Entheos is a North American supergroup of technical metal that features musicians that used to play with Animals as Leaders and The Faceless. On November 10th, their album "Dark Future" was released by Spinefarm. Vocalist Chaney Crabb, owner of a powerful voice, had a conversation with Metal Imperium.
M.I. - Why did you choose the name Entheos for the band?
Entheos is the root word for enthusiasm. It's a reflection of how we felt at the time of forming the band. We were excited to embark on a new journey together.
M.I. - There is a Canadian Black Metal band named Entheos as well. Were you aware?
We're aware. We've been in correspondence.
M.I. - Your album “Dark Future” was released last week. How’s the response been so far?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive!
M.I. - According to Chaney this is like your first real release. Why?
I referred to this as being our "first real record" for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's our first record with Travis on guitar. He's brought a new sense of melody to the band, and a lot of his writing lends really well to letting bass, vocals and drums stand out. Secondly, the record was written with the four of us sitting in a room together. The guys would work on instrumentals together while I would work on lyrics and vocal patterns next to them. It was a group effort in the truest sense - and because of that, you get the chance to hear everyone's voice really stand out. Evan contributed a lot more material as well, and the overall process was just a lot more cohesive than it has been in the past.
M.I. - All the lyrics for Primal were written by Chaney. Who’s responsible for the lyrics for Dark Future?
I still write all the lyrics, that is something that I will always do. Lyrics and vocals are my department, my role in the band.
M.I. - The band got formed a few years ago and has already seen some line-up changes. How complicated is it dealing with these changes? Have these changes influenced the new album somehow?
Dealing with the line-up changes has simply been a natural progression in the band. When you form a band, you don't necessarily foresee how the band will grow together (or apart). Travis has now been our guitar player for over half of our life as a band, he is THE guitarist of Entheos, if you will. We formed the band with a clear idea in mind of the way that we wanted our band and the members of it to work together, and together, with Travis we've really accomplished that. He contributes equally to our material, and really shines on Dark Future. His sense of melody really blends well with both Navene and Evan's, to the point that it's hard for me to pick out who specifically wrote certain parts on the record. He was definitely the missing piece on our past releases.
M.I. - What is your favourite track of the new album? Why?
Really, I love every track on the album. It's hard to choose. Lyrically, it's the most honest and emotionally raw I've ever been on an album, so when I listen through I'm really experiencing a lot of things over again. The songs all resonate in different ways. From start to finish, I'm just really proud of it.
M.I. - Being a super group puts extra pressure on you and the material you release because of the high expectations your fans already have?
I think there's always a natural pressure to exceed your own expectations while writing, to do something better than the last thing that you put out. That will always be there for us, and it's inspiring. I'm already looking forward to our next album.
M.I. - Being a supergroup, do you think of Entheos as your top project or are you involved with other projects and will only pay attention to Entheos whenever you have the time?
Entheos is 100% the main focus for every member of this band. Our solo projects / other side ventures are all things we take on when we have time outside of Entheos.
M.I. - Entheos is spending the fall on a US tour with Whitechapel, Carnifex, Rings of Saturn, and So This Is Suffering. How’s it going?
The tour has been incredible. My favourite to date.
M.I. - How’s the reaction of the audience when you play?
The reaction tends to be different every night, but as time goes on I definitely see that we're a band that draws a lot of people in with our live shows. Every night there will be people who approach me and say that they'd never heard of us until our set. It's really cool to get that kind of feedback - I've always been a huge fan of live shows and finding out about bands that way.
M.I. - Have you ever played in Europe? Will there be a worldwide tour to promote the new album?
We've never played Europe, but absolutely plan on going there to tour during this album cycle.
M.I. - Evan has recently been a father… how complicated is it having a family and touring? Do your families understand and fully support the life you chose?
You know, touring is hard in that way. The most important thing is really to have family/significant others behind you who truly support that this is your life's passion. Everyone in my band is really lucky in that way. We have rock solid foundations who just really support what we do - it makes touring so much easier.
M.I. - Share a few words with Metal Imperium’s readers.
Thank you guys for listening, and we cannot wait to play over there!
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Questions by Sónia Fonseca
