ChitChat - With Evocatus
INTERVIEW BY: EM VIOLET
EM:
Where did the name Evocatus come from and what is the meaning behind it?
EVOVATUS:
From Wikipedia actually, we were trolling through the pages clicking links looking for a cool name when we came across EVOCATUS. An EVOCATUS (plural evocati) was a soldier in the Ancient Roman army who had served out his time and obtained an honourable discharge (honesta missio) but had voluntarily enlisted again at the invitation of the consul or other commander.
EM:
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
EVOVATUS:
Wow tough question, I think we would all have different answers, but collectively we would have to go with Devin Townsend, because its HEAVY DEVY!
EM:
What is your favourite track on the new album and why?
EVOVATUS:
ADAM – Bane’s Heresy, it’s a cool live intro track. Head bang central.
CAL – Drums in the Deep, hard driving chorus, really want to play it live.
NICH – Warriors of the Sea, it’s just a fucking great song.
BRAD – Drums in the Deep, drums are sick, bass is sick, groovy as all fuck to play.
VAUGHAN – Upon the Sands, it’s the most challenging song on the album to play but also really thrashy and a lot of fun.
EM:
When writing new music, what does your creative process look like?
EVOVATUS:
Usually one member will write most of the guitar riffs and/or lyrics and then piece the song together. From there each member can tweak each section to their liking and the song is done.
EM:
Tell us about the new album and what inspired you to write these tracks?
EVOVATUS:
With the band name having a heavy Roman theme, we went with that when writing the lyrics to the songs so there is a lot of Roman/Greek mythology and historical references, take ‘Walls of Troy’ and ‘Kronos Olympus’ for example. And then this just kind of expanded into other battle themes in general with songs like ‘Drums in the Deep’ and ‘Warriors of the Sea’.
EM:
How would you compare the sound of this album to your last album?
EVOVATUS:
Way more melodic, an evolution and extension on the past album. Moving from our thrash roots to a fuller melodic sound. We really took the symphonic aspect to the next level with the help of producer Ryan Huthnance from Emissary Studios (The Seer, Gaped).
EM:
Do you have a favourite live show moment? If so, what was it?
EVOVATUS:
ADAM – Playing at ‘Questfest’ when Kratos came up on stage during ‘Mortem in Deos’
CAL – Row pit at Orange during ‘The Fall of Odin’
NICH – Yeah man, hands down the row pit!!!
BRAD – Having the opportunity to play live with bands like Kalmah, Cattle Decapitation and Psycroptic
VAUGHAN – Playing the first ‘Questfest’ in Canberra, it was such a great crowd and atmosphere! It also allowed us to share the stage with one of my old school mates (Glenn Carwardine) who filled in on guitar for us for that one show.
EM:
What is the thing you miss most about playing live?
EVOVATUS:
The atmosphere and interaction with the crowds that you get with live shows, and meeting people after the shows who were really into it.
The sense of relief you get after nailing your set and the whole band just being in sync.
EM:
Tell us about the name of the album, where it came from and how it ties into everything.
EVOVATUS:
‘Path to Tartarus’ really came from the song ‘Tartarus’, we really felt this song captured the vibe and feeling of the whole album. There is a loose story of a roman soldier throughout the album and about his life and eventual death resulting in his journey to Tartarus, the deepest pit in the underworld.
EM:
What's next for Evocatus?
EVOVATUS:
After Covid fucks off, hopefully an Australian tour, followed by maybe an international tour towards the end of 2021 (or when international travel returns). And on to writing the next album.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evocatusband/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvocatusBand/ Itunes: https://music.apple.com/au/artist/evo... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Edxd...
