It’s another Friday release day, friends! I don’t know what everyone has on their playlists today, but if Mother Of Graves doesn’t hold a spot, they should. The melodic death/doomers out of Indianapolis released a fresh dose of melancholy in the form of The Periapt Of Absence today, out through Profound Lore. Following up 2022’s Where The Shadows Adorn, their latest installment is another massive step forward for their product – advancing their distinct atmosphere further, one that’s packed with exhilarating hooks, soaring leads, and just the right blend of melody and raw intensity. It’s a treat. So, to ring in its release, the gang was kind enough to answer our Profile questions and introduce us to both the project and this release a little further. Enjoy!

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

When I was a kid I loved Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, and stuff like that. Whatever was on the radio or MTV. I’d really study the songs and pretend to perform them in my room. One day my uncle gave me a stack of bootleg cassette tapes from overseas. It was a mix of hard rock stuff that grabbed my attention. Then I got into skateboarding and discovered punk, hardcore, and thrash through that. I started banging on pots and pans and attempted to play guitar at a young age eventually starting a band with some friends before I even knew how to play guitar. From then on, I just soaked up as much heavy music as I could and basically never looked back. Never any pushback at all. My parents bought me my first electric guitar. Not sure they expected me to keep with it for decades. Mother of Graves started after one of my best friends passed away. I was grieving and writing some sad guitar parts. I asked some friends to help me finish those songs, and it just took off after that.

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

In simple terms, we play melodic death/doom metal. We are a bit further from the “brutal” or plodding side of the death doom and focus more on melody and emotional songs. More Peaceville 3 than Spectral Voice. All the songs are based on themes of loss, grief, love, sorrow, etc. We do use harsh vocals; however, Brandon’s lyrics are pretty intelligible as far as death metal vocalists go. As for the guitars, Ben and I are rarely playing the same thing instead opting to add layers, harmonies, leads, or atmosphere with different guitar parts.

Is there one (or more) thing about your latest / upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

Other than one song on the album, that we’ve played live a few times, we never played the songs together in a room as a band prior to making the album. They weren’t worked out together in the rehearsal room or anything like that in the way a lot of bands do it.

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

Nothing terribly funny, but I have some of the worst luck with gear, but mostly I am just kind of dumb when it comes to that stuff. Last festival we played, I had a fly in rig pedalboard setup that I was getting used to. Plugged into the backline amp and my delay pedal is just not working at all. I was freaking out because I really need that for our songs, and I’m thinking it got broken on the plane or something. Turns out, just minutes before we play, I finally realized that a knob had got turned one notch to the right which muted the pedal. I felt very embarrassed and dumb.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

Indianapolis’ metal scene has been on an upswing the last few years. We had some darker times around here years ago, but now we have bands like Obscene, Flesher, Apostle of Solitude, Graveripper, Atavistic Decay, Veilcaste, and a bunch more doing really cool things. We have a few venues doing awesome things, but Black Circle is kind of the hub for metal in Indy these days. Seeing these bands, that are local to me, make killer records, get well deserved recognition, and do things on a larger scale than just local band stuff is so great to see. Personally, I love the support that our band, and others, get locally and online from the metal community. It is amazing to hang out online with people from all over the world and get introduced to new music. Much easier than the days of tape trading. As far as the worst things happening, I don’t know… I try to stay away from the negativity and focus on trying to make a positive impact to the metal community to the best of my ability. I do not see the point of talking shit about music I don’t vibe with. I just choose to move on. I guess I’d say that I hate to see venues closing and general toxicity.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

As a band we don’t insert any issues, as such, into our music. The songs are deeply personal and not really a means to push for a cause or agenda, etc.

Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

Yea we all do have day jobs, but nothing interesting enough to talk about. Well maybe except for Corey. He is a fantastic tattoo artist, and everyone should check out his work. As far as hobbies, I know we have some gamers in the band. Ben is into disc golf quite a bit. Personally, the band is my main hobby if you’d call it that, but I am also really into cooking BBQ. I used to have a BBQ food truck and catering business called Black Metal BBQ and compete in KCBS BBQ competitions. I just cook for friends and family these days though.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

The music critics that I enjoy reading, and working with, the most are those that do their homework and have a deep knowledge of the genres they write about. They are able to balance objectivity with subjectivity. They are true to themselves and not jumping on a hype train or regurgitating stuff from a press release and have a true passion for music. If you’re reviewing my album, I just want an honest review. If its not your thing, that is fine but at least describe the work well enough so someone who may have different tastes could come to their own conclusion. As far as media outlets and blogs, I absolutely love it when they cover bands beyond the ones on larger labels or those selling the most albums. I get stoked when I see coverage of lesser known, but awesome, bands next to the bigger bands.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

We just want to continue to make albums that mean something special to us and resonate with others. That is the goal. Everything else that happens is a bonus. Getting messages from fans telling us that our music helped them through hard times, and stuff like that, is a totally wild and amazing feeling.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

When I am in writing/recording mode with our own stuff I pretty much tune out and don’t listen to much music, but since we’ve finished our album I’ve been playing catch up and listening to a TON of stuff! Lately it has been Gatecreeper’s “Dark Superstition,” Void Witch, Spectral Wound, Obscene’s new one, Tribunal, and as I write this up it has been Dan Swanö’s “Moontower”. Also because of my daughter, a ton of Taylor Swift. Like a whole lot of Taylor Swift.

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

The biggest thing is that “The Periapt of Absence” is set to be released on 10/18/2024 via Profound Lore Records. We will be announcing some album release shows soon that include Indianapolis and Chicago dates. Check out motherofgraves.com or any of our social media for details on those. We have new merch on the way as well. Other than that we are starting to think about booking some short tours and festival appearances for 2025.

Summarize your band in one word.

Cathartic.

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Many thanks to Mother Of Graves for the time!

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The Periapt Of Absence is out through Profound Lore Records on October 18. For more on Mother Of Graves, head over to their website.