Switzerland isn't known for its nu metal/metalcore bands, with thrash bands such as Coroner or extreme acts Celtic Frost more prominent. But all that changed in 2018 when Chaoseum, a newcomer to the scene, announced their arrival with their debut album First Step To Hell. The album took the musical landscape by surprise, in the process helping Chaoseum secure a US tour supporting Soulfly, and things just snowballed from there.
Following a steady, yet upward trajectory, Chaoseum refined their sound on albums such as Second Life (2020) - which also welcomed new vocalist CK Smile - and The Third Eye (2022), constructing their music in such a way to incorporate more cinematic elements and soundscapes that have now become part of the band's signature sound. That evolution continued on their most recent album, Life 4 Sale, which was released this year on September 19. HEAVY recently sat down with CK Smile to find out more.
"This album has a completely different story," he measured, deliberating over speaking English, "more than the previous album, because I had to compose it completely alone. On the previous album, we were two composers, the ex-guitar player and I. When he quit the band, we had to find new members, and they had to learn every song from the previous album. It was huge work because we had to do some tours and many, many gigs so they didn't have time to form the composition, so I decided to do it alone. It's different, because I grew up in a nu metal era from 90s and early 2000s, and you can hear on this album it's a little bit simpler, but that's what I like. Plus, the lyrics are different too, because in the previous album, I was mixing part of a true story, mixing with something from my imagination for something more epic. This one is more real. More personal, and so that meant that it was hard for me to write that because I'm talking a lot about my past, and I have many episodes from my past that were very complicated to live. For some things, it's still a little bit complicated, but I deal with it."
In the full interview, CK talks more about the writing and creative process for Life 4 Sale and how it impacted the finished result. He spoke about the darker nature on the previous album, The Third Eye and if that flowed onto this record, plus opening up more in his lyrics and how doing so was a difficult process.
He spoke about the emotions and atmosphere present in Chaoseum's music and how difficult those features are to integrate into music, how Chaoseum have expanded their sound since he joined the band, how much growth the band have left in them musically and more.
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