When The Tightrope asked Mutagenic Host to sum them up, the “violent reality death metal” band were quick to respond. And, wow, their music holds this up. With just a four-song demo, the band have exploded onto the UK metal scene, and are spreading their brutality around the country- like some sort of mutagen. The five-piece, made up of vocalist Ash Moore, bassist Dan Bulford, guitarists Jack Thompson and Sami Tuohino, and drummer George Kinsella-Pearne, quickly caught the radar of The Tightrope. As one of the most promising death metal bands on the rise at the minute, I travelled out to the Smokin’ Bones Club in Brighton to catch them open for Portrayal of Guilt, and talk all things death metal.
For those not familiar, death metal is one of the earliest metal genres, appearing as a result of thrash metal bands pushing the boundaries of music considered heavy. This eventually saw bands like Death (regarded as the first death metal band) and Possessed create a new niche for themselves, which grew in popularity enough to form its own genre.
The genre specialises in brutality, characterised by heavy-hitting blast-beats, downtuned, groove-driven riffs and guttural vocals. Lyrically, death metal bands are often comparable to eighties slasher films- full of shock-value style gore, violence and horror.
Death metal has a rich history, spanning from the late 1980’s to today- and the current surge of it is living proof that the genre is ever-growing in popularity.
However, death metal is a genre in which you often find bands that would rather replicate the widely accepted ‘sound’ of the genre, instead of branching out in their own creativity.
Mutagenic Host push the boundaries of death metal. Rather than playing to the genre’s conventions, they blend influences and genres. With this, they create their own unique and vicious brand of death metal that combines the rage that embodies hardcore, the raw desolation of black metal, and, of course, the savage nature of death metal.
This exciting fusion sparked from each members’ different backgrounds and love of different genres.
“Me and Dan are from the hardcore scene and we've known each other for years. We started a band called Downward Spiral, a melodic, downtuned, dark hardcore band.” says Ash.
“Me and George are also best pals, met in the hardcore scene as well, just going to shows. And then, I met Jack through a Death Metal Facebook group”
Jack chimes in, “It's true! It's sick, I was in America, and he was like, ‘who writes riffs in London?’ and I was like, ‘I guess I do’. And then I brought Sami in from one of our previous bands. He brings the black metal influence.”
Discussing influence, and the way Mutagenic Host draw theirs together so seamlessly, Tightrope was very interested to know who exactly had inspired them.
“We're not trying to pigeonhole ourselves too much. We kind of just love a lot of death metal. We write the music that we think sounds sick and what ideas stick.” Ash tells us.
“We all absorb a lot of nuances. Influences, for sure. Different strengths.” Jack expresses.
“We try to pull from a large spectrum. We usually ride what comes to us naturally, as opposed to trying to rip off things.That's the way it should be. Gotta take your influences and assimilate it into your vision.”
What is so obvious to me at The Tightrope is Mutagenic Host’s sheer passion. They love what they create, love other bands in the scene, love working with each other, and especially love death metal.
They use their influences, their creative backgrounds, and technical ability, and feed it all into this vision. Their creative vision is what drives them, and it is obvious Mutagenic Host are true artists of the genre. They have an admirable stance towards their art- not wanting to sound like other bands guarantees them originality and authenticity.
Oftentimes, starting a project with influences clear in your mind can cloud your vision and limit creative potential. You can become overly focused on wanting the project to sound a certain way, rather than letting it flow and embracing what works for you.
Mutagenic Host are five individuals that started a band with nothing but the intention of creating something. Something disgusting. Something heavy. Something real. They accomplished all that and more- it is understandable how the band garnered such a fantastic early reception from just four songs.
The Genotoxic Demo is Mutagenic Host’s debut, released in January 2023. It gained enough traction to earn them over twenty gigs in their first year (including a packed London headline show), a release on Dry Cough Records, the “home of UK death metal” (as coined by Ash), and opportunities to play with huge names in the death metal scene. The impact that this demo alone has had on the band is tremendous, and so exciting. If this is the reception four songs gets, how unstoppable will they be when an album is released?
“It's been one hell of a ride considering that we're a brand new band and we just put out a demo,”
says Ash. “Just from this demo, we've been able to play shows with the likes of Undeath from America, and we've played with Celestial Sanctuary, who are also our really great friends. Cruelty, as well. With a C, and with a K. Both Cruelty and Kruelty.”
The band’s success hugely comes from their musical synergy and personal connection as a band. They all recognise how well they fit together as a band, and know that their talents combined achieves their mutual vision perfectly.
“I've been in a lot of bands, but cohesion, learning from each other, and pushing each other is very special.” Jack tells us.
Dan completely agrees. “I think, definitely for me, this is the band that I've been in where everyone felt most on the same page and most pushed towards a common goal.”
Believe it or not, these factors are absolutely integral to writing good music. Forming a band is simple, but to find the right people to work with? Difficult.
