Denial of Life delivers a “grim testament to rage and ruin” with their new EP, Witness the Power out now via Creator-Distructor Records. Vocalist Brenna sits down with us to pull back the curtain on the band’s basement-recorded sound, their Slayer-inspired aesthetic, and the intense, human emotions that drive their music, promising even more loud, explosive things to come.
Welcome to Brenna from Denial of Life
Hi Brenna, welcome to Femme Metal Webzine! How are you doing, and how’s life treating you these days?
Life’s been good! Just keeping busy with tour, teaching, and everything else.
For readers who might not yet be familiar with Denial of Life, could you tell us a bit about how the band came together?
The band came together in late 2019, Logan and I knew each other from Tacoma, and while we were working together in Seattle he approached me saying he liked how my voice sounded in the last band I was in.
He showed me a band called Sacrilege that he was finding a lot of inspiration from at the time, and I fell in love with them too. Then in our search for a drummer, Nicky (who we also knew from Tacoma) came along and was undeniably good at his craft. So we started writing together and never stopped.
The debut release of Denial of Life
On the 7th September was released by Creator-Distructor Records the EP Witness the Power. What can you share about its general production?
We recorded it in my dad’s basement. We got to spend around 3 months cramped in my dad’s old office, using his state-of-the-art DIY recording studio that I used to play in as a kid. Luckily, our friend Jaison Brooks was recording it so we were just having a good time the whole time.
The EP is stated to be “a grim testament to rage and ruin”. What does that statement suggest about its tone, themes, and emotional impact?
A lot of our songs talk about life’s darkest moments. Rage, ruin, sadness, and heartbreak are some major themes. But mostly it’s all about being human. And being human can be grim.
The cover artwork of “Witness the Power”
The cover artwork by Stein Hansen speaks volumes on its own, but I’d love to hear more about the decision behind it. What inspired you to choose that particular image, and how does it connect to the album’s lyrical themes?
Honestly, I think we chose it because we all thought it looked cool. Slayer influenced, and still our own. Really reflects our stage props as well.
The new single
Recently, Denial of Life has released one single — “Circle the Drain.” First, I want to compliment you on your artistry. Secondly, could you share some behind-the-scenes details about the filming of music videos?
Thank you!! We filmed it at a location where we had recently played a local fest, called “Bleak Outlook” hosted by local legend Brian Skiffington. It’s a machine shop, owned by the family of some good friends of ours, called Ally Machine. It was super fun to film, specifically Brian’s clips jamming outside. Lots of random people who were watching, laughing, and pissing next to him.
Next plans for Denial of Life
What’s next for Denial of Life? Are there any plans for a tour or other upcoming projects you can share with us?
We’ll be headed on the road for a west coast run with our good friends in Shai Hulud starting on Nov 5th! After that, we will be releasing our upcoming album November 7th. Lots more rocking to be had for the foreseeable future.
Thank you so much, Brenna, for taking the time to chat with us! Do you have any final thoughts or messages you’d like to share with our readers and your fans?
If you thought we were loud onstage, wait till you hear what we did in the studio. Keep your ear to the ground, you’ll hear us coming. Thanks for standing with us on the edge.