Among the prevalent themes that have emerged from the era of lockdown is the notion of adaptation. While bands have pivoted to find ways to perform, connect, and create, the hurdles that artists have faced have actually made some more skilled for it.
For deathcore quartet Enterprise Earth, the inability to operate as usual has forced a set of circumstances that have ultimately led to a new awareness and a new EP to show for it.
Unveiling Foundation of Bones, the band has forged ahead with a concise, versatile representation of where they currently resides creatively. The self-produced effort not only showcases their ability to adapt but to thrive despite inopportune circumstances.
In a small trailer nestled among the scenic majesty of Taos, New Mexico, guitarist Gabriel Mangold began the tedious task adding the title of producer to his resume.
At home due to a cancelled tour and unable to get into any studio, A “fuck it” moment became the start a new project. “You can thank Coronavirus for that one. It pushed us to try something new and produce this EP. Because of how things turned out we have actually decided to self-produce our next record. Not to say that we won’t ever collaborate with a producer again but we were really confident with how this EP turned out.”
The resulting 5-track composition, Foundation of Bones, not only debuted the band’s self-produced era, it also reiterated the kind of versatility not often on display from a well-executed, deeply-rooted deathcore outfit.
On opposite ends of the spectrum, the title track functions as an uninhibited audio assault. Pummeling percussion, precision guitarwork, and menacing vocals, Mangold discussed the significance of the self-titled single. “'Foundation of Bones' was a good representation of where the band is currently. It shows how the darkness of the band has progressed.”
The counter, is an acoustic offering with the track, “There Is No Tomorrow.” As for how an acoustic selection would be received by an audience conditioned for the kind of brutality Enterprise Earth is known for, Mangold explained the motive was worth the risk. “We were hoping to surprise people. No one has ever really heard Dan (Watson) sing like that. We didn’t know how people were going to react we were happy with the result.”
Creative fulfillment aside, the song bodes well in presenting the totality of the band. That same darkness Mangold had expressed a connection with translates in both cuts, differently, but no less dramatic.
Following the same MO, the EP would include a couple of cover renditions that again worked in showcasing range, versatility, dynamics. Citing Ashes of the Wake as “one of Dan (Watson) and my favorite records,” Enterprise Earth took on Lamb of God’s “Now You’ve Got Something To Die For.”
In the spirit of showcasing the same versatility with the original material, the band opted to dig into the tech death metal chaos of Necrophagist with their rendition of “Fermented Offal Discharge” as the second cover on the release. Mangold explains the variety of the song selection was simple. “This is just a way for us to display everything we like and like playing in one 5-song EP.”
While the world continues to pass time in hopes of some kind of return to normalcy, Mangold and Enterprise Earth have utilized the release as a means of adaptation. There is no ability to connect live - a difficult reality for bands that translate best in person, but working out that creative itch in the recording process, offers at least some semblance of normalcy.
“Apart from touring we feel like the best way to stay relevant is to keep putting out new music,” explains Mangold. “The kind of music that we write though, it just takes us a little more time.”
Given the fact that time is something everyone has plenty of currently, the hope is that there is more to come from one of death metal’s most promising, punishing prospects.
Download/Stream Foundation of Bones from Enterprise Earth - HERE