Mutagenic Host have something amazing as a band that get on as well as they do; it is no wonder their music is so cohesive. Each member plays to each other’s strengths and there are certainly many to highlight within this band.
“One of our real standout points is George's drum playing. He's a great drummer, man. George is an excellent groove master with a real heavy style of playing.” Ash tells us.
George can agree: “When I play shows, I fucking hit super hard.”
In the world of riffing, Mutagenic Host excel at creating chunky, groove-driven progressions- and forged by a collaborative writing style and relentless grooves, each riff is heavier than the last.
“Oh yeah, we're all cavemen. The music we play is like caveman music, you know, but a lot goes into the minor details that's incorporated by the different guitar styles that they play amongst all three of them. We put being hard hitting in front of technicality, that's for sure. Their technical skill, between them, is high, but we play music for other people. We don't play to sound like we're great musicians.” Ash explains.
Technicality is an incredible skill, but for a band as vision-driven as Mutagenic Host, it is a fine tool to use when necessary. Between them, the band have enough technical skill to play any genre they want- but their choice to play death metal defines them. Even so, the band’s technical expertise shines through at any given moment. From thunderous double-bass work on the drums, to harmonies and lead guitar parts that convey a brutal might, all backed by groove-based rhythm guitar and bass.
These elements carry a perfect synergy with the drums, an expertise only demonstrated by the most adept of musicians. Anyone can write a riff, or a drum part, or a vocal melody, but it takes real affinity to write something that perfectly fits into place. Paired with Mutagenic Host’s ability to make everything they write come alive in their unique brutality, it creates a perfect blueprint for a formidable unit.
All the instrumental brutality needs something to hone in on, a target to direct the band’s pure furiosity. Ash, the vocalist, provides this excellently, through lyrics that explore a “violent reality”. While using gory and extreme imagery, Ash places his lyrical content in real-life suffering, to give a new level of meaning to a genre often rooted in fantasy. He shares his insight on his creative vision, and tells us:
“In the wake of COVID, in the wake of a mass fucking plague, a lot of what we write about is the fragility of life.”
The way the lyrics are done- they are often written with two meanings.
Normally, they're written with the kind of lexicon that's associated with death metal, but they have underlying meanings that aren’t naturally apparent, so you have to kind of read into it. We don't want to write about gore”
“Real issues in the real world, through the lens of death metal.” Jack elaborates.
This fusion really shows the band’s hardcore roots, with Ash going onto to explain that:
“You have to understand that hardcore is born in the street. It's born in reality, and a lot of death metal is often fantasy. What I wanted to do was apply the lexicon of death metal to the streets.
We're not a political band. We don't necessarily have one way or another, but we definitely use real life fucking torment. Rather than spouting nonsense about it, we say what it really is about.
At the Tightrope, I firmly believe that art is rooted in substance and meaning. Mutagenic Host understand this perfectly, and that writing about torment and suffering without giving it direction can make the topic lose impact, and fall flat. This is crucial when matched with a hard-hitting instrumental which evokes a feeling of such torment. The best forms of art are emotive, honest and often cathartic, in any genre.
Ash crosses the emotive with the explosive, presenting “real life fucking torment” through blood-curdling screams.
Now, as somebody who has experienced Mutagenic Host’s full, unbridled ferocity in the flesh, the Tightrope and I believe that this is a band every metal or hardcore fan needs to experience live. No one is lacking an opportunity to- for a band that has been active for a single year, the amount of shows they have played is staggering.
“We’ve been really fortunate to play loads of great shows so far, in fact we probably haven’t played a single bad show yet. And we see a lot of the same faces whenever we play, a lot of younger kids getting into it, which is amazing. It's the lifeblood of the scene.”
If nothing else proves how exciting this band is, it’s this. To have every single show pop off, especially while starting out, is a very rare experience, and it says a lot. It means everybody who has come into contact with Mutagenic Host has loved them, exclusively from four songs. Four songs.
Jack describes playing live as a connection between the crowd, saying that: “Shows are very simple. It's like an energy give and take. You give us energy. We will give you as much as we can and if we both harmonize in that, then it's just fucking great.”
Their performances also demonstrate their roots in hardcore- Ash tells us, “ Because we come from UK hardcore, we play off the crowd a lot like a hardcore band would. We keep it death metal but we bring a heavy level of mosh to it. That’s our unique selling point really.”
Versatility is also key to Mutagenic Host’s success in playing live- they are willing to play any show, with any band, at any venue. They play to anyone who will listen, and they love it.
“We're a DIY band. We're self made. If we have to play to smaller crowds with hardcore bands, that's absolutely fine. If we need to go and play to larger crowds, with higher-up death metal bands than we are, then fine. Like we sit right in the middle. We don't take no prisoners in that respect. Fuck anybody that ain't like that as well, to be honest.”
