We’re continuing to march forward with these Profiles (we’re almost caught up!), and this time we’re spotlighting a recent release that I’ve really taken to. Back on August 22nd, Madison, Wisconsin-based atmospheric post-black metal project Corridoré released their latest full-length, Abandon, through Hypaethral Records. An appropriately-titled collection. Corridoré have woven together multiple styles to create something that is just as contrasting and tense in sound as the emotions it drives. Structurally it comes in waves, offering just enough space to breath and refocus amidst all of its intensity. For me, Abandon is complex in a way that’s hard not to get lost in… But that’s enough of what I think. Read the responses to our questions below to familiarize a little further, and as always the Bandcamp embed is waiting for you as well.

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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?

Matt and Eric played in an indie band, The Selfish Gene, with a decent-sized local/regional following but when the band broke up, they drifted apart with family and life stuff getting in the way. When they reconnected a couple years later, Eric introduced Matt to the awesome new Pallbearer album, “Foundations of Burden”, and a few other bands like Inter Arma and Deafheaven. From there, they got super into metal and got to the point where they were rehearsing to start a metal band that would eventually become Corridoré. They’ve admitted that at some of their first writing sessions, they were Googling “how to write black metal.” lol

Drummer Nick grew up playing metal – lots of blast beats and technical shit. Russell came up in the punk scene but gravitated more and more towards metal and especially the intersection of black metal and other genres.

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

We usually say atmospheric black metal, but yeah, normies will absolutely still glaze over at that. It’s metal, but not Metallica; post-rock but not Explosions In The Sky; shoegaze but not MBV. (And there’s lots of blast beats, tremolo picking and screaming.) We don’t really fit in perfectly anywhere, which we view as both a challenge and a strength.

Is there anything about your latest album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

We rehearsed for three months, twice a week, 3-4 hours sessions to get ready for this recording. Basic tracks were recorded all in the same room in one day. The rest of it took years.

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

We played a place in Mankato, Minnesota. It was ostensibly a coffee shop but they didn’t have coffee. One side was a “venue” or at least a music room. The other side was retail? Maybe? It looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic horror movie where the heroes go into a store that has been ransacked – empty shelves, racks tipped over on the floor, trash scattered about. And there was a room way in the back with a red light dimly shining. We did not explore further. Back stage was packed with piles of surplus computers that the sound person, Alastair (yes that was really his name), had bought at auction and was trying to figure out what to do with. There was also an inordinate amount of folk art made from shrimp tails glued to paper (yes you read that right). The only audience seemed to be an inbred-hillbilly family and a couple of mangy, malnourished dogs who wandered about aimlessly. A chubby kid with no shirt clumsily danced and whirled while we played and sometimes worked himself into a frenzy that his mother had to diffuse. “Old Man” Alastair (as we came to call him) sat hunched, like a meth wizard, over the mixing desk attempting to conjure something resembling decent sound. We played three songs and left before we got our throats slit.

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?

There are so many shitty bands who think they’re superstars. But there are also many many great, humble bands who fly under the radar and keep the scene vibrant and alive. We don’t really feel a strong kinship with a lot of local bands, especially metal bands, but there are some really cool local metal-adjacent bands that we admire: Luxury Problems, The Central, Wasabi Neon, Insula Iscariot, and Searchlights. There are some cool new venues opening up but the Madison scene is dominated by big national booking and promotion companies that prioritize boring indie-rock and garage punk bands.

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?

We talk about politics at almost every band practice (when we’re not talking about baseball, Pokémon, yacht rock, socks, horror movies, and sharing stupid memes). We are all dismayed at the authoritarian takeover of our country and the growing demonization of historically marginalized communities. Also, fuck fascism.

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

Yep. Boring day jobs that aren’t worth mentioning here.

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?

Actually listen to the music. That would be a start! lol Try to understand where the music is coming from rather than just making lazy comparisons or surface-level observations.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

More records. More touring. Keep pushing ourselves musically and stay true to DIY and the underground.

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

Russell: FACS, Deafheaven, krautrock
Eric: Agriculture, Chat Pile, Blood Incantation
Matt: Ryan Davis, Have A Nice Life, Cameron Winter, Jeff Parker, Nala Sinephro
Nick: Svalbard, Thrown, Christopher Cross

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

We’re playing some record-release shows around the Midwest and eyeing an east-coast tour in the fall/winter. Since Hypaethral is based in Toronto, we’re also hoping to do some shows in Canada, eh?

Summarize your band in one word.

Emotional.

Many thanks to Corridoré for the time!

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Abandon is out now through Hypaethral Records. For more information on Corridoré, give them a follow on Facebook or Instagram.