1.Hails please introduce yourselves to the readers?
We are Gravesend from the bowels of New York City run by three members identified as A, S and G.
2.When did you first discover black and death metal and who were the first bands that you listened to? Who are some of the current bands that have caught your attention?
The three of us have been influenced from all points of the extreme metal genre at some point in our upbringing. We all have had our own personal journeys through extreme metal.Some first black/deathbands for A. goes back to high school including Mortician, Decide and Obituary.
For S. this includes early exposure to Katharsis and Insect Warfare
G.’s early introductions to black and death includes Decide, Emperor and cryptopsy.Some current bands that we like include Worm and Antichrist Siege Machine.
3.Gravesend was started in 2020 when did you first get the idea to start this band? What is the current line-up of the band?
Gravesend started under a different pseudonym back in 2018 with one song recorded to a 10 limit run of a cassette that featured a very primitive version of one of the songs that ended up on our demo “Preparations for Human Disposal”. The tape floated around the underground in New York City for a few months, and when the rat was let out of the cage finally, it brought the three individuals that let it loose, together.
4.Who would you say are Gravesend's biggest influences and for the readers unfamiliar with the bands music how would you best describe it?
Gravesend’s biggest influences are the local news reports, the needles found in the streets, 70’s and 80’s era movie masterpieces such as Taxi Driver and the Warriors, the many photographers who patrolled the streets with their cameras such as John Conn and Alen MacWeeney, the early graffiti artists and the serial killers who ran the streets.
5.Methods Of Human Disposal is the band's debut full length being released through 20 Buck Spin when did you and the band first come in contact with this label?
We have been listening to records released by 20 Buck Spin now for over a decade, as fans and obvious consumers of the high quality material they put out, we were put in touch by a mutual contact. We were thrilled to work with a label that has been consistently putting great releases for so many years.
6.How long did it take the band to write the music for the debut release?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?
Gravesend works as fast as the music heard on tape. We are all efficient at our input to the project and have an equal creative footing in the birth of our music and aesthetic. The writing process usually starts from some guitar riffs or fully conceptualized song with rhythm concept in mind. Other times, we write off the cuff with drums and guitar and round it out after a couple rough demo phases.
7.Who usually handles writing the lyrics for the band and what are some topics written about on the debut release?
The lyrics are written by our guitarist and main vocalist “A”, most of the lyrical content is about true stories of NYC yesteryear. Stories and themes are created together with our vocalist and our bassist. The process allows for both to deliver vocals on recordings that are honest to the topics at hand.
8.Besides the upcoming Methods Of Human Disposal release does the band have any other merchandise currently available for the readers to purchase?If yes what is available and where can the readers purchase it?
We recently revealed a collection of four shirts in collaboration with Mark McCoy in a series called “Vermin Victory” available at Inferno Merch Store, who is also currently handling all of our merch. The Vermin Victory series is a limited edition, pre-order only run, of shirts available until the release date of our record this February 19th, 2021. We also have some early demo era merch on our Bandcamp that will not be reprinted after it’s all gone. The following two links will take you to both.
https://infernomerchstore.com/collections/gravesend
https://warforgravesend.bandcamp.com/merch
9.Gravesend comes out of New York's blackened death/grind scene; What is your opinion of New York's metal scene over the years?
The scene in New York City, which also includes neighboring New Jersey, continues to deliver a lot of acts across the spectrum of extreme music. Though the scene here is not very full of blackened death/grind acts as you describe, there are still a handful of very talented extreme acts that come to mind who are currently holding down New York and New Jersey. Those include Ruin Lust, Glorious Depravity, Bog Body, Siege Column, Death Fortress, Anicon, Miasmatic Necrosis, Skullshitter and the House of First Light bands (RIP Simon).
10.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of New York and are there any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
All of the above bands listed deserve to be listened to.
11.What does Underground Metal mean to you all?
Our culture and small world proliferated by connections through shows, touring, trading, web zines like yours, and many alike is what the underground means to us.
12.Besides Gravesend do any of the members currently work with any other bands or solo projects?
We all have played and currently play in other black/death/grindcore projects. Some that have been around for more than a decade and other more contemporary.
13.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out; do you have any final words for the readers?
Thank you for supporting the underground, the vermin will have their victory! Band Contacts https://warforgravesend.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/warforgravesend/ Label Contacts https://www.20buckspin.com/ https://listen.20buckspin.com/ https://www.facebook.com/20buckspin https://twitter.com/20buckspinlabel
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