Falls Church - Local metalheads rejoice.  Down at the old State Theatre a new and much needed monthly tradition has begun.  It’s called Mandatory Metal - reigniting the flame of a waning metal scene in Northern Virginia whose sinister apathy must be brought to an end.  While venues such as Jaxx in Springfield continue to fulfill their metal niche with the same charming ambiance you remember from years of going there, there are still very few popular venues metal fans can call their own.  Mandatory Metal's second event was held October 8th at the historic State Theatre featuring four of Virginia’s hardest bands.  The first two acts, Deranged Theory and Immortal Decay, got your blood fired up with their superb sets; triumphant parades of Viking helmets and battle axes, hoards of scary makeup and leather, and even a mic stand shrouded in barbed wire and dead animal bones.  Sure, a bit theatric, but why the hell not?

The headlining band, Apothys, is continuously becoming one of the most outstanding metal bands in the area.  Self-categorized as "blackened progressive death metal," this label might give you more of an idea about their musical roots rather than what to expect seeing this band for the first time.  Blackened by inspirations of doom metal and bands such as Nevermore, Death, Behemoth, and Emperor, Apothys’ influences only linger in the background as they plunge you headfirst into a journey you’re not entirely comfortable with yet unable to resist.  What unfolds, rather than an onslaught of loud riffs and speedy tempos, is an ensemble of relentless brutality, not entirely angry and not entirely tragic.  Their funky guitar shreds blend with riffs of a dark atmosphere and seemingly impossible beat changes almost like a magic trick.  Despite being relatively young, these guys were no doubt metal veterans.  Vocalist Carrion Misery and guitarist Eddie Misery played together before, as did guitarist Nihilus and drummer Mace.  Bassist Pyr met the band at one of their shows as a fan and would ultimately complete this crew.

Back to the show.  Something noteworthy about this scene was that everyone was mingling together between sets.  Whether you were there for the show, playing in one of the bands, or simply chaperoning a minor, there was no division between the musicians and the crowd.  Still, I felt the urge to venture upstairs to the dressing room which has housed countless famous musicians to discuss Apothys’s new three-song CD Advent: Doom, as well as the elusive metal scene of Northern Virginia that is growing once again thanks to the hard work of bands like these.  Sadly, I had to miss most of Trihexyn’s show, but their jams provided the perfect audio backdrop for my gracious sit down with Apothys.

33: How was Advent: Doom recorded?  Do you have a record label now?
Carrion Misery: We’re self-funded.  We took all the change from our coffee jars and played as many shows as we could.  When we finally had the money we went to Assembly Line Studios which was the best choice.  Kevin Gutierrez kicks ass.
Eddie Misery: Kevin really worked with us.  He loves the metal scene we’re part of, and he didn’t nickel and dime us.  Guys like Kevin really want to see projects like ours get completed.  He’s not a guy just pushing buttons.
Mace: He has a great sense of the minute details and the fine-tuning aspects that, as a young band, you may miss.    

33: Where did the name Apothys originate?
CM: It was a long process coming up with a name.  We had a list of names, and we would ask our friends what sounded the best or what was the most kick-ass.  Eventually we said, “Let’s just make up a name.”  Basically, we just put our favorite letters together.  Apothys sounds like a god of destruction and creation, but if you break it down, "apo" means "away from" and "thys" means "a wave" or "in this way."
M: Ultimately, Apothys lacks a true meaning, and therefore it becomes a meaning of its own; it’s self-fulfilling in that way.
Pyr: We actually found out later that there is an asteroid called "apophis."  That’s cool, because it’s pretty close to our name. 

33: How and when did you decide that you would all have stage names?
EM: From the start we realized that it works when you don’t use your real names.
CM: People go to shows to be entertained, and stage names can really help with that, and it will give you a stronger persona.  Onstage I’m Carrion Misery - that’s so much cooler than that other guy.
EM: The names Carrion Misery and Eddie Misery came from when we first started and we were Misery Infliction, so keeping those names was also a tribute to our roots. 

