Infected Brain

Present yourself to the readers

Arsenic Addiction is based out of Salt Lake City, UT - USA. The band formed in 2006 and we’ve been putting our spin on Gothic Metal ever since. We aim to combine the dark with the beautiful within our music, and try to reflect that with our live show as well.

What’s the story behind XIX ?

XIX is the story of an outsider, those who dare to be different, strange, or unusual and are made out to be monsters, demons, or witches because of it. It’s the journey of the human soul from a feminine perspective experiencing love, hate, finding inner power, and making deals with the devil to conquer those who would stand in the way of that power.

Who composes ?...How does it work in the band ?

Each member composes their own instruments in tandem with input from the rest of the band on the structure/concept of each song as a whole. We value input from each member as we do not all share the same influences or writing style which creates a more interesting or different sound vs having just one or two composers.

Who writes the texts ?..What are they talking about ?..How does inspiration come ?

Our vocalist writes all of the lyrics. It’s difficult to explain what exactly the lyrics are about without writing a novel as the inspiration for those lyrics comes from a lifetime of personal experiences. If we had to sum the lyrics up in a few words they’d be ‘love, loss, witchcraft, death, revenge, betrayal, moon worship, healing, as above, so below, nature, the divine feminine, and magick.’

Why the name ARSENIC ADDICTION ?

When the band first formed our interest in the 19th century was meant to cross over into our music, live show, and stage attire. At first we played in band t-shirts and jeans like most metal bands, but eventually our dream of Victorian mourning garb and a cheeky vaudeville like stage show became reality. Arsenic was an ingredient in many beauty products, fashionable fabrics, and medicines in the 1800’s. The name itself was meant to be more of a metaphor for being addicted to something deadly or achieving gratification no matter the cost. As our music became more personal and less theater, so did our image. The Arsenic Addiction you will know today is the most raw, true, and intimate we have ever been. We chose not to change our name as we felt we had spent too many years known as ‘Arsenic Addiction’ and a name change at this point just doesn’t make sense, plus it reflects our roots as a band.

What are your personal musical tastes and your influences ?

Our personal musical tastes and influences vary per member but that variation creates a rather unique approach to our brand of ‘Gothic Metal’. As far as the influences that come through in our sound we’d say they’d have to be Swedish Metal, Symphonic Metal, Rock, Gothic metal, Doom, and Atmospheric. Some bands we listened to while creating this album include Behemoth, Chelsea Wolfe, Blut Aus Nord, Opeth, Ghost, Batushka, Rotting Christ, Heilung, Alcest, Hypocrisy, Cradle of Filth, and more.

What's your best live memory ? And why ?

We’d have to say our best live memory is opening for Behemoth and Lamb of God at ‘The Complex’ in Salt Lake City, UT. It was amazing to be able to meet and share the stage with some musicians we have looked up to or that have influenced our music today.

In studio, what was the atmosphere for your new album ?...etc.…

It was a very positive, constructive, and open atmosphere which was comforting because there were so many new things going into this album, new members, new studio, and new sound. We took our time on this album and tried to keep the environment as relaxing as possible. It had been a few years since we had put out an album and with our new direction we wanted to make sure we gave ourselves the time and opportunity to create the exact album we wanted. Working with our Engineer and Producer Randy Beasterfield of Beast Recordings was amazing. It was incredible to be able to bounce ideas off someone outside of the band who could give back constructive and creative critique and had the knowledge to achieve the sound we were looking for.

How does it work for the great design of the CD ? and why this title ?

After the recording and mixing final of the studio we sent out our album to ‘Fascination Street Studios’ to be mastered by Tony Lindgren. We commissioned Dylan Garrett Smith to create the album artwork as we had followed his art on instagram and felt his style conveyed the feel we wanted for the album, and Alan Penn-Berkeley then did the layout and design. The title for this album is ‘XIX’ simply because it marks the completion of a long journey. ‘XIX’ or 2019 is the year we completed the album and is also the 13 year anniversary of Arsenic Addiction. The album was released on the Fall Equinox to amplify the new beginnings of Arsenic Addiction and the death of the old.

With Management and booking, how do you work ? And with whom ?

We are currently independent and run management and booking from the band members directly.

What are your projects ?

We are working on physical distribution of the album, Vinyls, new t-shirt designs, and hopefully a music video or two come early next year. We are also working on new music and have some current unreleased music that didn’t make this albums cut.

What do you expect from the future ?

We don’t have any expectations for the future other than to continue to create new music, new videos, and new ways to express what Arsenic Addiction is. Our music is a labor of love, our hearts, and our soul. Although we’d love tour the world someday, we are currently creating for the sake of creation. Of course we’d love the opportunity for much more, but the future is uncertain so who knows what the future could hold.

What's your motto ?

Music resembles life, and such as life no one influence shapes who we are today, and who we will be tomorrow.

Website to remember

http://doseofarsenic.com

What would you like to say to the readers ?

We are so proud of this album, please give it a listen and give us your opinion whether you like it or not. Because of the digital age, music and art are so easily accessible that we no longer value the time and effort someone has put into their passions. Music and art fans thank you for continuing to seek out new music and art and appreciating the blood, sweat, and tears. Musicians and Artists, please continue to make music and art because you want to. It doesn’t matter if anyone likes it, it doesn’t matter if you’ll ever be famous or ‘go big’. Create it because you love it, because it’s part of your soul. You make the world a more interesting and beautiful place.