Forming The Void Return - An Interview With FORMING THE VOID

Forming The Void have been going from strength to strength since their formation back in 2013. The band have won a loyal and dedicated fan-base with their Trippy, Progressive and Psychedelic Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds.

The band released their debut album Skyward back in 2015 and since then the band haven't stopped releasing 3 critically acclaimed albums with Reverie being their latest and perhaps best album to date.

I last spoke to the band in June 2018 and I thought it was about time to interview the band again to see what has changed with the band and the making of their excellent new album Reverie and signing to Ripple Music.

Read on for more info....

Hi Guys. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today?

Doing well man. 2020 has been such a slow year, right? 

Since we last spoken in 2018, you have a new bassist with Thorn Letulle joining recently and Luke Baker leaving last year. Was this an amicable split with Luke. Are you still good friends and how did you guys meet Thorn?

Shadi, Luke, and I had been playing music together since 2013. A lot of life can happen in between that time and people’s motivations/goals change. There’s no bad blood. We’ve all known Thorn for many years. When Luke stepped aside Thorn showed interest in jamming and has been working out well since.

What does Thorn bring to Forming The Void’s sound?

Thorn’s taste in music overlaps with ours a good bit, though he does delve into the extreme a bit more than we do. His feel is heavy and loud. We’re really digging what he brings to the sound and rhythm section. 

A question for Thorn – So what’s life been like with Forming The Void. What are you most looking forward to with the band?

The transition has been relatively easy going. I've known the guys for years prior to my joining forces with them. In fact I believe I can even recall a Forming the Void debut performance. I'm very much looking forward to the enveloping creative process. The four of us make for a very diverse palette of creativity that will no doubt continue to drive future creative endeavours.

We can now talk about your brilliant new album – Reverie. I feel this album feels more in tone and scope with your debut album Skyward but with the modern sounds you included on your last two albums. Is that a fair assumption to make?

There are a few elements that we chose to bring back or lean a little heavier into from each of the previous albums -- as well as a couple things we hadn’t tried before. I think in a lot of ways this album is the best blend of the elements we’ve liked in past releases with the addition of a few elements we’ve been wanting to try.

What can people expect from Reverie?

This was the first full album that was written with Thomas on the drums so his style was really a fundamental part of the writing process in a way that wasn’t possible with Rift. We did a lot more pre-production than ever before so the feels of the riffs are more true to our live execution than in previous albums. Sonically I think this is the best recorded album we have to date. 

What was the recording experience like for Reverie and did you do anything different for this album compared to your previous albums?

This was the first album we recorded in a proper studio. It was a great experience to pack up and go to another city for a week to focus solely on recording. This was the first time we live tracked an album to a click with the whole band (sans lead guitar and vocals). It was a nice middle ground to be playing all together and get that live feeling, while still having some of the control and grounding that click can bring. 

You’ve now signed to Ripple Music for the release of this album. How did that come about?

Thomas has known Todd and Ripple for several years from his previous band, White Light Cemetery, who were signed with Ripple. We’d talked a few times here and there and we all officially met at Psycho Las Vegas in 2018. After some good talks in the center bar, we felt like it would be a good fit to work together.

Ripple Music are perhaps one of the best underground labels to be upon. Did you feel any extra pressure when making this album being signed to Ripple Music?

We always have a goal to improve and grow as a band and we strive to make each album have its own place in the genre. I think as artists you always want each subsequent release to be better in some way. 

Forming The Void are perhaps one of my favourite bands of recent years and I was a late starter to discovering you guys and that was with 2017’s Relic. I admire how quickly you guys release new material. Is that always your plan to release a new album every 18 months or so?

Thanks man, we really appreciate that and are glad to have your support. There’s no explicitly planned timeline so much as we just like writing and recording. It’s always a fun process to experiment and push yourself creatively.

Has it surprised you at how the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal Community has taken to Forming The Void since your debut album? It seems you guys get more and more love from the scene with each respective release that you put out.

Don’t jinx us, man! Ha-ha. We’ve been really fortunate in that regard. It’s a really tight-knit little scene and we’re stoked to be a part of it. 

What comes first with the band when making an album, Lyrics or Music?

Music always comes first for us, though some riffs will come with a couple lines right out of the gate that just work well.

COVID-19 has pretty much put a stop to all life as we know it for the time being. How big of an impact has it affected you guys. And how are you surviving in this stressful time?

We’re all really thankful to be doing well. Though It sucks to have had to cancel upcoming tours that the album release was based around but we’ve been lucky all things considered. We’re staying safe and keeping busy. Just trucking along looking forward to playing shows again! 

I was going to see you guys on your recently announced European Tour. Are you hoping this tour will be rearranged at a later date?

At this point, Red Crust Festival is back on the weekend of May 14th. We’re hoping to get a tour booked around that.

What have been your favourite records that you’ve heard this year? Regardless of any genre.

The new releases from King Buffalo, Elephant Tree, Acacia Strain, Oranssi Pazuzu, Tombs, and Kverlertak have all been killer.

Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom that you want to say to your fans?

Thanks for all the support! We’re looking forward to playing shows again!

Words by Steve Howe and Forming The Void

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for arranging the interview. 

Reverie is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

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