By Noe Gutierrez
In all sincerity, Annabelle Asylum scares the shit out of many. The horror-influenced Heavy Metal group have developed a web of sound and appearance that is a ‘what you hear and see is what you get’ brand of Nu-Metal. The band includes Brandon on lead vocals/guitar, Tim on vocals/bass, Abraham on vocals/keys and Jeremy on drums. Their last names were withheld for YOUR protection. Their recently released EP, Spider Bite, is their ever-progressing version of Aggro-Metal that combines elements of heavy music with components of other genres such as Hip-Hop, Alternative, Funk, Industrial, and Grunge. The EP also has spotlighted tracks with featured artists Dropout Kings, LCG Macro and RowLow.
Annabelle Asylum will be performing at The Hood Bar & Pizza in Palm Desert, California on Saturday, June 8, 2019 to promote Spider Bite as well as supporting rock sensation BI*AS. Also performing are Napalm Records artist Dropout Kings. The show is 21+ and there is a $5 entry fee.
Coachella Valley Weekly caught up with the desert metallers for an exclusive interview.
CVW: We haven’t heard enough about Annabelle Asylum and now it seems you are all ready to stay in the limelight with a new EP and big show. Give us an update.
AA: “Well, we finished recording our EP this year and recently released it, so we’ve been very excited to present that, and we’ve also finished shooting our newest video. We’ve all had lots of personal things going on, but none of that is stopping us from continuing our plans to produce more material.”
CVW: Your song with Dropout Kings is fierce. You’ve collaborated with other mutual Metal and Hip-Hop artists in the past. What draws you to those art forms and why do you think they contrast well?
AA: “We’ve all very much loved that genre of music since childhood along with Rock and Heavy Metal. Not only is it more enjoyable for us to incorporate elements of both into our music, but it also helps to create a more unique sound that our fans probably haven’t heard before until now! Music is all about creating something fresh and new and doing something different, so we’re happy to bring something unorthodox to the table.”
CVW: Your Spider Bite EP is high energy. There’s also a dark-macabre-feel to your music. How you have you developed your sound and lyrical ideas over the years?
AA: “There is indeed a dark-macabre theme to our music, but we feel this is important in what we try to do. Our sound has gone through many iterations, working with different musicians and producers, but we’ve always had dark and at times shocking material that others would not dare release. We feel it helps to raise awareness about topics that are hard to talk about, things that people wouldn’t normally feel comfortable with. Lyrically, if the context is heavy emotionally, or perhaps very violent, it definitely catches the ear and makes more of an influence on the audience. Perhaps if someone hears a song we write about a person going through a great deal of suffering, that they themselves could not entirely relate to, it would connect them with that other person’s situation and help them understand what goes on behind closed doors. Many of our songs and themes are conceived from examples in our actual lives or of stories in the lives of loved ones, and we expect our fans could be going through the exact same things.”
CVW: How would you word the Annabelle Asylum ‘Mission Statement’?
AA: “Annabelle Asylum may seem dark or pessimistic with its messages, but under the surface, we’re really about being your best you and living the life you really want to; being honest to yourself. Part of why our messages tend to lean towards the darker chapters of life is that music is therapeutic to us and we imagine it is to our fans as well. If we have a bad day or are going through an especially painful chapter of our lives, we can flip on a meaningful song and blast that shit! It gives us the strength to keep going. Sometimes that’s all it really takes, and it can make all the difference in a difficult time. We want to emotionally connect with our fans through our songs and help them in the same ways music has helped us in the past.”
CVW: You’re performing with BI*AS and Dropout Kings at The Hood on June 8th. Tell us about the development of the show and what fans should expect.
AA: “Expect us to bring it! BI*AS reached out to Brandon about setting up a show in the valley and we got something at The Hood. BI*AS features the original drummer of KORN, David Silveria. The other band is Dropout Kings from Phoenix, Arizona. They landed a record deal on 2017 on Napalm Records. We reached out to them about the show after doing our music video with them. We’ve been practicing very hard to put on the absolute best show possible, and we expect it to be our best performance to date. It will be the very first time we’re performing Spider Bite in its entirety. We’ll also have the featured guests on our EP performing with us, so there will be this theme of collaboration; it should prove to be a very fun night for all performers and fans attending.”
CVW: I have a hunch that the concept and image of Annabelle Asylum are crucial parts of how you want to be presented. Can you elaborate on the visuals of Annabelle Asylum?
AA: “Well, I guess you could say we’re pretty goth, always wore the dark aesthetic well, we feel it goes with the music as well as our personalities. We’re always making dark jokes to each other that probably wouldn’t pass in a ‘normal’ setting, and our music contains very heavy and real topics such as depression and suicide, so there are dark elements throughout. We always want to put on a show as well, which means experimenting with crazy costumes, makeup, masks, etc. We realize that our fans don’t just go to a show to hear the music, but also to see a performance. So yes, image is very important to us and we’re always thinking of new ways to intrigue and impress.”
CVW: What’s on the horizon for Annabelle Asylum?
AA: “More of everything! We will be writing more songs, producing more videos, and experimenting with new sounds and theatrics as always. This is what we love to do, and we’ll always be writing music, performing, and participating in all sorts of productions. We will also be designing new merchandise items available for fans, possibly working with big names in the horror art field, so there is a lot to be excited about. We’re trying hard to make our mark on the industry and nothing can stop us from creating more and more material for our fans.”
CVW: Anything else you’d like to add?
AA: “We would like to give a huge thank you to all our fans that have been showing so much support for us throughout our writing and recording processes, their words of encouragement mean so much to everyone in the band, it really cannot be overstated. With the sometimes-overwhelming stress that life can bring, just hearing some kind words about things we’ve worked so hard on can make all the difference for us. We want to keep going and keep making music regardless, but all the support and kindness from our audience really fuels the fire and gives us more reason to keep going and really deliver on anything we produce as a way to give back to them. We’d also like to thank you for offering us the opportunity to be interviewed, giving people a better understanding of who we are and why. Expect big things from us in Annabelle Asylum!” \m/
