MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES

There’s a rustling in the cornfields and a full moon overhead. Shambling through the rows are 3 ghastly figures...they have been MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES!

I’ve been a fan of this Dubuque death metal squad since their very earliest days, when their corpses were fresh and their hunger sharp. It’s been a pleasure seeing them gradually evolve and mature over the years, to the point where their rotted music is now ready to break wide open. After a slumber of a few years, they’re back with “Scenes From The Afterlife”, a stunning new album.

Once again I head into the Iowa graveyards to speak with Josh Demuth, the gruesome voice of MBZ. Through a mouth full of decay, he had a lot to say… 

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings, Josh! It’s been a while since we’ve heard from MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES. Was “real life” stuff getting in the way or was it hard coming up with good new material?

JOSH DEMUTH: I would say a little of both. The songs on the new album are definitely more difficult to play than what we have done in the past. Real life has absolutely played a roll as well, we really slowed down in 2020 during the pandemic and kind of took a break from everything. 

WC: Are the songs on “Scenes From The Afterlife” relatively new or have they been on your mind for a while now?

JD: One song on the album was written in the studio in 2018 when we wrapped up “Scripts Of Anguish”. The others were written over the course of a few years.

WC: “Scripts of Anguish” impressed a lot of folks. How did you want to move forward from it on “Scenes From the Afterlife”?

JD: We really focused on flow and also ramped up the technicality a bit more than we're used to. We pushed our limits musically without going full tech-death and are really proud of the final product!

WC: MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES has always had a great mix of technical, almost progressive metal with the blood and guts you’d expect from underground death metal. How hard is it to ride that “sweet spot” between the two?

JD: I think for us, it kind of happens naturally. Most of our songs are collaborative efforts, so you get a little influence from what each member is into. Greg provides a more progressive style, Jason likes to go all out tech, and I throw down fast tremolo riffs with a side of more slammy grooves.

WC: Have you ever had songs you had to reject because they were maybe too technical? Or on the other hand, too primitive?

JD:. None that were too primitive that I can recall, but there have absolutely been songs or riffs presented by both Jason and Greg that I simply couldn't pull off while handling vocal duties live. 

WC: The production on the new album is perfect. I would say this is the best sounding MBZ album by far. Did the recording process go smoothly or was it a very meticulous endeavor?

JD: I agree! I absolutely love both the clarity and grit J.B. Van Der Wal provided for the production. The recording process was extremely smooth, as we recorded everything on our own this time around. It's nice not having to watch the clock and feel pressured. 

WC:  Was there any major change in the way you approach songwriting on “Scenes…”? To me, it sounds streamlined but very aggressive.

JD:  I wouldn't necessarily say major, but we did take a more refined approach for this one. We really took the time to go through each song meticulously and made sure we were putting together songs to the best of our abilities.

WC:. I believe you guys have had the same three members since the first time I saw the band, which has to be close to 15 years ago. This is a pretty rare thing in today’s music scene. Has your bond gotten stronger over the years?

JD: I would say our bond is still very strong. Even if we haven't seen each other in months, we pick up right where we left off. We absolutely have a chemistry and tight brotherhood within the band.

WC: I remember some great shows at the old Rock Hollow Gun Club in Freeport, IL. I really miss the shows that were held there, I saw many great bands. Do you have any memories of the shows there?

JD: We loved the shows there! Ever since Scott "Slayer" Severns first invited us, we've made some great friends and memories. Some of my favorites were the Thanksgiving Toys for Tots shows, we always got a free meal and boy were they delicious. Another great memory is sharing the stage with JUNGLE ROT, that show was an absolute blast!

WC:  Was there any change in things lyrically on the new album? Again, the band seems to find that perfect spot between gore and horror and more thoughtful ideas.

JD: As opposed to other albums, I wanted to string some of the songs together with concepts. SFTA isn't necessarily a concept album, but a few songs play into each other. For example, “Decontamination” represents the earth cleansing itself while “Gutsplit” represents the dead rising to finish off those who survived.

WC: Are any of you guys involved in other bands or projects or is MBZ the only focus for you?

JD:  Yes actually! My plate is definitely full when it comes to music. During our downtime, I started a solo death metal project called LIQUIFIED DECOMPOSITION. I released an album titled "Real Fiction" in 2022. I have since added a few members and we have a 2nd album coming this April. I also have a 90's sounding grunge rock project with some old friends called EXPERIMENT SEVENTY NINE. Other projects I'm involved with include SULPHUR AND ROT, and SYMBIOTIC NECROTICISM. Greg is playing drums in an awesome thrash metal band called BURN THE AILMENT who are working on an album. Jason has a solo project called GORELAB, and he is in the process of putting some tunes together.

WC: In the last few years, the death metal scene has really taken off again and with new bands leading the way. Do you feel you’ve got more opportunity to reach people now than you did 10 or 15 years ago?

JD:  I believe so, especially with the help of our label, Redefining Darkness Records. They put our music in front of a wider audience than we could achieve on our own. Also, with this resurgence in death metal, there is absolutely a bigger market and fan base for the extreme genre.

WC: What are things looking like on the live front? I would think you’d be a good fit at Milwaukee Metalfest or Blades of Steel.

JD:  As of now we don't really have much lined up, although we are planning a local "release" show in Dubuque for this summer. I'm hoping that we can get back into the full swing of playing live and traveling for shows or fests!

WC:  Are there any bands from the Iowa area we should be looking for or is it pretty barren there?

JD:  Some of my favorite Iowa bands include, DREDGE, THE RISING PLAGUE, PIT LORD, FRONTAL ASSAULT, DRYAD, XENOSPAWN, TU’MERA, and TRAFFIC DEATH. 

WC: Any last words or messages for the fans?

JD: I would first like to thank you for having me! I also want to thank everyone who has continued to support us in this death metal journey. Cheers and beers!

MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES