An interview with Stevie Boiser of Dissonance in Design, Tethys, Equipoise, and Ashen Horde
ONE BIG, SLOPPY FAMILY
By: Geoff Teach
Metal is not afforded many of the same financial and distributive advantages that are often showered upon many other genres of music, so it is firmly and inescapably necessary for metal artists, label representatives, promoters, and even the media and the fans to band together and keep our treasured genre alive and flourishing. Without this all-important bond, metal could very well go the way of big band music or hair metal: Here one decade, gone the next. And since none of us want to lose the music we love, many of us do all that is in our power to maintain our cherished, global community of metal.
“I love how personal metal is,” states Stevie Boiser, vocalist for Denver, Colorado’s Dissonance in Design and Tethys, as well as Hollywood, California’s Ashen Horde and the internet-born Equipoise. “Fans actually have a chance of reaching out and talking to, befriending, and hanging out with some of their favorite musicians, which is one thing I feel really separates metal from a lot of other genres. I remember going to shows back in the day and just being blown away by how cool and down-to-earth so many of the people in my favorite bands were when I’d ask them to autograph my copy of their album, or if they wanted to grab a beer, or smoke a bowl. Now that I’m older, not much has changed. I still love going to shows, meeting bands, having fun, and making new friends. The only real difference is that now I have many more friends in touring bands, and many more chances to hang out and watch them perform. I do my best to do the same for others, whether it’s meeting people at shows, on the road, or just replying to Facebook messages. The way I see it, we’re all one big, sloppy family, so we might as well enjoy the sense of belonging and help others do the same.”
The very astute and congenial Boiser isn’t lying about his openness on Facebook, as he and I have been “friends” on the site since his days as the vocalist for Denver’s Vale of Pnath (2012-2015; he made no official recordings with the band during his tenure, but he did play many live shows and tours, as well as appear in the highly popular video for “Sightless”), and we have since become actual friends after many awesome conversations. During those early days, I discovered that Boiser was not only the (at that time) vocalist for Vale of Pnath, but also for one of my favorite tech-death acts of the 21st century, Dissonance in Design. Based in Denver and originally formed by the highly talented Patuto brothers, Harrison (guitars) and Zac (drums), Dissonance in Design’s first two releases, 2011’s Neurotransmitting an Epiphany EP and 2013’s Sentient, garnered the act copious amounts of praise and new fans; and this year, Dissonance in Design is hard at work on the follow-up to their critically acclaimed sophomore release.
Stevie Boiser performs live recently in Denver. (Photo Credit: Boutte' Photography & Design, Denver, CO, U.S.)
“We are working on new material, and I absolutely love what we have going so far,” explains Boiser, “Harrison and Vance (Valenzuela, guitars; also current guitarist of Vale of Pnath) are putting in a lot of work crafting the new songs and I really think that this material is going to be some of our best to date. As of now, this new album will another independent release, and while I can’t [reveal] much about the story yet - and believe me, keeping this under wraps is killing me - I can say that this new release will be a concept album which will contain Sci-Fi elements that focuses on several emphatic encounters. We are moving more towards lyrics that weave our own personal experiences and tribulations into an odyssey of audible tapestry. We originally set out to release it in late 2016, however it’s now looking like these new songs won’t greet your ears until 2017. Truth be told, the process is moving along slower than we would like, but as many musicians will tell you, this is often the case. But while this delay is upsetting and unfortunate, we would much rather take the extra time to really dial things in and deliver something we’re proud of than hastily string songs together and rush the release. Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait!” (Judging by the past works Dissonance in Design has released, I think I can safely say that I completely trust you, Stevie.)
After discussing the current happenings of Dissonance in Design at length, we the moved along to Stevie’s other hometown death metal project, Tethys, who lists “all the great bands in the Denver metal scene” as their influences, so naturally I had to ask. “I love Denver! There’s a whole lot of talent in this city, and we’re home to a number of killer bands like Allegaeon, Vale of Pnath, Dreadnought, IAMTHESHOTGUN, Apotheon, Seren, Havok, and Cephalic Carnage. This list just goes on and on,” Boiser explains, while adding, “Tethys just played our first local headlining show a little while back, and had an incredible response! We took the stage at 11:30, and there were still about three hundred people there. It was spectacular [to see], and it’s been a long time since I’ve had as much fun on stage as I do with these guys. All we care about is writing quality songs, growing both as individual musicians and as a collective act, and having as much fun as we can on stage. As far as I’m concerned, I hope that never changes.”
