Please tell us a few words about the new release, about the music on it as a whole or a few words on each track in part. How are you happy with the final release?
“Wound Empire” is a dark, angry, and extremely heavy record, and a lot of thought and work went into it. We love the final release and would have not and could have not done things any better than how they came given our budget and capabilities at the time. It’s only four sons, but they are long and cover a lot of ground and are all very different from one to another.

How would you describe/label the music on it? Does it sounds like anything we might have heard before?
I think you can definitely hear the influences, inspirations and indicators that fell into place when we wrote it. I don’t think we "invented" anything new with it. But that was never the intent anyway. The music is dark, sour and angry. Those three things are the things it had to convey and it does, so I see it as something that accomplished its primary goals and that met the expectations of why we even make music in the first place. On the other hand though, although within a recognizable style of playing etc., I don’t think it sounds quite like anything else out there. The band’s vision and personality show on this recording, and most of the music came from inside of us, not from outside, and that in my opinion sets it apart.

Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from the recording/producing the material?
It was recorded at Earhammer Studios in Oakland by Greg Wilkinson. It was recorded with no click tracks and entirely live, and took a full week, for 10 hours a day to track and mix. Drums were done in one take, and vocal tracking took 5 and half hours, after which, incredibly, I could still talk with out a problem. Also, there is an entire track of guitar feedback/noise through out the album that, altho not apparent in every part of the album, is always there, and ties the whole album together. Noise music plays a huge role in this band even if that may not be clearly apparent.

What can you tell us about the cover artwork? Is there a link between the artwork and the lyrics? What are the topics of your lyrics?
The artwork was done by a real master of blackened vision, and a superb artist in the field: our dear friend Kevin from the band Sutekh Hexen. No one conveys darkness and destruction in a visually appealing and “beautiful” manner as he does. His art is grim and hostile but beautiful and majestic. It has and austerity, majesty and presence, no other art out there has in my opinion. Kevin also understands the bands and the music he does art for in an incredible way. The art and the lyrics in this case are inseparable, and Kevin worked with us to represent visually what we had crafted sonically and conceptually with the music. The lyrics cover a lot of ground and concepts, but in a nutshell, they are about a wounded world recovering from an infection that almost killed it - mankind - but which it ultimately fought and survived. They are about a world beyond and with out man.

What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
We hope to express our selves with it, and when we recorded it, we accomplished our goal. People can now listen to what we did if they want.

Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
12” LP, CD, Tape and Digital, all possible formats.

Where and how will you promote this new release?
Through our own label, and the other labels - our close friends - who have wanted to be a part of this. By playing these songs live, and sharing with our friends.

Where can we order it from?
abstracter.bandcamp.com

December 2014