For Pennsylvania experimental metalcore unit Sleepsculptor, the evolution of the band has moved along exponentially due in part to technology and circumstance. Though the first iteration of the band took shape back in 2018, personnel changes some three years later forced the remaining core of the outfit to pursue a new vocalist.
French frontman Florent Curatola would soon begin working with the band, albeit from thousands of miles away. As the world had become more accustomed to working remotely, as did the new incarnation of Sleepsculptor. Curatola navigated a seamless mesh with Travis Antoniello (bass/backing vocals), Jake Moyer (guitar/programming), Kuyler Massam (guitar/programming), and James Slattery (drums). Exchanging ideas and fleshing out material, the collective achieved a healthy work flow and a unique creative chemistry, forging the first elements of what would evolve into their Silent Pendulum Records' debut, Divine Recalibration.
For context in regards to how rapidly the team found their stride, Curatola joined the band late 2021. By March of 2022 the band were convening in person for the first time ever to enter the studio to work under producer Matt Guglielmo (Cryptodira, Spite, Seeyouspacecowboy). Within a few weeks, the creative pace of the unit proved prolific, with some 15 tracks of bruising technicality completed.
The band explained the creative headspace they entered the studio with. “We were hugely inspired by metallic/chaotic hardcore bands such as Converge, The Chariot, and The Armed, as well as some more rhythmic metal stuff like Meshuggah, Frontierer, and Ion Dissonance, and even some alternative/nu-metal like System of a Down and Slipknot. We really wanted to meld those realms together to make something that was a fresh take on sounds we all knew and loved.”
The first preview of the finished product comes in the form of a two-minute barrage in the single, "Venerate". Characterized by the band's knack for almost surgical precision, coupled with frenetic volatility, the end result is a concise, caustic show of force that marks an emphatic arrival of Sleepsculptor as harbingers of boundless metalcore.
Guitarist Kuyler Massam detailed how the track quickly materialized and implemented a sense of balance in a collection of songs that aim to translate as both dynamic and dominant. "This song was the first one I wrote with my first custom guitar from Balaguer Guitars. The whole skeleton came together in probably two or three hours the day I got the guitar. Picking that instrument up for the first time had me instantly inspired and everything came together effortlessly. At that point in the writing process, we were feeling like we needed more shorter/chaotic songs because we had a ton of 2-3 minute more groove-heavy songs in the bank. We were also leaning really heavily into the odd time signature stuff at the time and needed a reprieve from that, so this is one of only a couple songs written in a regular 4/4 time signature from start to finish."
For the accompanying visual, Massam detailed how the project from concept to execution has really been a very hands-on endeavor for Sleepsculptor. "The bulk of the filming was handled by Novro Studios, a tag-team audio/visual operation headed by our friend Eric Novroski and his wife Sarah. Our bassist, Travis, ended up doing all of the directing, editing, and color grading himself, as he has a pretty great eye for that kind of stuff, in addition to having a breadth of skills in the world of video. We opted to focus on the performance aspect of the song since it’s one of the more demanding ones to get through, and we felt the music and lyrics spoke for themselves with this particular track."
The track serves as the first serving of Sleepsculptor's electrifying debut via Silent Pendulum Records. Divine Recalibration arrives April 28th, 2023 and intends to challenge the conventional approach to metalcore with the band's intersection of intricacy and intensity.
Stream the Knotfest premiere of "Venerate" from Sleepsculptor below.
Pre-order Divine Recalibration via Silent Pendulum Records - HERE
