TMR: Organectomy guitarist Sam Mcroberts Interview

Thanks man! Yeah it was a very stretched out process making that one. Not having any deadlines or contracts to fulfill meant we could really tick away at it at our own pace. DOTW was the epitome of everything Organectomy was up until that point and to tell you the truth we didn’t expect the band to continue beyond that point, but we are certainly very thankful that it has!

Getting to re-release your debut album on a record label must have been awesome. I remember you guys looking for a label. How are you finding working with Unique Leader?

Unique Leader have been absolutely fantastic to work with from the get go. Very professional team yet very easy going, relatable dudes who are just as passionate about music and the industry as we are. We ‘re extremely honored to be on their roster among such amazing bands, many of which we looked up to as teenagers growing up.

What, in your opinion makes “Existential Disconnect” different than your debut album?

The whole idea for this sophomore album was to be much more hard-hitting, ferocious, fast, intense, no bull-shit brutal death metal from start to finish. We definitely feel we have achieved that and have hopefully done so without fatiguing our listeners by breaking it up with a few less intense melodic sections here and there. Also having real drums haha.

Organectomy is a great up and coming band. Having a legendary vocalist Matti Way stamp his seal of approval on a song must be exhilarating!

Bands like Disgorge and Abominable Putridity are literally the reason we started this band so having Matti being so supportive of us is nothing short of a dream come true let alone having him feature on one of our tracks!

What’s your favorite track from “Existential Disconnect”?

Man, to be honest it changes all the time, right now i’d have to say probably ‘The Agony of Godhood’. Mainly because it’s a solid mix of all the sub-genres we try to infuse into our sound and not to mention very fun to play on guitar.

How has Levi been working out for you guys on drums?

Having Levi in the band has been truly amazing on every level. He brings the perfect balance of skill, dedication and party that was very much needed. He’s an absolute freak of nature on the kit and that has been very motivating for the rest of us to step up our game.

Has the change in lineup with Matt also taking the reins from Ashton on guitar effected your guys writing in any way?

We are yet to begin anymore writing as a band, so time will tell! The album was already written when Matt jumped on board.

Having already played in bands with Matt Previously, do you find that that has helped with bringing him into the fold at such a momentous time for the band?

Yeah man, Matt and I have always gelled together really well as guitarists so it was a no brainer getting him on board really. I’m looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table writing wise and what becomes of it!

It’s no secret you guys love Abominable Putridity. Name your single favorite track and only one!

It’s not often I listen to single tracks, you’ve gotta blast the full album! I guess I’d have to say ‘The Last Communion’ though since we did used to cover it at our live shows.

What lineup would you love to tour with?

Uhhh let me think… Devourment, Devourment and uhhh Analepsy? Haha honestly dude there are countless bands we are dying to tour with. Definitely excited for what the future holds!

10. Any plans for more overseas tours after Bloodletting is done and dusted?

Yeah we’re trying to lock something down in Europe at the moment but that might not be till mid next year at this stage. We definitely want to head back over to Australia before the end of the year though!

What was the first concert you ever attended?

I think it was Guns ‘n’ Roses haha first metal show I attended (other than the locals bands I went to school with eg. Plague of the Fallen and Rectophagia) was 8 Foot Sativa I believe! Would’ve been right after I started high school. Good times.

 Favorite show you saw? And favorite show you were a part of?

Possibly either Cattle Decapitation or Archspire. Cattle had the craziest energy and sound, it was so sick. Archspire were just so on point with their professionalism and skills, it was extremely inspiring.

I couldn’t pick a favorite show I’ve been a part of, I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of some insanely awesome shows. One that does always stick out for me is when we headlined the Sunday at Satanfest in 2017. We really weren’t expecting much being a Sunday but the energy in the crowd was just absolutely crazy and ended up being one of the most fun shows we’ve done. I also vividly remember playing our last song and the venue owner jumping up on stage and telling me that there had been a couple of concussions and my girlfriend at the time had broken her arm and we should probably wrap it up so I can take her to the hospital…

What influenced your band name?

Haha we always get comments like “ooh look, another ‘ectomy’ band, how original” but believe it or not back in 2010 when Tyler formed the band, the only ‘ectomy’ band we’d heard of at the time was Vulvectomy so we really did think it was original. The story goes, after Tyler had decided he wanted his one man slam project ‘Scat Hammer’ to be a full band, he decided to change the name too and being 14/15 he didn’t think his Mum would approve of ‘Cuntectomy’ so he came up with ‘Organectomy’ and here we are hahaha.

How did Organectomy begin?

Like I said, Tyler decided he wanted to make grotesque noises in front of a band so he found Jae and Hayden, our original drummer and bassist at the local all ages venue then approached me about playing guitar (we were already friends at school) then we just started jamming. We were just 4 dudes who all agreed that Slam was the heaviest genre in existence and we needed to be playing it.

What is your favorite NZ band that you would love to take with you around the world?

Haha I could never pick any one band sorry dude, there are so many amazing bands around the country right now and we’d love to tour with all of them eventually. There are definitely a few to watch out for who I suspect will be making big moves over the next few years too.

Having listened to the new album I can already tell it holds up against the first album, and building upon the songwriting, are there any lyrical themes that have carried across the albums or are they their own entire entities?

They are most definitely their own entities especially with both being concept albums. Alex took the lead with coming up with this concept and it goes very deep but i’ll sum it up as best I can:
“A man has become so disconnected from humanity and has tried everything to feel. So in the end he constructs a machine to obliterate himself into pure energy so that he can transcend to godhood.
Upon doing so realizes how bad of an idea it is that a human becomes a god.

After a fit of rage, suffering, and after failing to fix a load of problems on different planets a pantheon of real gods turn up and strip him of all his power and force him between the membranes of all of the multiverses, where he is to watch every possible event ever to happen for the rest of eternity.”

Seeing you guys open for Cattle Decapitation was an absolutely killer affair, how stoked was everyone about that?

Amazing like I said one of the best shows/tours we’ve done. Such cool dudes too, would love to play with them again!

With all of the international bands you have played with, what would you say is the biggest lesson you have taken away from watching them play?

Practice more often and upgrade your gear haha. The top dogs of the metal industry are so tight and professional these days and are running absolutely insane rigs so yeah that’s definitely what I took from playing with these guys. Practice everyday and get yourself a professional rig if you want to be treated as a professional.