Some trivia bits regarding 'Achromatic horridness'

As I mentioned in previous post, I'll write about some events that happened during the creation process and / or things that lead into creation of the whole album in the first place. Events which I will definitely remember for years to come.

I'll begin with the most funny detail which happened with the song "Planet of Atzsypellb". Usually my song ideas come 100% from my alone, but this "PoA" song makes a special exception to that rule. Sometimes around middle of April 2024 our child (she was 5 years old then) was drawing some pictures as usual. Usually she draws animals, figures from children's TV shows, you know, the usual kids' stuff. Until this one beautiful spring day I walked up to her and ask to see what she's drawing as it looked bit different. She had drawn a planet (and even told with a firm voice that it's a planet, "not just some ball or circle") floating within nothing but colors. Floating in ... space. And it didn't end there, but there was large capsized graphical letters above the planet shape, saying "ATZSYPELLB" ... I was like what is this text here, can you tell me? (I was also surprised about it, because I hadn't seen her writing other than her name or mom or dad until then). She replied with a serious face that well, of course it's that planet's name. Bang! I felt instantly so inspired and asked her that hey can I use this fine planet of yours in a song I'll compose? I think I got awesome musical idea for a song that tells about this planet of yours! She nodded and was funnily about as excited than me. I went downstairs, picked my guitar and the riffs were born in matter of some minutes only. The whole song came out like explosion, and while crafting the riffs I already knew that it will become a crazy, twisted blasting piece. And ... that's what it became. Definitely a special memoir for this one song and which will be fun to explain to our daughter as she gets older. :)

I went through lots of drawings done by our child, but unfortunately I didn't find this "Atzsypellb" picture ... not yet anyway. I might still find it, and if I do - I will post the picture about it here into this blog. Perhaps right here into this spot? Or then simply as a new post. Time shall tell.

Well, as that was definitely the happiest memoir related to the creation of the album, let's move to completely other end of spectrum for now; sadness and in a double form, one could say. 

As you might have read from back cover of the album; I've dedicated the album to my dad and sister. Both of whom no longer walk the earth. Yeah, I wrote about all this back in Spring 2024 here in this blog, when I started crafting music for 'Achromatic horridness'. My dad suddenly passed away in December 2022 and it came out of blue. Well, being born in 1936 he lived a long, happy life. He never understood metal music, but he actually learned to respect my passionate metal music hobby and at some point during 2000s he even said to me that believe it or not but I am proud of your music / musician hobby. Dad's passing was naturally sad, but as he lived a long and happy life, it wasn't hard to accept. The same can't be said about my big sister, who passed away just four months after my dad ... cancer took her life and as she was born in 1967 her death felt not just extremely sad but at first also bitter in many ways. But she took it all with such a respectable attitude, ... even that everyone wished her to recover right until the end (she herself too) she accepted her fate early on and even did "a death cleaning" for all her things almost a year before she died. She even pre'organised everything for her funeral, I mean everything. Sister's death really struck me even that unlike with my dad we all knew the death is coming for her ... talk about pain and grief. So, ... it was these two deaths in the family that gave me inspiration for compose music which turned into 'Achromatic horridness'. I feel like the grief came out of me in a form of music. Strongly, too.

Actually I only now realized that I started crafting music for this album almost exactly a year since my sister died. I might have thought about it on some level, certain passing of time, but I truly understood this timíng only now when I started writing about this matter here. Exactly a year since sister passed on, I picked up my Scumguitar and the material started flowing. Coincidence? I don't think so. I always joked with my sister when we were younger that no matter which one of us dies first, he/she has to pass on the correct lottery numbers from the other side so that the one who remains on earth, wins the jackpot in lottery ...

.. Well, I haven't won in lottery, but I do consider 'Achromatic horridness' as a musical jackpot for Scumfusion! The tunes were born in matter of moment, eyes closed, hands playing, hit the record, hey it's another song, and here we go again, and hey now it's another song base. Tunes kept flowing in a constant stream and suddenly I felt that this is the very last track, and it's not coincidence either that it was one of the two tunes which especially are musical obituaries for both dad and sis.

Well, as you know this background, inspiration coming from a grief of multiple deaths in the family ... it shouldn't come as a surprise that what I think is the ongoing theme in the album? It's death. Clearly. If you follow the lyrics, it's all about life and death inside the scifi tales happening in space environment. There are some exceptions to this rule where science takes the main role, but it feels like if you listen the album from start to end, the theme of death runs there constantly in the lyrics. In a different, notably more personal way than on past Scumfusion albums, I'd say. 

As I mentioned that there are two tracks that are especially like musical obituaries to sis and dad, can you guess which songs they are? Well I can reveal that they are songs #10 ("Rotting in space") and #20 ("Dead starlight passengers"). Not exactly surprising if you read the lyrics, I'd say.

