An Interview With the Illinois Metal Band, DEMATERIALIZE!

Meet the Illinois metal band, Dematerialize!

On September 18th, via Famined Records, they released their breakout album, “Omniscience.” Combining elements of metalcore, deathcore and Djent, Dematerialize have honed a pummelling and tenacious assault on the senses, relentless chugs and soaring melodies gripping fans of metalcore across the nation, taking influence from the likes of ERRA and Chelsea Grin. Despite having only one EP in the books, Dematerialize have surpassed 250K streams on Spotify, with their atmospheric and mesmerizingly instrumental showcase, underpinning Stephen Jinga’s gripping lead vocal. These guys are currently spinning on Spotify’s New Metal Tracks as well as Got Djent? playlists.

Connect with Dematerialize Online Here- Facebook and listen to their music on Spotify

Learn more about Dematerialize in the following All Access interview-

How has this pandemic changed your day to day lives? Is your city in starting to open up more now? Have you been able to get out and work on your music much?

Aside from cancelling travel plans and working/taking classes from home, the pandemic hasn’t affected us too much. We all live in different states so reopening plans have varied but we’re playing it safe and staying at home as much as possible. We’ve been doing a ton of writing while in quarantine to try and take advantage of the extra down time.

Do you feel like social media has become even more important these days? How are you trying to stay connected to your fans?

For us social media has been our only way to share our music with others, so pretty much nothing has changed. To stay connected we’ve taken some time to do live covers of our songs and music that has influenced us. We’ve also been releasing a single a month recently to keep giving our fans a steady stream of new music.

Where did your band name originally come from? What was it like coming up with it? Was it hard to find 1 name that you could all agree on?

Craig and Stephen sifted through a box of Magic: The Gathering cards until we found one with a cool name. The process was surprisingly easy, we all agreed instantly!

Let’s talk about your forthcoming album “Omniscience.” What was it like putting this collection together? Did anything surprise you about the overall process of making it?

Working on “Omniscience” was a great collaborative experience for us. At the time we were living closer to each other so it was way easier to meet up in person to write together instead of trading files in Dropbox. The biggest surprise was how natural our shift in sound came together, we knew we wanted to add some new elements to our usual heaviness but it really felt like it came together exactly how it was supposed to. We also worked with a producer (Cory Brunnemann) for the first time who really pushed us and took our songs to the next level!

How do you think your already released track, “Transcendence” prepares listeners for the rest of your debut album? What was the inspiration for this song? Was the video before quarantine officially hit?

“Transcendence” really emphasizes the melodic, atmospheric elements we tried to incorporate into the heavy, “weird” stuff we were already doing. The song also featured some clean vocals at the end which introduces listeners to the new singing we were starting to incorporate. The video had actually been shot a year before we released it so luckily the pandemic didn’t affect our plans much.

How did you go about deciding to be part of Famined Records? Why are they the right place for you and your music today?

Craig’s other project, Speaking With Ghosts, started on Famined so the choice was easy! Famined is the right place for us currently because Chelsea (Famined’s owner), puts a TON of effort into the bands she signs. It feels like she’s part of the team, and we’re thankful for that.

Since we are all desperately missing live music, what has been a favorite show of yours from the past and a favorite show that you attended? What about some of your favorite venues from around the world?

Stephen: My personal favorite show was seeing Chelsea Grin in 2012 after the release of the “Evolve” EP, which is my favorite Deathcore release to date. I saw this at Mojoe’s in Joliet, IL with Craig actually. Unfortunately this venue is no longer around but it has a special place in my heart seeing a lot of my favorite bands for the first time there.

Jeremy: I’ve always loved attending Warped Tour, I was in 6th grade when I went to my first one and it left a huge impression on me. I’m from the Bay Area and have seen a ton of shows at some legendary San Francisco venues, my favorite being Slims (RIP).

Have you started rescheduling shows for 2021 yet?

Not yet. We’re taking the current state of the world as time to focus heavily on writing more material while we release this current project, Omniscience. We want to hit 2021 with even more music to share with those who support us. The grind never stops!

How have you been affected this incredibly necessary and overdue Black Lives Matter movement? How do you think it will affect future music?

I think we’re long overdue for some serious change in the world right now, and I find it humbling and inspiring to watch the BLM movement really gain momentum and put in the work to fight for the change we need. I’ve always been inspired by bands that use their music and platform to address political and societal issues and I hope what we’re seeing today inspires artists to take a stand for what’s right in their music.

If you could get into the studio with absolutely any artist today, who would it be and why them? What artists have continued to inspire you and the kind of music that you make?

Jesse Cash, singer/guitarist of Erra is definitely number 1 on the list for me (Craig). He’s the reason I started making music to begin with. About 10 years ago now, Jesse’s former bassist, Adam, was getting fed up with people asking him why he’s pursuing music if the band (at the time) was making so little money. And in response Jesse said something to the effect of “not pursuing the things you’re passionate about makes you a coward, and you’re not a coward. Tell them that”’. And ever since then I’ve felt compelled to write and release music year round. So, getting a chance to create with Jesse would be beyond sick.

Would you like to share anything else about this band or your upcoming new music with our readers?

Dematerialize is just a bunch of dudes who love writing and sharing music. If you listen to our band, we appreciate you and have tons of cool stuff in the works for everyone. Oh, and OMNISCIENCE came out on 9/18!!