CHORDOMA is a new band that brings together two musicians who have been playing for several years in various bands. This time Justin Downs (vocals and ex-VITUPERATE, ENDOPARASITIC, etc.) and Blake Scott (guitar/bass and ex -PURULENT NECROSIS, PUTREFYING CADAVERMENT, etc.), brought on board the also well-known drummer Nikhil Talwalkar (ANAL STABWOUND, CELESTIAL BIFURCATION, etc.). These members formed this brutal band in the Spring of 2024, but let's let Justin tell us the details of how they gave life to this extreme form of music: “....Blake and I have collaborated on different projects over the years; Since we met approximately a decade ago, we always wanted a band or project that meets the fast aggression and chaos of PUTRIDITY, as an example. Around late 2023, I felt I had room in the tank for something blisteringly fast and brutal, so I asked Blake if he wanted to fulfill that desire to bring a new band to life, and it was an instant, resounding “Yes”…”

“Splashing Innards Abound” is the new single released by CHORDOMA and can already be heard on several digital platforms. This single will be part of the debut EP that will be released under the Comatose Music label on March 7th. In the following lines, Justin reveals some details of this recording: “.... The guitar tracking and songwriting was quick and effective. Nikhil managed to knock out the drum tracking in a flash; he is extraordinarily talented, and we almost completely let him do his thing without specific instruction because he is truly elite at what he does. The bass tracking took longer because Blake graciously pulled double duty on the strings since we did not have a dedicated bass player for this album. Overall, he did an excellent job, and I am very glad the bass is audible on the EP, with thanks to Travis Cook for mixing and mastering, as well as tracking my vocals in two sessions…”

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When I approach such extreme artistic work, I am always struck by the motives and threads that move human beings to create such intense music. We all know that brutal death metal doesn't sing about rainbows or pink unicorns, it's more about dark passages in the human mind. However, Justin comes out and his answer makes a lot of sense: “.... I love this question because I certainly enjoy other subgenres of metal and styles of music, such as doom metal, classical music, jazz, etc. Honestly, the brutal death metal side of channeling emotions brings out the most adrenaline in me, and it typically brightens my mood to hear the lo-fi-sounding nature of many of these bands in our scene. To me, death metal music was conceived to be fast and angry, not necessarily ‘fun’ or ‘bouncy’, so that is what we try to replicate through our composition(s). The debut EP primarily deals with inevitable doom, gore, and torture related to medical malpractice; however, track 4 on the EP, entitled ‘Regurgitated; Misconstrued’, deceptively speaks more about the psychological side of the draconian evils of humankind. That may be a foreshadowing for future releases to come, as I don’t anticipate we stay in the gory and gutsy realm forever…”

The band moves between two main metal scenes. Justin Downs is from North Carolina and Blake Scott belongs to Tennessee. Both states are neighbors but it would be good to know how the scene moves in them, Justin expands: “.... Our local scene(s) are small, and typically incorporate more hardcore music and occasionally slam, so I’m not certain how CHORDOMA would fare. With that said, I personally receive a lot of support from the (admittedly few) death metal-oriented people in our community through CHORDOMA. We are grateful for any and all support, whether it be local, regional, national, or international…”

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After many bands and musical projects, the expectation jumps. CHORDOMA is a newly formed band that will be releasing their debut EP under a label like Comatose Music and that is already a great opening. However, I was encouraged to ask Justin what will be the dreams and aspirations with this new act: “.... Blake and I both have full-time careers and families to look after; with that said, I would personally like to catapult CHORDOMA to the point that we can play some significant music festivals and even the occasional mini-tour, should we have the capacity to do so. Outside of the prospects of bringing the band to live stages, my aim for the band is to remain consistent with regular album and/or EP releases in terms of both quality and quantity. We are looking to solidify our lineup moving forward and begin to get increasingly serious about our second release. The initial idea was to stick to consistent EP releases and try to have a new four to five-track CD out every 12 to 18 months, but we will have to see if that fits our (and our label’s) agenda and expectations…”

Scriptorium Magazine readers, be on the lookout for the official release of the debut EP and support the musicians of CHORDOMA in this new chapter. As we have all heard on the single, brutality is what is in store. On our end, we thank Justin for taking the time to answer our questionnaire. So, it's time to let him express more of what they're doing these days and address the extreme metal fans: “....Given the songwriting and tracking process was surprisingly taxing for an EP barely over 15 minutes, we are only beginning to chip away at a sophomore release. For the most part, I want to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor until the official EP release on March 7, but we will certainly start conjuring up some more fresh ideas for either a second EP or an eventual full-length album. Thank you for the early support for our debut EP ‘Chordoma’ and do not hesitate to reach out to us the socials if you enjoy what you hear. While I maintain that musicians should produce music that speaks to them personally and not concern themselves with audience or market demand, it still does not hurt to read positive comments from folks who are immersed in the chaotic death metal narrative! As for our contact, we prefer to use either Instagram (chordoma.band) or our new email address, chordoma.band@gmail.com …”