Malefic Throne Interview With Gene Palubicki

“Malefic Throne is not a project built on hype or nostalgia, but on decades of shared history within the U.S. extreme-metal underground. Formed by Gene Palubicki (Angelcorpse, Perdition Temple), Steve Tucker (Morbid Angel), and John Longstreth (Origin), the band channels the violent spirit of the Florida death-metal tradition into something focused, disciplined, and mercilessly sharp. Following their striking self-titled EP, Malefic Throne have unleashed their debut full-length, The Conquering Darkness. For Extreminal Magazine, Gene Palubicki speaks about songwriting, recording, and the creative mechanics behind this uncompromising new entity.”

Longstreth mentioned that your connection with Steve goes back to the mid-’90s Morrisound era. How did those early encounters shape what became the Malefic Throne?

At the time of ANGELCORPSE recording/mixing of the “Exterminate” album for John and me. It was the latter part of 1997. MORBID ANGEL was also at the Morrisound Studio at the same time (there were 2 studio rooms at the facility). I think we all clicked as people/musicians because it was a bit of a formative time for the 3 of us. ANGELCORPSE was certainly levelling up from our previous album, “Hammer of Gods” from the year before, and Steve was recording what was going to be his debut with the MORBID ANGEL band. Over the years, contact was relatively maintained between us all. Flash forward to the COVID-19 lockdowns here in the USA(and everywhere), everyone in bands was not able to tour, or do really anything aside from hibernate and write new stuff. I took full advantage of that and dug deep into writing new material. I relatively quickly gathered together what were to be songs for the subsequently released 2022 PERDITION TEMPLE expanded mini album, “Merciless Upheaval”, and the latest one now released, entitled “Malign Apotheosis”. At some point among all that, an online chat somewhere in 2020-2021(?) got us on the idea of putting something together with the three of us. In a similar way to our first meeting, approaching MALEFIC THRONE was a sort of new ground zero for the three of us, again like back in 1997. I think that created an urgency to our motivations going into this. We all agreed to go ahead and make a first batch of songs to make a demo. That recording eventually appeared, released through HELLS HEADBANGERS RECORDS in 2022 as the MALEFIC THRONE “self-titled” mini album.

What made 2020 the moment when this long-standing idea finally turned into a real band?

As I mentioned, having the downtime from activity with all of our other bands opened the gates for this to burst out.

How do Malefic Throne songs usually start for you — riffs, full structures, or just a certain atmosphere?

I usually write one song at a time for the most part. I create a general idea of what the flow of a song I want is, and then design the riffs and structure for it. It is really the same method I use for any of my current or past bands. With MALEFIC THRONE being a new project, it enabled me to widen my range of expressed influences. Influences that might never have been so prominent in my other bands, so much. There was no history yet for MALEFIC THRONE. So everything we would do, and that I could write, would become the ground zero foundation for this band to build upon. It is exciting to be able to evolve entirely from nothing, a new work that has no set legacy to (somewhat) adhere to.

The band has its own identity despite your strong histories. What decisions helped you avoid sounding like a “supergroup mix”?

Many times, when these “supergroups” come together. It is almost always some “phoned-in” quick cash grab attempt. Typically resulting in some sort of badly produced commercial-oriented music. Thinking that, because of the names involved, whatever drivel they can conjure up will get swallowed by their respective members’ fans. The three of us have no interest or care about breaking into the “pop” metal world. We approached all of the MALEFIC THRONE music just as any of us would one of our other long-running bands. And with the added urgency of making something that would both complement and expand beyond our known individual histories, I think we managed quite well to make something that fans of ours can grab on to, and also feel the differences that have been evoked within the framework of MALEFIC THRONE.

When writing, do you think about Steve’s vocal style and John’s drumming, or do you let them interpret your ideas freely?

Neither. I know what they sound like. When writing the music, I think entirely of the “story” of the patterns/riffs, and the “story” of the arrangement of the structure of the song. I made zero specific notes on what they should do with their parts. I made no dictation on where vocal lines should land, or where there should be certain types of drum beats/etc. I think doing it all like that has enabled these songs to truly evolve as artistic work, with all three of our inputs creating the final results.

How much rehearsal happens before recording? Do you prefer a tight, prepared approach or capturing raw energy in the studio?

We all live 1,000 miles or more apart. The entire writing/recording/etc was all done through file sharing. Rehearsals will eventually occur when preparations for live assaults are arranged for the near future.

What did Colin Marston bring to the recording process that you hadn’t experienced in your past projects?

