Angelspit

Angelspit has been pouring out industrial and electro goodness for the past ten years, promoting an open mind and body as well as an overall positive message for outcasts around the world. Angelspit is continuing their unique brand of dark electronics with their seventh studio album BLACK DOG BITE. Combining 90s cyberpunk sounds with destructive lyrics with a dark, humorous twist, BLACK DOG BITE is shaping up to be one of their best albums to date. We got an interview with founder of Angelspit ZOOG VON ROCK, so sit back and learn all about the new album plus some! 


Hello there Zoog and welcome to Brutal Resonance! I can't believe this is the first time we've had you on the site for a chat. Either way, you have a brand new album Black Dog Bite coming out in a couple of days. How do you get in the weeks before release? Are you nervous, excited, a little bit of both or just completely chill?
Zoog:  Funny you should say this, as I never thought of it as self-praise - I am just really happy with it and I know some people will like it too. It's solid. It's brutal. It ROCKS! I think it's one of the best albums, plus it definitely sounds different. I try and make each album sound different - Black Dog Bite is dirty cyberpunk.
Zoog:  There is a lot of ground in this album that I have not covered before - it's always fun to try something different. The beats are simple and driving. The bass lines are more rhythmic and syncopated plus the choice of bass sounds are something new for me. I used the traditional fat analog synth bass, but also experimented with slap bass and sharp twangy digital synths. I wrote several bass lines on different instruments, then cut them up and mixed between each instrument. It gives a jerky, spatters feel. The drums are lo-fi samples of early digital drum machines. Lo-fi 80s samplers were extensively used. I also sampled a lot of metallic clangs and scrapes which were slashed, bled and looped to create something new. The lyrics are political. I also touch on relationships - which is something I've never done before. The vocals are sung, not screamed, then heavily processed. Finally I applied layers of crunchy distortion. Pounding beats. Distorted angry music. Fuck yeah, fists in the air!
Zoog:  Each song covers a different topic, but they are all related - as many of our society's problems share common roots. I mentioned using conversations with supporters in my lyrics. I have found many people are concerned about similar things - hence there is a common theme in Angelspit's lyrics. I try and write lyrics with humor in them, even when covering serious subject matter. A situation can be funny if you look at it from a different angle....and when you look at in that new you might find a solution. If you want to read the lyrics, you can watch the lyric videos for the songs on Youtube.


This may be tough to answer, but what is your personal favorite song on the album and why?
Zoog:  A song is a living being. It has a soul, a physique, it wears clothes, and it's often armed. The most important thing is to define it's soul. Is it just or evil? What makes it angry? Does it want revenge? Next is it's body. Is it smooth or prickly? Is it muscular and strong? Large and stomping? Or maybe Petite and fast like a cat? Does it have fur? How big are its teeth? What about it's clothes? Does it like leather or does it prefer chain mail? How much of it's skin does it reveal? Can you see it's face or does it wear a mask? Finally, what weapon does it carry? Or maybe it's not a weapon, maybe it's a tool to fix something. It is powered by electricity, petrol or steam? These are the questions I ask when writing a song, because I'm going to let this creature loose in your head...and i want it too wreck the right kind of havoc. If I can see the creature, I can hear it's song - as each of these attributes suggest rhythm, style, chord progression, tonality and lyric content. It wears the clothes according to it's taste - as it uses different musical influences to express it's soul. It will dress itself with as much or as little as it sees fit. The song dictates it's own direction and style...I'm just a wardrobe assistant! This approach might sound abstract, but try it next time you have writers block - I guarantee it will help you write an amazing song.
Zoog:  I've wanted to do vinyl for years, but the cost was always holding me back. My friend  Jason Hall at Ruined Vibes offered to help with Black Dog Bite - he made it the coolest adventure. Jason is a vinyl enthusiast, and showed me how awesome you can make a record look. We worked together to make it something VERY special! It comes with stickers, a Japanese style obi and a zine. The zine is full of thoughts about dealing with depression.


And as of right now, what are your future plans? Do you have any live shows or tours lined up for Angelspit? Do you have any singles or remix EPs planned for the future to support Black Dog Bite?
Zoog:  I am getting all the pre-orders out. It's important that I include a signed thank you note with EVERY pre-order, as I want to personally thank every person who supported. I would love to do a remix CD, I have not done one in over two years and I am overdue for one. I am planning a tour in 2018 - I will hopefully get back to the UK and Europe.....but the big one is dealing with my US Visa status. I am an Australian living in the USA on a visa, and it sucks. (Insert massive paranoid political rant here).
Zoog:  I am currently listening to 70s Rock - ELO, Fleetwood Mac, Super Tramp, Abba. Their songs are well crafted and put together masterfully. I am also listening to 90s Australian Rock: Regurgitator, Spider Bait, Happy Land, Severed Heads. I love how they are aggressive and playful. This music sounds like they are individuals who are members of the same tribe. Each is different, but have similar war-paint. There is a modern trend for music within a genre to sound very similar - same sounds, same beats, same tempo, same colors, same vocal sound. I want Angelspit to be unique. I want each album to be a journey into another sonic world. New adventure, new monsters, new armor. The main artist I listen to is Bowie. His later work takes my breath away. Outside, Reality, Black Star are brilliant.