XYPHOS Interview with Rory Kennedy

XM: For starters how about we get our readers up to date on what the band has been up to so far this year.
Rory: This has been a busy year so far for Xyphos. It’s our first full year together as a band, and with a release to support so we’ve been busy booking shows and writing music for a full length. Our days have been full of a write/rehearse/repeat kind of schedule, working towards a hopefully busy summer.

XM: I suppose that a lot of our readers do not really know Xyphos. I would like to ask you to give us a small introduction of the band and tell us something about the history.
Rory: Started in 2009 by Ahmed Ali as an outlet for some seriously kick ass death metal, Xyphos started slowly, but began to pick up speed when he met drummer Brody Overfalle and guitarist George Larin. With this lineup they started searching for a bassist and a vocalist, all the while working hard at creating death metal that would play to each of their diverse interests. Shortly after, they met and auditioned bassist/vocalist Rory Kennedy of Serene Molestation. He was a perfect fit, his playing style and musical interests fitting the band well, and they started to write in earnest. Soon after, the band had almost a full set of material written, but were sadly forced to part ways with guitarist George Larin due to musical differences. This allowed the band to bring in guitarist/vocalist Andrew Power, also of Serene Molestation. His addition thickened up the sound, and his guttural vocal style added a whole new level of brutality. With this lineup we moved forward, booking shows to support our debut EP, "What Comes Before", released March 5th, 2011.

XM: ‘What Comes Before’ is your debut EP. What was the recording process like for this album? Where did the ideas come from ?
Rory: The recording process was very smooth, and a lot of fun. We entered the studio with Geoff Hodsman (Creep Colony, Envenomation, Dimensions Divide) in July 2010, and worked through until November recording, trying to get the sound we were looking for. In the end we are very happy with the EP. Our ideas stem from our influences, and mostly from what's around us. We take influence from an absurdly wide range of music between the four of us, anything from brutal death to progressive rock, black metal to jazz, and we feel that's present in a cohesive way on this EP.

XM: How do you see Xyphos in the modern scene?
Rory: Our idea of Xyphos in the modern scene is still developing as we are a fairly new band, but we're hoping to take the band as far as we can. In the small time we've been around we've received a very positive reaction, and hope to continue this trend. We hope to reach out to as varied an audience as possible, and we feel that we can be successful if we work hard enough. Success in death metal is a relative term, but still. We hope to get our music out there, and make people happy with some heavy tunes.

XM: Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time? Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
Rory: The main songwriter in the band is me, bassist Rory Kennedy, but that's not to say that no one else writes. Everyone is involved in the writing process at one stage or another. All our music is written using Guitar Pro software, which allows us to collaborate and really analyze the music we're making to get exactly what we want out of it. Typically the music starts with a structure, all guitar/bass/vocals are written by myself, Ahmed Ali and Andrew Power, while Brody will write his drum parts when we rehearse the songs. Lyrically it's all written by me (Rory), and the themes tend to lean towards the philosophical, though we aren't opposed to the gore imagery. The title of the EP comes from a concept from a fantasy novel by R. Scott Bakker, titled "The Darkness That Comes Before." I really liked this concept and felt it fit very well into lyrical structure, and reflected the music well.

XM: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
Rory: Our rehearsals are every Tuesday and Thursday, from approximately 7pm - 9pm. Our work schedules conflict very badly, so it's tough for us to find more than 2 hours at a time to rehearse. Therefore we practice twice a week to make up for it. Generally when we rehearse we begin by playing through everything we know to warm up, then spend the remainder of the practice working on new songs.

XM: What's your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
Rory: The direction and intent for this band is to be "death metal famous", as Andrew said during our Nuclear Holocaust Radio interview in late February. We don't expect anything extraordinary for the future of this band, why raise expectations, but we are going to work towards recognition. As of right now, we're looking for a label, and looking to get out on the road for a mini-tour of Ontario/Quebec in late July/early August this year.

XM: What is your favorite part about playing shows?
Rory: We all love playing live for different reasons, but primarily among that is it is a whole lot of fun! I think we can all agree that the worst part of playing live is the traveling/transporting equipment/set-up/tear down. But the actual playing is pretty much the whole reason why any of us are in a band, it's incredibly fun and such a great feeling to be on stage and see people getting into the music you worked hard to create.

XM: What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you while performing on the stage?
Rory: This didn't happen with Xyphos, but since Andrew and I are in Serene Molestation I can use this example. During the Serene Molestation CD release show last July, Allen, the drummer's kick pedals snapped, his floor tom fell over, my glasses went flying off my head during the set, and I'm sure some other stuff happened. It was a crazy show! With Xyphos, we've only played one show as of right now, though our next is April 15th in Oshawa, so I'm sure we will have some crazy stories soon enough.

XM: Metal is still a rather limited genre that does not attract the larger crowds, do you think this is the fate of extreme music for all future?
Rory: I can hope that it isn't the fate, but I somehow doubt that extreme metal in any form will break the mainstream and stay heavy. I'd love for it to happen, for the selfish reason of being able to play my favourite kind of music for a living, but I'm not holding out any hopes.

XM: If you could have been involved in the recording, writing or production of any album which would it be and why?
Rory: Andrew - Pierced from Within by Suffocation. Everything about the album is absolutely flawless.
Ahmed - I would go on all albums with 'Intro' tracks and those fillers with 5 minutes of keyboard doodling/sound effects/nothingness and I would make them not exist. There would only be a few exceptions to this.
Rory - I would say either Immolation – Unholy Cult or Dream Theater – Scenes From A Memory. Two albums that really inspired me as both a bassist and just generally as a fan of music.
Brody - I was always very interested in the writing and recording for Sideshow Symphonies by Arcturus. The in depth and technical approach they have to putting the whole cd together is unique and deep, each song is as unique as the last. They always try to tell a story, as weird as it may be, leaving no area untouched.

XM: What is your favorite lyric of all time?
Rory: Andrew - I met an angel with a sawed-off shotgun /Wanted by the FBI /We dropped some acid /Killed our parents /Then we hit the road /I like the scream of the butterfly
Ahmed - "There's someone in my head but it's not me." Brain Damage by Pink Floyd.
Rory - Dream Theater – Under A Glass Moon – “Beneath a summer sky/Under glass moonlight/Night awaits the lamb’s arrival/Liquid shadows crawl/Silver teardrops fall/The bride subsides to her survival
Brody - IT by genesis, the lyrical flow is amazing as well as the way Peter Gabriel sings the tune. the premise of the lyric touches over generations of music..

XM: What is the first thing you think of when you hear X-PLOSIVE METAL?
Rory: Excellent reviews! I've read the reviews on the website for a while, definitely enjoy them, very insightful and helpful when it comes to checking bands out.

XM: Could you just briefly take us through the band’s plans for the 2011?
Rory: 2011 is looking busy for Xyphos, we're working on booking a mini-tour in late July/early August, and we're planning on heading into the studio to record our debut full length in July. For the bulk of the year we plan on being on the stage as much as possible. The more we play, the more our name gets out there.

XM: Thanks on behalf of xplosivemetal.com for answer a few questions with us. Anything else you'd like to mention or promote?
Rory: Thanks so much for the interview, it's been a blast! Just the EP, and our next show with Disgust/Serene Molestation/Esoteric Doctrine April 15th @ the Atria in Oshawa! It's going to be a great show, and we're looking at getting t-shirts printed so keep an eye out for that! People can grab the EP from us at shows for $5 or online at xyphos.bigcartel.com for the same price! Thanks again for the interview!