33: How do you observe your fan base as of now and how it was before?
EM: It’s grown substantially because we’ve really busted our balls getting out to shows to see other bands.  In previous years, our attitude was to play and count on people coming to our shows.  It never occurred to us to go out and meet people and be more of a part of this music scene.  Our band has grown largely because of hanging out and networking through friendships.
Nihilus: The more you hang out with people, the more you realize that you have a lot in common with people that attend these shows.  For the longest time we thought that hanging out with people who came to see our shows would make us look rather pompous.  But, once we did, we saw that it had pretty much the reverse effect in which people thought we were too cool to hang out.  Also, there seems to be a bigger scene kicking up around Arlington, more unity in the metal scene, and it’s important that we become a part of that.  In this area, it’s an up and down transient music scene as opposed to other areas where there’s always a mass of people going to shows.  With shows like the one tonight, bands show up to play.  They don’t show up more so to be rock stars.  Just as important as getting national acts is getting just the locals to come out and be a part of this community.
M: And it’s become much more of a community around here which results from networking through friendships.

33: What is the typical process when ya’ll create a song together?
N: Eddie shits out a riff; Mace shits out a drum part; Pyr shoots out the bass part; I’ll add a little something to the stew; and Carrion then brings it all together with his vocals.  We have a unique little vision here.  And there’s a maturity factor that we’ve gained from being in bands before.
M: There’s a weird kind of symbiosis amongst us.  We all feel that we each have our own distinct roles in the songwriting process.  But there’s a way in which it seems that we each always have just the right thing to add and just the right perspective.  We always try to hang our egos up on the door before practice.
CM: For a while, what would work against us is music we’d listen to that would inspire us to write a song or play one of our songs a certain way.  It would often end with us writing songs that sounded like our influences.  Influences are important, but what’s more important is to take those influences and draw them inward and reproduce them in a way reflecting your own creativity.  Ultimately, I want people to hear one of our songs and say, “That sounds like Apothys” rather than, “That sounds like this other band.”
N: And that’s what Advent: Doom is.  It’s a collection of three songs, but those songs are the ones we reflected on and said, “This is Apothys.”  And we’re more in tune when we write or rewrite a song, and it becomes something we all agree on.

33: Has a stronger commitment to this band changed the way you feel about being musicians?
M: I look at everything through a certain lens now, whether it’s our music or the business associated with it.
P: There is a career outlook that we all have now.  Of course, we’re still trying to have fun, but it’s different now.  Anyone can write a song, but it’s a whole different scenario when you write a song with the intention of doing something with it and hopefully reach people and inspire them to do something with it.  You want your audience to feel sort of the same feeling you have about a particular song. 

33: What new elements do you guys try to add to the heavy metal genre?
CM: At the moment we’re just trying to do it right, as far as creating something entirely new.  It’s a process that strengthens over time.
N: Music is more of an evolution than a revolution.  You rarely see something that spontaneously jumps out and redefines the genre.  You take those evolutionary steps in just getting better at what you do, and the new sound comes out of that experience.
EM: Any band that has really left their mark evolved within themselves and outside themselves, beginning with playing more familiar songs and eventually creating something you’ve never heard before.   

33: What is your favorite show or type of show to do?
EM: Shows where no one is trying to oust each other.
P: I could play a show with an audience of two dozen people or two thousand people and, as long as the crowd is into it, I’m a happy guy. 

33: What is the craziest show or type of show you’ve done?
CM: You’ll often get that guy at one of your shows who is ultra-drunk, violent, and obviously has nothing to do with the music besides bashing around like a lunatic.
N: Worse than that is when one of the bands is acting like that, shouting on stage “Let’s do some shots!”
P: Especially when he won’t stop shouting "Metal!"
EM: Something weird that’s happened recently - the band Hanson has performed at the last two venues we’ve played a week after our shows; it’s scary, those guys are following us around.

Be sure to check out Apothys on November 15 at the So Addictive Lounge in Herndon, Virginia.  Keep up with their latest news on Facebook as well as the next session of Mandatory Metal.

MySpace.com/Apothys

Apothys.us

By Correspondent: Dillon Frye

Dillon Frye received a Bachelor's of English from the University of Mary Washington and is eager to write for Magazine33.  When it comes to music, Dillon is all about the past.  He usually enjoys the classics he grew up with, such as eighties bands like Squeeze, Tears for Fears, the Kinks, and Split Enz.  Throughout adolescence, he's grown a taste for bands such as Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Pinback, Ween, Captain Beefheart, Davie Bowie, and James Brown.  Dillon looks forward to discovering some new music within the Fredericksburg and Richmond scenes.