“Everyone has to play the smaller shows to get somewhere, that's why some shows are so fun. Like, we played Blondies in London, which is like a fucking closet, and it was one of the most fun shows we’ve ever done. Intimacy is key.”
I think everyone in the scene can agree. Huge concerts, as thrilling as they can be, are incomparable to the atmosphere of an intimate venue. Music blasting, small crowds yet ferocious pits, no barriers, and bands playing only metres away- it’s what the scene thrives on. Community and intimacy go hand in hand: intimate shows are vital in creating an element of closeness in a local scene. Supporting the grassroots venues that provide this intimacy has never been more important.
Mutagenic Host agree. Upon being asked what advice they have for people looking to join their local scene, or even form a band of their own, the band’s first response was:
“Go to shows, meet people, and make friends. That’s the number-one thing.” says Dan.
Jack agrees, and has some advice for budding musicians: “Just start. Just start playing and play what's true to you. Don't worry about, like, ‘Oh, this cool band is playing this’ or ‘this is doing this’, just do your own thing.
Because the only good music is honest music.”
Ash agrees- he thinks that, “People forget that it's artistic because it's so widely available. Anyone can make a fucking album now.
We put stuff out on tapes, there’s such a long history of swapping tapes in death metal. It allows for easy recording and quick distribution. Making music through tapes is instrumental in death metal. It’s an accessible format that is cheap to make, cheap to buy. If you’re only selling vinyl you’re missing out on an entire demographic that wants to listen to your music.”
Keeping traditions alive, like publishing death metal on tape, is so integral to the scene, and to keep them alive for younger generations to come. Integrating younger fans into metal- making them aware of traditions, etiquette and music- is so important, for any sub-genre, scene and crowd. It ensures the scene will always grow, always change, and always flourish. The future of these genres is so important, yet paying tribute to its roots and traditions is equally so.
“We’re just DIY kids, you know?” Ash says.
“I just love good music. I don't care about the sub-genre, if I like it. And if you're trying to divide people within that, fuck you. I love death metal of all styles. Just don't be a prick to each other. There's no reason to be, we're all in this together.” Jack says.
“It's great to see death metal doing so well. And young kids getting into it- that's what we write this music for. We write it for ourselves, but we also write for kids that that haven't got a lot of fuck all, do you know what I mean?
They ain't got nothing. They need something to hold on to.” Ash expresses.
Mutagenic Host’s passion, for both their art and their audience, truly sets them apart. They are a band that makes art authentically and for themselves. Yet they are also a band that considers their audience so genuinely in their own creation. It is rare, yet beautiful.
Throughout the conversation, Mutagenic Host have shed light on why they are one of the most exciting bands to watch in UK death metal. The Tightrope is excited to watch them grow and develop as a band, as they have an incredible future in death metal ahead. Here’s what they had to say about the years to come:
Dan tells us: “Well, we have some pretty big plans that we can't go into too much right now, but we are going to be recording new music soon. We're working hard on writing at the moment.
And then just keep playing loads of shows, keep on making death metal.”
“We're playing Underworld at the start of our second year which is cool, it’s a London institution of heavy music” adds Ash.
“Staying true to who we are, staying true to what we do, making sure we influence people in the right way, making sure we respect other people and that we respect other bands, and making sure that Death Metal in the UK really pushes forward. That's ultimately our goal. 100%.”
Thank you so much to Mutagenic Host, from The Tightrope. I implore our readers to keep an eye on this band. They have a huge, disgustingly heavy future ahead of them, and it’s only just beginning. Listen to them wherever you get your music, buy merch, buy a tape of The Genotoxic Demo. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
As usual, in the spirit of sharing the scene and shining a light on deserving bands, The Tightrope asked if Mutagenic Host had anyone in the industry they would like to shout out. And they certainly delivered.
- Disengagement. Disengagement, straight away.
- Vacuous. They’re probably one of the best death metal bands in the UK.
- Celestial Sanctuary. They’re also one of the best in the UK.
Coffin Mulch. Really good.
- Brain Bath.
- Doldrey. From Singapore, the homies.
- False Reality are great.
- Cruelty, shout-out to them. With a C, that one.
- And with the K [Kruelty]. They don’t really need it. Fucking sick, they’re doing huge stuff.
- Bodybag from Brighton. The BN1 scene is doing really well!
- Quality Control Records, just in general. Ola just does such an amazing job there, and she’s supported us in the past a lot.
- T. S. Warspite. Awesome. Wishing our good friend Miles who plays guitar a speedy recovery - he’s been in a horrible car accident recently and needs all the support he can get, you can find a link to donate on their socials.
- Dry Cough Records, big shout-out to them.
- Gurgling Gore, in America, who we’ll be working with in the future.
- Excarnation Records in Brazil. We’ve got a CD coming out with them.
- And shout out to the Smokin’ Bones Club for putting this on at the Green Door store.
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