"A New Floridian Death Wave" - An interview with John Matos of Abiotic

MID-MAJOR MAYHEM

By: Geoff Teach

Florida has always been a hotbed for innovative death metal. In the earlier days of the genre, artists such as Cannibal Corpse, Death, Obituary, Deicide, and Cynic broke new ground and battered down barriers with their compositions and content, and although the 90’s saw the mass global delusion that was “Nu-Metal” (Florida itself contributing probably the worst offender of them all, Limp Bizkit), Florida has come out of the collective fog, and once again, the Sunshine State is producing principled and cutting-edge death metal bands, including Black Tide, Order of Ennead, and Success Will Write Apocalypse Across The Sky.

Arguably though, the most noticeable act emerging from this new surge of Floridian metal is the Miami tech-death quintet, Abiotic. Signed to Metal Blade Records, Abiotic began turning heads nationally in 2012 with the release of their debut full-length, Symbiosis. Intense, merciless, and coldly calculated, the ten tracks of Symbiosis cut a swathe of sonic destruction that is rivaled by few in metal today. The blatant brutality of the band’s music mixed with the affability of its members garnered them some choice tours, and they spent the majority of two solid years dropping in on cities across Canada and the States in support of their inaugural work.

Abiotic's current lineup: (L to R) Brent Phillips (drums), Matt Mendez (guitars), Travis Bartosek (vocals), John Matos (guitars), and Alex Vazquez (bass).

However, in the fall of 2014, Abiotic pulled back from living the van life in order to rest, recover, and to put the finishing touches on preparations for recording their next full length studio album. After packing the freshly cleaned van full of gear once again, the five Miami boys headed north to North Carolina to the home-based studio of famed producer (and TCOM alum) Jamie King. The decision to work with King was an easy one for John Matos (guitarist) and his bandmates: “We had the option of a few different engineers, and when Jamie’s name was thrown into the mix, we knew we had to take advantage of the opportunity,” says the amiable, Van Dyke-sporting Matos, and working with the highly experienced producer turned out to be everything Abiotic had hoped it would be and more, as Matos continues, “The vibes were great. It’s a really laid-back environment, but Jamie’s a creative dude, really patient, and a master behind the board. It was amazing.”

The latest effort that Abiotic laid down at King’s The Basement Recording NC studios, entitled Casuistry, is set to be released here in the States next week (4/21/15), and while the singles that have already been unleashed on the public sound similar in feel to the material from Symbiosis, Matos is quick to point out that there are still some differences between the two albums, saying, “I feel like we did change some things up on Casuistry, but I just feel like it’s a more evolved sound. We’ve been honing in on this particular sound for some time now, and it feels good to finally put something out there that we feel represents our best work.” Two things that haven’t changed, however, are Abiotic’s lyrical and thematic tendencies toward highlighting the endless possibilities of outer space and the fallibility of the human race: “Definitely. It’s a little less verbose than the first album, but the messages are still there,” explains Matos, and if the release of tracks off of Casuistry that sport titles like “Molecular Rematerialization” and “Cast into the Depths” are any indications, Matos and company will be bringing many more mind-bending lyrics and images with this promising new release.

The album art for Casuistry, due out Tuesday, 4/21/15 on Metal Blade Records.

Looking ahead, Abiotic is on the road as we speak to promote and support the impending release of Casuistry. “We’ll be out for a full forty days through April and May. We’re out right now with Boris The Blade, Alterbeast, and Reaping Asmodeia,” explains Matos, but ultimately, a band is only as strong as they think they are, and the axe slayer believes that Abiotic is on the right path, saying, “There are always more levels to be achieved. You have to balance being satisfied with what you have versus constantly working and striving for more, but I’m extremely happy with the group of dudes I have the opportunity to work, and we look forward to many more years of putting out good tunes and playing in front of tons of our fans.”

Be sure to catch Abiotic (and all of the other fine acts that they’re touring with) at a show near you if you can, and definitely make it a point to check out Casuistry upon its official release next Tuesday!

If you’re impatient, however, be sure to check out the badass play-through video of the new single, “The Absence of Purity” (featuring a guest solo written by Paul Waggoner of Between The Buried and Me) below to whet your whistle and get you pumped about ordering the new work.

Keep it metal! \m/