Tethys in their current form (L to R): Tyler Duggan (bass), Cory Medina (guitar), Stevie Boiser (vocals), Shea (drums), and Quinn Broderick (guitars).
Although without any official recordings yet, Boiser is forthcoming with Tethys’s current plans: “We’re working on recording our EP Whispers of Creation, which we’re more than halfway finished with. Once it’s officially released, we’re going to promote all over the place and focus on web availability (Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, etc.), and we’ll have it available in our web store with a variety of other merch. And, most importantly, we’ll resume playing shows with larger, national acts and expand into playing outside of Colorado to really help increase our fan base. We’ve put a great deal of effort into the music we’ve composed, a lot of planning into our live shows, and we’re on the verge of bringing it all to every single one of you!”
A little further ahead of the game than Tethys, though, is Boiser’s third project, Equipoise. Created via the wonder of the World Wide Web, Equipoise is made up of members from all over North America, including Boiser, Nick Padovani (guitars/drum programming) and Zach Hohn (guitars) of the act’s official hometown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Jimmy Pitts (keyboards) of Springfield, Missouri; and Hugo Doyon-Karout (bass, also currently of Beyond Creation) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The quintet has already released their debut EP, Birthing Homunculi, and have signed to Nashville’s The Artisan Era Records, but there are still some hurdles to be cleared according to Boiser. “This was an entirely new process for me. I’m used to being able to jam with my bandmates on a regular basis and bounce my ideas off of them in person, so doing everything digitally was an interesting new challenge. As of now we are solely writing, recording, and releasing music, however Nick and I have begun discussing the logistics of getting Equipoise on the road. It’s going to take some time and a whole lot of work on our part, but I would say it’s definitely a possibility, and something that each of us would absolutely love to make happen.”
But despite the obvious obstacles in their path, Equipoise have already produced quite a mean buzz across the metal underground with the release of Birthing Homunculi, and if said buzz continues, that will only serve to further light a fire under their members for making live shows happen, no doubt, so we shall all see what the future holds for this exciting new act.
The cover art for Birthing Homunculi by Equipoise, released August of 2016.
And finally, as if Stevie is not keeping busy enough between Dissonance in Design, Tethys, and Equipoise, he surprised me during our planning conversations for this interview with news that he had also recently been recruited to vocalize for yet another act – this time of the black metal variety - known as Ashen Horde. Dreamed up by Trevor Portz (and now featuring his brother, drummer Jeremy Portz, also of Vale of Pnath), Ashen Horde is a departure from Boiser’s usual comfort zone, but he’s excited about the prospect of joining an established black metal outfit, saying, “It’s vastly different than anything I’ve had a chance to do previously, but I really enjoy the music and have had a lot of fun working on vocal arrangements so far. Trevor already has a lot of material prepped and ready to be fine-tuned, so there’s no doubt in my mind that 2017 will be very prolific for Ashen Horde.”
Ultimately, the future appears fully intriguing and wholly busy for Stevie Boiser and his bands, but honestly, he wouldn’t have it any other way, because, as he explains, it’s all about getting out there and spending time with the big metal family of the world. “My biggest hope is that Dissonance in Design, Equipoise, Tethys, and Ashen Horde will someday be able to tour both inside and outside of the U.S., because I love being able to travel, explore new places, and to perform for new people. I can honestly say that if I have the ability to do that with my groups, I could really be the best and happiest version of myself. As of now, it looks like all four bands that I’m in will have releases coming out in 2017, and I couldn’t be happier about that. I really hope that we can all stay together and keep creating music that we are passionate about. For me, passion is what it all boils down to. It’s what drives me to practice, to learn, to network, and to be a part of so many different bands.”
So on that note, be on the lookout in early 2017 for more from Mr. Boiser and his many acts, and if you’re curious about the music of Dissonance in Design, Tethys, Equipoise, and Ashen Horde, be sure to press play on the provided links below! *Vocals on Ashen Horde performed by Trevor Portz
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