Colin approached the entire recording to be as organic as possible. Most of John’s drum tracks are nearly single takes, with only the most minor fixes. You can hear the sort of frantic “almost about to fly apart” feeling that some of the really wild, aggressive parts express. This music should have that sort of energy captured in the studio recordings. I gave very little direction to Colin about mixing my guitar sound. I created a sound for the album that I was satisfied with, and I advised him to EQ the sound as needed for the mix. I absolutely did not want to use any “plug-ins” for a guitar sound, or “re-amping”. So many people use that as an easy way to make mixes, and ultimately, all sound the same as every other band that uses that sort of technology. Colin was very easy to work with regarding all of this.

Did you have a clear production vision before entering The Thousand Caves, or did the album’s character develop during tracking?

I might have made some comments that I wanted the album to have the sort of urgent sound of maybe death metal albums from around the 1990-1992 era. I think the album’s character was evoked in the writing, and brought into hideous existence through the great mix/mastering of the final product!

How has your riff-writing approach evolved over the years, and what remains the same?

As my knowledge of music has increased over the decades, I manage to be able to bend rhythmic and harmonic elements to my will more fluently. And as my range of influences has increased over many years, I draw from a massive palette of ideas and sounds that I bombard myself with daily. The type of energies I want to evoke with the music are essentially the same as when I was a young teenager imagining metal music of chaos. The only appreciable change over the decades is more mastery (at least I think) over conducting the maelstrom of it all.

Malefic Throne’s sound is fast but controlled. How do you balance chaos and precision in both writing and arrangement?

Ha! It is not the sort of riffs/songs/arrangements that most can do very early in their beginnings. Years of trial and error enable you to get your mind around the chaotic sounds and how to manipulate them to your designs. Learning the interplay of the instruments and vocals/etc is a big part of making the totality of the atmosphere come together. All of it takes time to develop as a musician. I think we came out all guns blazing on this debut full-length. This album probably has two times the riffs as most death metal albums, and you can still make sense of it all. Nothing is there that should not be.

Do lyrics influence the music, or do they come after the songs already suggest their own direction?

Steve wrote all of his lyrics and subject matter after the musical arrangements were already completed.

Why were “The Voice of My Ghost” and “Athirst for Dissonance” chosen as the first songs to represent the new album?

“The Voice of my Ghost” seemed like the sort of immediate aggression we wanted to be revealed as the first preview. “Athirst for Dissonance” mixes things up a bit more and even has some more bleak churning atmospheric moments, too. Both together give an accurate glimpse into what the full album has going on.

Covering Sodom’s “Nuclear Winter” on the EP fits the band’s aesthetic perfectly. What does that song mean to you?

That song to me is as classic as “Angel of Death” or “Pleasure to Kill”. It only took a few heartbeats to decide on doing that one!

During the making of The Conquering Darkness, was there a moment where the collaboration between you three shifted a song in an unexpected way?

Not too much. There were a few spots on a couple of riffs that, once I heard John’s drum patterns, influenced me to slightly modify the accent or picking patterns. Sort of thing that would be done if we were in a band room, banging out the song, finding the right feel for them. We are all professional enough to work things like that out independently, being we all live in separate states here in the USA.

With everyone involved in major bands, how do you keep Malefic Throne active and progressing rather than occasionally?

For me, MALEFIC THRONE is taken as seriously as any of my other bands’ works I’m involved with. Sure, due to commitments with our other bands, there may be limited live activity in the time being that we can participate in, but time will reveal all!

Looking ahead, do you see Malefic Throne expanding creatively, or is the goal to stay focused on pure, sharp, uncompromising extremity?

The foundation is set for us to build on for the future with the songs on this debut full-length. Musical/Lyrical elements that have been seeded here on this record will see greater evolution, and of course, new elements added with successive releases are something I’ve always tried to do with any of my works. And anyone who has known at least my own stuff over the years will know there is always going to be my most violent musical aggression I am capable of!

Are you going to be a touring band? Have you ever had discussions or made plans about gigs or tours after the release of The Conquering Darkness?

I think to start, we will likely try to get on to some festival spots in the coming year. We will plan carefully to see what more expanded live activity is possible, of course. Time will reveal all our conspiracies!

Gene, I am personally very appreciative to have a conversation with you again about your killer music and this new beast called Malefic Throne. What would you like to say to the underground metal music maniacs to finish this interview?

It has always been an honour for me to continue to create this most aggressive form of music, and that it has any continued relevance over the decades! I am one of those people who will not have some new work underway. When I eventually die, I will be one of those people who has some unfinished work on the table. I would have it no other way.