Ashley Scott, Ross McLennan, Will Cooke, David Archer, Alex Micklewright

Abhorrent Decimation

London Death Metallers, ABHORRENT DECIMATION, are set to release their new full-length album, "The Pardoner", on July 28^th, 2017. In anticipation of their latest release, Ashley Scott, Will Cooke, Ross McLennan, David Archer, and Alex Micklewright recently took time to speak with Metal Temple and answer questions about the early years, lineup changes, and the influences that shaped their sound.

By Andrej Romic

• July 16, 2017

What year was the band formed, and which members were the ones that formed it exactly?

Ashley Scott: 2013. I first started trying to form a new band in 2013, I was jamming with a couple of people and there was an issue with one of the bits of gear we were using. Someone called their friend down to lend a hand and that's where I met our original (now ex) guitarist, David. From there, he and I began writing some material and those sessions turned into our first EP release.

Let me know if the lineup changed, and who were all the past and who are the current members?

Ashley Scott: We have had a few lineup changes since 2013. But now, as we are about to release our best album to date, "The Pardoner" – we finally have a solid, sound line up. This should cover our history
"Infected Celestial Utopia" Recording Line Up
Ashley Scott - Vocals
David McKinney - Guitars, Drum Programming
David Archer - Drum Programming

"Infected Celestial Utopia" Live Line Up
Ashley Scott - Vocals
David McKinney - Guitars
Will Cooke - Guitars
David Archer - Bass
Matt Doubleday - Drums

"Miasmic Mutation" Recording Line Up
Ashley Scott - Vocals
David McKinney - Guitars
Will Cooke - Guitars
David Archer - Bass
Matt Doubleday - Drums

"Miasmic Mutation" Live Line Up
Ashley Scott - Vocals
David McKinney - Guitars
Will Cooke - Guitars
Oliver Du Toit - Guitars
Ross McLennan - Guitars
David Archer - Bass
Matt Doubleday - Drums
Ryan Dennington - Drums
Dan Danby - Drums

"The Pardoner" Recording Line Up
Ashley Scott - Vocals
Ross McLennan - Guitars
Will Cooke - Guitars
David Archer - Bass
David Archer - Drums

"The Pardoner" Live Line Up
Ashley Scott - Vocals
Ross McLennan - Guitars
Will Cooke - Guitars
David Archer - Bass
Alex Micklewright - Drums

The same year you guys were officially formed, you have released your debut 5-song EP entitled "Infected Celestial Utopia". How did the public react to it?

Ashley Scott: As far as debuts are concerned, the EP was well received. We hadn't really found a sound yet but we were just keen to get something out and get playing live and building a name at a grassroots level. That record sold out, so I guess the reaction was a positive one.

Which label was your debut material released on, and did you like working with them?

Will Cooke: "Infected" and "Miasmic" went out on Cold Birth Records. It was a label that our vocalist Ashley created with his mate Stephen. It wasn't really a matter of "working" with anyone. Ash had everything under control; it made things really easy as we had a guy "on the inside" so to speak.

Was that label good for a start, or the new one is better? I know I'm comparing a fly with an elephant here, but your personal opinions on both would be cool to hear.

Ashley Scott: Cold Birth was very much a means to an end. It made things very easy to get the CD listed with physical and online retailers and helped create a perception of something bigger. It was all still very much DIY behind the scenes. Endless hours of working on promotion and marketing, packing mail orders and balancing the books. I can't really compare it to being with Prosthetic, who are a functioning label with staff, who have an established distribution network, marketing department, A&R, press officers. It's night and day.

It took you guys two years to release your highly anticipated new full-length album back in 2015. How did people react to that one? I assume the fans were doubled with that album, I personally discovered you guys due to that one too.

Ashley Scott: "Miasmic" certainly announced our arrival on the circuit. We had a lot of support from the UK press with this record, a great deal of positive feedback. We toured as much as possible and was lucky to get a change to put in a few key performances at some great festivals, which really helped us build the fan base up. The guys at FuturePR, who handled our press and PR, where fantastic in those times too. Again, everything felt very positive and we could feel a natural growth and a level of respect growing in the scene.

Two years have passed now once again, anything new in the works? Any insider info people would like to hear?

Ross McLennan: Yeah, our new album "The Pardoner" comes out July 28^th, 2017. The first single from this record would have been released by the time this interview goes out! Look for "Conspire" on all the usual streaming sites and be sure to pre-order a copy from http://smarturl.it/AbhorrentDecimation

Are all members based out of the same country or?

David Archer: We are all based in the UK. Cooke, Ross and I are all further south, around Brighton and the surrounding areas. Ash is up in Croydon, Surrey. And Alex lives out in Dorset.

Let me know all of your personal musical motivations.

David Archer: I just want to keep progressing. I want us to develop a sound that is entirely ours. Pushing ourselves both technically as well as musically and just make some sounds that people hopefully enjoy.

Ashley Scott: Since I was a little lad, I've not been great at making sense of people and expressing myself emotionally. I've always found it easier to express myself in a creative way. Be that musically, writing lyrics or creating Art. Without sounding too "gushy", it's been a dream of mine to do this at a level which gives me a feeling of worth and that makes me feel like I function and express myself in a way that I can look back at and be proud of.

Alex Micklewright: In terms of music, which motivates me, I used to draw a lot of drumming inspiration from Metal bands such as ORIGIN, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, and NILE. These days I'm into a lot of Japanese bands. HEAVEN IN HER ARMS, ENVY, MOUSE ON THE KEYS, and COHOL. Really enjoying ANDERSON PAAK, CHILDISH GAMBINO, and THE ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT at the moment.

Which band would you gladly compare your sound to? Any shout outs to certain people?

Ashley Scott: Our sound is not intrinsically comparable to a specific band. We take inspiration from all different types of bands. Some of which may not seem apparent to the listener. We've honed in on a more modern sound on this record. So some tangible influences would be, THY ART IS MURDER, MISERY SIGNALS, older WHITECHAPEL, ABORTED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DECAPITATED - bands of this ilk.

Thanks for taking the time, cheers.

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