Sometimes the metal release calendar doesn’t make you wait too far into the year to have new faces rip your old face off. The ink is barely dry on the shitshow that was 2022 but we already have one of the most exciting debuts of 2023. That Repulsive Nature, the first LP from Seattle death metallers Re-Buried, comes in January definitely doesn’t count against it as I’m going to be shocked if there are a ton of debuts that top this one by the end of the year. If there are…well then we should all be thankful for a particularly great year for metal.
Repulsive Nature, which was released just last week, is an uncommonly good death metal debut. Owing to the classics of OSDM as well as to inspiration from other genres and outlets of metal, Repulsive Nature is a slightly more than half-hour beating that doesn’t waste any of its lean runtime. That the songs are as killer as they are owes a lot to the twin guitar attack of Ed Bingaman and Paul Richards. I recently dug up Re-Buried’s axemen to get the full story on their killer debut.
First off, how did Re-Buried get started? How did you guys meet and what made you want to start a death metal band together?
Ed: Re-Buried started in late 2018. Originally it was Mat [Chandler], Alex [Bytnar, drums], Clayton [Wolff, bass], and I. It basically was a side project for Mat, who was in Filth is Eternal, and Alex and Clayton, who were in Un. I think they were just wanting to play something different than doom and punk. From there it just kind of evolved into a more full time gig.
What got you guys into death metal as a genre in the first place and who are some of the more important bands to you guys within the genre?
Ed: I was always into heavy music as a kid, it wasn’t hard to eventually gravitate towards death metal. Obviously the old school guys like Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, and Incantation were important to at least my growth. I’m also really digging the sounds of newer bands like Hyperdontia, Necrot, and Dead Congregation.
Paul: For me I’d say Gorguts and Death were my biggest early influences for death metal. I also love me some catchy riffs like Coroner and Heartwork-era Carcass.
What is the music writing process like for Re-Buried? Do you guys have a set process that you use or does it just kinda depend from song to song?
Ed: We’re pretty laid back when it comes to our writing process. Someone will bring in some riffs (usually Paul) and we’ll just spend some time shaping them into a song that we think hits. I don’t think anyone ever really has a plan for how the song will end up, which makes it kind of fun to see what direction the riffs take us.
Paul: Matt wrote most of the songs on this album but since his departure I’ve taken over being the riffs guy. I usually try to bring a handful of riffs to the band and then we arrange the song together. Often if a riff doesn’t go over well I’ll either scrap it and come up with something on the fly or we can retool it. [We also] harvest riffs from songs that weren’t flowing well, etc. It’s common for me to write riffs at home on an unplugged guitar in standard tuning or even my classical guitar. I feel if it can sound badass on those guitars it will likely sound great when transposed down to B-standard.
You guys do a really nice job of mixing it up in your music and it’s really exciting as a listener to be able to hear thrash and doom and slam influences within your songwriting. How important is it to you guys to include that variety of influences within your music to give it that diversity? To me, you do a really nice job of melding it all together while staying true to the genre of death metal.
Ed: Honestly I don’t know if we really think of it that deep. We kind of just follow the riffs and where they lead us. Sometimes we’ll be like “oh, we’ve never really done a part like this before, let’s try it out!” I would mostly say it’s more of just our thumbprint as musicians than it is actively trying to hit certain genres of metal.
Paul: I try to throw in some variety but it’s not always met with open arms. Sometimes I have to argue that one riff isn’t going to rebrand us as a tech death band, slam band, nu-metal, or hardcore. But sometimes I am clearly out of pocket and they do a good job of keeping me in check and I try not to be butthurt [laughs].
What was the process of writing/recording Repulsive Nature like? Were there any particular challenges to getting your first LP as a band recorded? What did you learn from the process that you’ll take to future recordings?
Ed: We wrote most of Repulsive Nature over the COVID lockdown. There wasn’t much pressure due to the future basically being up in the air at that point. Recording was fairly laid back due to Bill Anderson being such a pro, he made the whole process extremely comfortable for us. There is always going to be individual stress to hit your parts perfectly, but working with a master like Billy helps ease those tensions.
How about the origin of “Planetary Obliteration?” I really dug the slam feeling beatdown in that one!
Ed: I actually wrote and recorded this original song by myself and the slammy riff was more of a dunka-dunka kinda Cannibal Corpse riff. It was a contest that Julian from Cystic put on. Everyone liked the song so we used it for the album, after making some small changes and Matt wrote new lyrics for it.
What about “Hypocrisy Incarnate?” The riffing there gave me a real thrash vibe that I dug.
Ed: It was Alex’s idea to do the creepy riff on the high strings inspired by horror movie music.
“Rancid Womb” is a Hell of a closer and a pretty damn perfect title for a death metal song. How did that one come about?
Ed: This song was all Matt. I guess I had to come up with a kinda exotic sounding solo for it and it was Billy who was like “Yes we can add a fucking gong!” I think we did a reverse gong into a gong. I really like how the album Days of Future Passed by Moody Blues opens with the reverse gong.
That album cover is a really memorable, uncomfortable piece of art in all the best ways. Who did that and what kind of direction did you give them?
Ed: We wanted something that would fit well with the similar aesthetics of album covers by other bands on [Translation Loss Records] that was also unique. We were lucky to find a great piece to meet both of these criteria.
What’s the scene like up in the Pacific Northwest for you guys? Do you guys have a pretty active scene and has it shaped the growth and development of the band in any unique ways?
Ed: I would say Seattle has one of the best Death Metal scenes in the country right now. There’s some huge bands that have come out of here in the last few years and a shit ton of rad new underground stuff too. Anyone who thinks otherwise probably isn’t getting out much.
Paul: The scene in the PNW is amazing. So many good bands up here. Everyone is awesome to play with and everyone pushes each other and supports each other. Couldn’t ask for a better scene to be part of.
Lastly, what’s next for Re-Buried? What are your goals for the future of the band?
Ed: Right now we are focusing on writing and we already have a few badass new songs. It’s challenging because we want album number two to be even better than Repulsive Nature and also develop our overall sound as a group.
Paul: Next up is touring and playing as many awesome shows as we can. We are stoked to be playing Northwest Terror Fest this year. That’s been a personal goal of mine since we started this band. Also, with the release of this album starts the writing process for the next one!
Photo at top: Repulsive Nature album cover.