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?
Becoming Immanence was conceived in its core as a journey and therefore it had to have a sense of movement, of being taken to different places, each with its own musical and sonic nuances but with the same identity. We perceive the creation of our music as an evolutionary process that mutates, fed by experimentation and the relationship with our immediate context, history, mystique and socio-political upheaval. Nature is important for the conceptual and sound construction of each piece in Becoming Immanence, because it is used as an analysing device of topics such as time (Fractal Phenomenon), space (Walkscapes), life (Trespassing), war (The Gathering) and energy (Vital Flux). These concepts were also the starting point in the writing process, in the search for harmonies, melodies and rhythmic patterns that are built upon the same thematic foundation. This process was hard but really fun cause at the end we wanted to support the narrative of the journey and we feel that we did accomplished that, and seeing people understanding that and catching the vibe of the EP is really fulfilling.
How would you describe/label the music on it? Does it sound like anything we might have heard before?
Earthwomb is an atmospheric black metal project, in our work you’ll find characteristics from the first and second wave but intertwined with experimental elements that can be found in modern productions of the genre. That time bridge is in fact quite relevant to our writing process because it allows us to create a raw, straightforward and brutal sound but at the same time open, mystic and atmospheric. Additionally this finds a nexus point with our musical backgrounds which is actually rooted in death metal. This we think adds another layer of brutality to our music.
Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from the recording/producing the material?
The EP was actually recorded twice. Once in February of 2019 and then the second time took place between December 2019 and February 2020. We decided to record everything again after our first iteration of The Fractal Phenomenon was released. We were not happy with the sound and the quality of the recording, which was pretty sketchy to be honest. It just wouldn’t let us get a good final result. And so we took the hard but smart decision to start over. And it was the best decision we could ever take. We planned things better, we did our research, our guitarist Pedro signed up for an online school to develop his recording skills and built a home studio in his place. That enabled us to take our time on the recording process and be more thoughtful in each step, try new things, experiment and so on. Thankfully we were done just before the pandemic hit. The toughest part came later when we had to learn to work remotely and this took us quite a few months. The tools for it were not the best at the beginning but then we found the way. Once again, with all the time of the world in our hands, Pedro was free to experiment and learn to mix and master and when he was confident enough, he presented a first mix of Becoming Immanence First. Being able to listen to the finished songs gave us more clarity to work on the finicky details. That last process took about three months and then we were ready. A couple of months later our EP saw the light and the rest is history in the making.
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?
We wanted to portray the journey of an entity that crosses a sudden dark threshold in the middle of an imposing natural landscape. The body formed by light, apparently charged with a mass of energy that flows spilling itself onto the earth. Nature in this piece is not reduced to an object of mere contemplation, in this case the wild scene wants to challenge and violently embrace everything that stands in its way. This piece was made by our vocalist Giancarlo. He first did the drawings on black cardboard and then put them together digitally to create a single image. This composition answers, as well as our music does, to a theme. Our whole EP is interlinked by the concept of immanence, transversely crossed by four main subtopics we use as catalysts: energy, time, war and space. This conceptual framework applies to each piece of the puzzle: lyrics, guitar sounds, chord progressions, rhythmic patterns, atmospheric elements and ultimately the cover artwork. Our approach materializes in this relationship between natural spaces and the possibilities of existence that expand while entering them: in the fragility or temporality of the body destroyed within immanence, in the fragment of the ancient and infinite essence of the mountains, in the encryption of mystical wisdom living in the simplicity of the elements configuring infinite places and in the eradication of this vital geography by the action of industrialization and socio-political conflicts. We believe that nature invites us to unity, to the indivisible and complementary unity that springs from this immeasurable source of immanent energy.
What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
We’re currently focused on connecting with more people and expanding our reach to different audiences around the world. It’s been only a month since the release of Becoming Immanence so it’s still in the early stage of its promotion cycle, there’s a long road to go over yet. We have a few short-term goals and one of them is closing a deal to make physical copies of our EP with some distributors and being able to ship it worldwide. Another one is to put up a virtual live show since actual live events are still tricky to pull off because of the pandemic. It will at least let the audience experience a live performance of Becoming Immanence from start to finish. Hopefully we’ll be able to hit the stages next year. Our mid-term goal is to write and release our debut album but this time with a darker vibe than our EP. We’d like to experiment with different arrangements, instruments, vocal styles and more. There are no limits actually and if things go well, we might be able to release it next year.
Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
Becoming Immanence was independently released only in digital form but as we mentioned above we have plans to change that and bring our EP to the physical realm. Hopefully we’ll have news on that by the end of the year. We’re also looking for ways to also press it on different formats such as vinyl and cassettes. As soon as we have any announcement we’ll make it public in our socials.
Where and how will you promote this new release?
Following our DIY fashion we’ve kinda assumed the role of our own PR agent so we work hard on promoting our EP and reach more people by getting our music on different platforms such as radio shows, playlists, re-streams, youtube channels and more, as well as getting reviews and having a solid and constant activity on our social pages, always sharing content at least every other day. We are beyond happy since the reception from both the audience and the media has been really great. We’ve received many great comments from our listeners and tons of support from webzines and different platforms such as yours. We’re very much grateful for that and the good vibes.
Where can we order it from?
Our EP “Becoming Immanence'' is available on all major streaming platforms. Our music can also be listened to and bought on our official bandcamp page (https://earthwombperu.bandcamp.com/). And of course be sure to follow us on our socials to catch everything that’s going on with the band.
December 2022