A Young Producer On Building A Band And Finding Orbit Culture

Transcript

Welcome And Meet Maximus

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Hey guys, welcome back to Hill Out Lo Sai. I did promise you guys that this was going to be a two-part set, and it is, and I have a very special shoal guest. He's my nephew. He's my brother's kid. His name is Maximus. And Hello, Maximus. What is up, ladies and gentlemen? I am the Maximus. So, first off, tell me about your band, what's it called, and your genre that you're creating as you go forward.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Well, like, I think it was a year or two back. It was last year, middle of last year, when I actually started producing music on Spotify. It's a solo project by me called Red 40. And I started producing a genre I created called Cyber Death Corps. It's a mix of the Browning and Lorna Shore, for example. But I'm trying my best out here. It's kind of tough being one man, one man project, but Yeah, I get that. Working through it, yeah. I'm a one-man project too.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Not for long, but you know, it happens. It happens. It happens. So, like, being at your young age, and how old are you? I'm 14. Yeah. So you're learning the ribs of the business as you go forward, correct?

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Yeah. What have been your biggest challenges? My biggest challenges were definitely balancing the expenses out. Producing music by by yourself, it excuse me, it takes a lot of time and money. Like a lot. You have great parents to help you though. Yeah, well I mean, just to keep my music up on Spotify, it's like 30 bucks a month. And not even that, including the editing software I use as well. Yeah. The the the uh software I use to create my music in general, that cost would be a solid 200 bucks. So it's not cheap.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

So how many songs do you have right now?

The Summoning And Montauk Talk

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Currently I have four. My first three were like the trial phase, pretty much. I didn't really know what I was doing. I was still trying to find what genre fits me the best. Probably gonna take those off the Spotify here pretty soon. But my newest one, that's that's one of the songs I'm the most proud of I've ever made.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

So what song is that called?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

It's called The The Summoning. And when I first created that track, the guitars and melodies in the background kind of reminded me of like secret government projects. So I don't know if any of the listeners know about this, but the Montauk Project, that's that's what it reminded me of. Okay. So it's called The Summoning for a Reason.

Show Recap And Band Highlights

SPEAKER_01 4:23

The Montauk Project is a super interesting conspiracy subject. Oh my god. It's it's wild though. I did actually do an episode about conspiracy theories a little while back. Well, no, because I love them. I don't like to make it my existence or my rabbit hole, but yeah, there's supposedly a Montauk inside of the United States these days, somewhere in Kentucky. Who knows? Oh, Montauk Project was in Montauk, New New York. Well, no, like there's a new Oh, there's another one? Yeah. Oh God, not again. That's what I was saying. Not again. But you know, truth is stranger to fiction. I'll leave you with that for sure. So But me and Max, along with his parents, we went to another show last Tuesday. And it was last Monday. Or last Monday. Yeah, yeah. We came back on Tuesday. Thanks for that. Welcome. But yeah, so we got to see Horror Culture, Atlas, and F Sulfur. They were all really good. Super good. I can't say enough great things about how I saw the dude from O Sulfur was being so humble, doing autographs and talking to people and just being a very all-around good guy. I mean, this is a dude that you know, if you saw him in the grocery store, you'd be scared of him because he's got the tats on his faces. He's got tattoos everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

It's like almost full body. And he's built, he's got lats on lats. He's got lats on lats. That's a quote from my father. It is.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

But yeah, I was just I was very impressed at how well he was treating his fan.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Hell, I mean, I got a selfie with a dude, so Dude.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

So good. So out of the other the two openers, which is Atlas and Of Sulfur, which one inspired you more?

SPEAKER_00 6:08

It's actually a really good question. Of Sulfur definitely has more of the fast-paced and more creative drum fills than pretty much every other band I've seen, along with the different style of vocals. It kind of reminds me a little bit of like signs of the swarm.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Yeah, I could see that.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

Yeah. And a little bit of a little bit of senestia on the higher parts as well. But Atlas, they have a lot more like melodical groove to it. And I feel like definitely Atlas inspir inspires me more.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Again, I love both. Yeah, both are both were amazing. Atlas was one hell of an opener. The venue was even cool.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Like you could get really close to the bands. It was so easy to get close. And the sound was spectacular. Whoever those guys were doing the lighting, Chef's kiss.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

No, because didn't my father actually meet the dude who was like controlling everything with the sound?

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah, your dad was talking to him for a long time. And then I want to say he ended up talking to the girl who was dating a member of one of the bands. I want to say it was of sulfur. One thing that really got me about Atlas was the other singers that they had.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Like, yeah, both of their guitarists, yeah. Man. Well, actually, it was their guitarist and bassist. Yeah. Their rhythm guitar was the lead singer as well. So But man, like the one he was hitting high notes.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Like, yeah, that was the bassist. I was like, holy canoe! And I actually got to thank him as he was walking by. I was like, dude, what happened?