Some sources of influence aren't really hidden

Musically speaking some of the song titles formed funnily into final shape which reveal something about their source of inspiration musically speaking. I didn't mean this to really happen, but it just happened along the way - and I only later noticed it, and I was like ... it's fun, so why not? These three songs are:

• Napalm universe = Napalm Death
• Star slavers = Slayer
• Grand galactic war incantation = Incantation

"Napalm universe" definitely has a ND vibe to me, in a strange way though. It might not be so obvious to others than to me. "Star slavers" well what can I say ... not nocessarily the riffs but check out the drums and tell me if some certain drummer comes to mind? No need to say more. :) And finally "Grand galactic war incantation" which is very much inspired by the most extreme (blasty) tunes by Incantation.

As a final thing I can say there are still some easter eggs and I don't mean the Lossidia references by this, but not all should be revealed. I can only say that if you get some hidden element, it makes certainly sense in how the album feels overall, beyond all that noise / grind / deathy metal stuff. :)

Afterthoughts about 'Achromatic horridness'

Now that some time has passed since 'Achromatic horridness' was released - several months already - I think it's time to write some self analysis and perhaps reveal some insider info bits as well about the album. There are things that I won't reveal though, things that fall under "easter egg" category, things which could be hidden for ages - or then not. Both sonically as well as lyrically, and in general simply hidden little things that make at least the artist himself smile. EDIT: I decided to write about these insider info bits in separate post, in coming days.

Let's start with a brief "how does the release make me feel now?" self analysis. I felt really good as the album started taking its' shape, it felt great from the very beginning - and the more it progressed, the better I felt about the stuff. Has that changed with passing of time? Nope! More like the opposite actually. I feel that the album is one of the best metal releases I've ever done - and the fact that it's all done from beginning to end 100% by me alone, it kind of makes me feel extra proud about it. 

It took quite a lot of my free time (like hobbies tend to do), it's hard to say exactly how much time - but I could estimate that from beginning to compose into finishing the package it could well be 200+ hours all in all? Considering that not only I compose, record it all, create all the artwork, write all the lyrics etc etc etc ... Lots of 1-2 hour long sessions, longest sessions perhaps 3 hours long or so. Considering that I have my dayjob which is 100% my income and a family including small child to be and spend time with - it meant lots of short (and fun) sessions. If anything, the material came out of me like supernova, ... with a blast. More about reasons behind this later in the next blog post.

Thinking about how I'd describe the album overall, how it sounds and feels, how it stands musically speaking, how it flows - I'd say it's closest to my original vision back in 2000 about how Scumfusion should sound and feel (back then home studio was more like a joke and of course it limited visions in a brutal way ... we all know how things have changed in 25 years when it comes to recording your own music projects with home equipment). And for me this is a true achievement in itself: This album is a manic ride musically, it also has some crazy vocals (not just music), it reflects the early grindcore and death metal albums from late 1980s and early 1990s which truly inspired me and forever got into me. Yet it sounds all different kind of thing, and I recognize how it sounds like ... well, me. I know it's not a real studio production, but for me also the production in this case - still total DIY - turned out really sweet. What makes it feel even better is the fact that I was heavily disappointed with 2017's "latemogelian infiltration" production which I messed up. What reflects all this the most, is one fitting comparison which comes to mind ... 

.. take a band like Bolt Thrower ("realm of chaos" was massively influential to me back in the day) and the way their career went, after "those once loyal" album was completed, ... you know, years later (even way before the band ended) they stated that there is no need to record new album because they feel "those once loyal" is Bolt Thrower captured in a perfect mode and sound, perfect album, all things inluded. And here's the catch; while I kind of understood that back in the day, big part of me was like "booohooo! please make a new album! I need new BT album, I'm hungry for more! Always!!" ... 

Well, with completion of Scumfusion's 'Achromatic horridness' I realised I suddenly can understand that Bolt Thrower's statement so much better. It makes sense now (but hey, I would always welcome comeback of Bolt Thrower!). I feel like this Scumfusion album is very close to perfection in how it sounds and feels all in all, considering my original vision some 24 years ago. I'm not saying I'd never return to Scumfusion, but I'm saying not returning to it could be possible as well, in a way - because ending a long lasting DIY music project with a style would feel awesome. So, yeah, I'd go as far as saying that I've never before been as satisfied with any Scumfusion release. This one tops even the production peak points, albums I did with Timo (with peak points I mean "lost constellations" and "lossidian threnody"). Quite a statement I know, but that's how I strongly feel. This is most certainly closest to my own vision about how this "band" / music project should sound. And it makes me really happy and proud about it all. 

Thinking about this more deeply: Reaching a point like this feels surprising and awesome, after all these years. It's been a very long road of DIY hobbying, I never thought I'd be creating Scumfusion music tens of years later as inspired as I was when I begun it. Well, I think I'll never grow tired of extreme metal, grindcore and death metal (and especially the early releases of the scene, but I follow the modern scene as well as time permits) ... a passion is a passion.

I'll write about some trivia bits & things dealing with creation of 'Achromatic horridness' in coming days as I have time for writing. Some emotional background things, ranging from extreme happines into extreme sadness.