, usually very stressful lives, and I think that the original music we’ve made comes from a very authentic and energetic place. This band is the most inwardly free and expressive project any of us have contributed to. Call it what you will, the approach is subjective.
Timmy - I've always felt I've had a very broad range of music taste and I feel that I incorporate that into the music of Insipidus in a lot of ways. I would certainly say that we're predominantly drawing from death metal, I would be lying if I said I wasn't adding a little bit of influence from jazz and progressive music as well. I've drawn a lot of inspiration from Sean Malone of Cynic in particular. In that way I would say there is a lot of fusion at play in our music that I'm personally very proud of helping craft.
Yoav- Death metal. Our tastes in metal are similar, but each of us brings a unique flavor to Insipidus. We write songs from the depths of emotions and curate the sounds that best reflect us.
3. I can find a healthy dose of progressive influences. What have been your primary inspirations (either music or non-music) as you’ve written material?
Travis - I think my influences may be a little subconscious. When I write/play with Insipidus, it’s easy for me to say that I’m trying to go as hard as possible. It’s definitely my most challenging band instrumentally. Outside of metal, I’m listening to a lot of Yussef Dayes, Cymande, and Mildlife. In metal I’m currently stuck on Stargazer (from down under), Phobophilic, Astral Tomb, early Deicide, and Kyuss.
Timmy - Cynic aside, I have tons of influences from bands all across the underground music spectrum. I find myself jumping back and forth from sinister death metal bands like Ulcerate and Artificial Brain to more jazzy math rock like Polyphia and Tricot. I even derive a lot of inspiration from trap rap from Atlanta like Young Thug and Migos (RIP Takeoff).
Yoav- My main inspiration is in my roots as a part of the third generation of Holocaust survivors, i try to emulate voices of victims through my guitar. I dwell in stories of the past and hope to be a conduit of the injustice that took place in the world back then and to this day. Being an immigrant I carry with me Mediterranean roots and they seem to come out in some ways. I'm also a product of the nineties and my #1 guitar god has always been Chuck Schudliner of Death. What I find unique about Chuck's work is his attention to voicing his music in a way where you feel the pain. I'm going for that. I'm also a big fan of early black & death metal - Ancient, Bal-Sagoth, Deicide and I'm also a raging fan of bluegrass and fingerpicking blues. Been listening to Sceptic & Cronos Compulsion a lot lately.
4. With that being said, are there any particular elements of your material you’re interested in pushing even further as you move forward?
The music will always be very experimentation heavy. If something sounds sick, we keep it in the riff bank haha. We’re excited about continuing to bridge the visual art aspect of the band. No costumes for us, but more so the album art, merch designs, and general visual material. There’s a lot of cool stuff to explore, almost like a world building experience.
5. Moving on to some general death metal talk, with the scene becoming further overcrowded with bands from all across the world, what in your opinion a band has to do to stand out and make a place for themselves?
The band is taking the old school route of touring as much as possible - we repurpose the money we make from merch and shows for a van and gas. There are a lot of bands out there today, a lot of good ones too! so it's hard to stand out. We believe that if you have a certain sound and vibe, you can stand out. Additionally, booking shows and marketing them are challenging. While we do our best, we could use some assistance with some labels and distros (PLZ HELP!). As we know, social media is where all the eyes and ears are trying to get branded content - but it is very challenging due to the effort it takes - and we have personal lives as well. We are hopeful that we will get luckier the harder we work.
6. So far all of your releases have come out on digital formats (except for “Banal Apathy” released on cassette). Do you have any interest in trying to do any physical at some point?
Ofcourse! We would release it in all formats if we could. Our dream is to release Ubiquity Hereafter, our full length album (that we recorded with Pete deBoer of World Famous Studios!- Blood Incantation/ Spectral Voice/Biohazard) on vinyl - however it is an extremely expensive process that currently we cannot fund ourselves. We would love to get a deal with a third party to get some in stock.
7. Do your music and lyrics have any comprehensive ideological background, or it rather reflects your immediate moods and ideas?
Yoav- Both, for example, my guitar was a direct conduit to ‘Banal Apathy’ and ‘Kanada’, voices from the past who spoke to me directly through the guitar (call me crazy, I know). On the other hand, I wrote 'In Congruence' when I lost my job; when the fear of not having a steady income and being able to support my family was tormenting me.
8. Now, I’d like to ask you on the process of composing your tunes. Describe us, if possible, your typical procedure when writing songs: What comes first, really? Music or lyrics?
Yoav's guitar melodies usually come first, sometimes on the spot during practice, depending on the mood. As soon as there is a structure that is easy to memorize and sounds good, we take them into the garage, play them through and find out how they are arranged with drums and bass. Once the song is completed, we come up with a song title and a theme is decided upon, and Tim writes the lyrics.
9. How did you conceptualize/visualize the music before materializing them? Yoav- It’s about creating melodies that tell a story. To make it all warp up on the guitar neck, I’ll look for ways to return to the song's root melody. The idea can come from anywhere if it sounds good and can be visualized.
10. How important is live performance for Insipidus? Do you play often? If so how does your show looks like?
Playing live is how we believe we’ll get in touch with the audience in the most organic way, we play live frequently and love doing so- Playing all across Colorado, we try to tour every quarter in states around us. We are looking to venture off to the east coast and hopefully out side US borders.
11. What is the heavy music scene like in Denver? What are some other bands from your area that we should be paying attention to?
The best scene. Astral Tomb, Cronos Compulsion, Harvested, Gastric Phantasm, Teratanthropos.
12. Thanks for your patience bro, that’s my last question for now. Do you have few more words for our readers?
Don't ignore something that itches at you.
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