Seemingly dropping out of the sky with a fully-formed old school death metal sound, London's Cult Burial are releasing their debut album (s/t) on November 6th, 2020. The nine tracks examine introspective themes through an abrasive aural assault that alternates with moments of touching, doom-inspired melody.
Guitarist and composer Simon Langford got introspective with Metalhead Money (but luckily not abrasive) in this interview. Check out his thoughts on Music and Money!
Tell our readers all about your band! Where are you from and when did you get started? What is your music like?
Cult Burial is a studio project that started in early 2020, when I drunkenly bought a baritone guitar. I made a couple of tracks and released a 2-track EP called ‘Sorrow.' Four months later there was a full album, which is out on 6 November 2020. The sound is mostly death metal focused, but with elements of black, doom, and post metal.
What are your goals for your band?
To make music I’d like to listen to. Not more than that.
What do you do for a living?
It’s a secret.
How do you balance your work and personal life with the band?
It’s hard - I have a job and a wife and when you’re in a band you’re often writer of music, sound engineer, producer, mix engineer, mastering engineer, marketing person, website builder, and social media planner. I usually spend one day at the weekend as a music writing day, and a couple of nights a week to do band admin stuff…. Works so far, but obviously I’d like to just spend all my time making new music and mixing tracks -- but you know, bills to pay and all that....
What do you consider to be the best investment you've made, music-wise?
If it’s a DIY project and you’re making and engineering your own music, then I think the best investment (assuming you make some ok-sounding noise) is in some good PR and marketing. It's a competitive business and without some money to spend there it’s going to be hard to get noticed at all. Alternatively, wine and whisky are also good investments, and do wonders for the creative process.
What's the worst or least helpful thing you've ever spent money on as a musician/band?
Videos! Not in Cult Burial, but in other bands I’ve been in we’ve spent decent cash on videos and it’s a waste…. The most popular video I had was shot in a rehearsal space with an iphone and a good few hours messing about in iMovie. As a new band, if you’re spending more than $50 on a video, it’s money that will not be as wisely invested as it could be, in my opinion.
What kind of merch sells the best for your band? And what do you purchase most often as a music listener?
Vinyl seems to be popular. It’s a great thing to have to sell to your audience, but financially, it needs a big outlay, and typically the cost of 100 vinyl and 250 or even 500 units is largely the same...but it’s an awesome product to offer to fans of your band and holding a 12” album that you created does give you a great sense of achievement that digital never can.
If you've been on tour, can you share some tour budgeting tips?
Cult Burial is a studio project but my best budgeting advice from prior band experience: know when it’s time to go to sleep.
Which online music or social media platforms are most helpful to your band?
Bandcamp. Far and away the winner.
What does "making it" mean to you, and what do you think a band needs to make it in 2020?
Personally, it’s making music I am happy with. If you make metal music, it’s because you love metal music. As long as you love what you make, the rest will work itself out.
Listen to Simon's labor of love and connect with Cult Burial at the links below!
Order Money Hacks for Metalheads and Old Millennials in paperback and ebook formats: https://amzn.to/3lCsFdq
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