SPEAKER_00 7:37

Like, that was fire. No, because like before when they were getting on stage, the first thing I noticed, like, oh my god, the drummer's wearing a guilt. Right? And you know. I mean, they're they're from Finland, so yeah. That's that's really awesome to see, though. It is more European bands nowadays. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Well, it's it's wild because metal as a whole is expanding so much. Yeah, I mean, there are when I was first getting into metal, probably like 13, there's probably maybe two like black people in heavy metal. There was quite a few different like European bands, but they weren't being shown over here. You know what I mean? Yeah. And now you got like because of you know the internet, of course, but there's all kinds of different people making metal. So I was like, who would have thought that we would ever see a Mongolian death metal band in the Who? Yeah. Yeah. And there's so many others, like Bloodywood.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Bloodywood, they're from India. And there's also like, I've shown them to you before, Crossface, not Crossfade, Crossface. They're from Japan, and Baby Metal is also from Japan as well.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

So is uh Fox Lake, right? Or Crystal Lake. Yeah, Crystal Lake. Yeah, Crystal Lake.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

They were good to see. We saw them actually. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yeah, face melting madness.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

Yeah. Holy cannoli. Holy cannoli.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Yeah, I love those guys.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Wow. So not enough good things to say.

Why Orbit Culture’s Nija Matters

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Never enough good things to say. So, but we're going to talk about orbit culture. So with that being said, with that being said, they're so good. And I know that you are a super fan, Max.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

That's another reason why you're here today. Yep. So tell me as uh I guess as we go through this, you can always chime in and let me know. But today we'll talk about it. And remember, this is this place where metal meets meaning. And this band and this album has been turning heads and shaking the speakers across the metal world. The album is Ninja by Orbic Culture. If you're into crushing rifts, huge ass atmosphere and lyrics to feel like they're staring directly into the darker corners of the human experience. The record hits so hard, baby.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

I got I got that signed vinyl at the show too. You did. Yeah. I also got the their signed album of Descent, which is one of my favorite albums of all time.

unknown 10:05

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

I also liked how whenever we saw them last week, they left before they played their last song. And people were scream people were screaming, Vultures, Vultures, referencing their song Vultures of North. Nicholas, the lead singer, comes back out and he's like, What? Is this a song about a bird?

SPEAKER_01 10:26

So yeah, so who are they? They Orbit Culture is a Swedish metal band that has been gaining serious momentum in the global metal scene. Fans also fans often describe them as a blend of modern metal groove, melodic death metal energy, industrial atmosphere, massive, almost cinematic choruses. Definitely agree with that.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Almost cinematic. Hell, that that is cinematic. It is. I mean, if you uh if you listen to Rebirth for the first time, that that's like that song is like eye-opening for you. It's so good. So good.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

But people compare them to Metallica, Gojira, and early melodic death metal. But me and Max here, we feel like they've carved out something uniquely of their own. When Ninja dropped in 2020, it became a turning point for the bands. Mini metal fans consider it the album that put Orbit Culture in a map. Would you agree with that or disagree?

SPEAKER_00 11:27

I would agree with that because their stuff hasn't really been gaining traction before that. For example, their first two albums, Odyssey and Medius Rays, those didn't gain almost any traction at all until NISHA was posted in 2020. And their song, North Star of Ninja, that's one of their songs that gained the most traction out of their entire discography. And which led the people to be like, hey, these guys are pretty cool. And they just check out the rest of their songs, which is now why Odyssey and Medias Rays are one of their uh better albums now, or like more well-known albums. Yeah, because of a different song on a different album gained traction. It's kind of funny.

Favorite Tracks And Vocal Switches

SPEAKER_01 12:11

It is, isn't that how that weird works, you know? Yeah. So, like, my three favorite tracks out of the album are open eye, saw the shadowing. What about yours?

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Ooh. I gotta say, Shadowing's a really good one. I cried when I saw that last week.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

I saw you cry.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Yeah, a random dude in the pit handed me tissues. Um that's true, by the way. What a great time. Uh yeah. So number three would be the shadowing, number two is Nentia, and number one's always gonna be rebirth. That song means so, so much to me. So much.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

So, like in this album, the band does layer so many heavy rips, riffs with emotional depth. The guitars are massive, the drums feel relentless, like they're there.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

Oh yeah. The drummer's always doped up on caffeine. I I know it. Their drummer's always doped up on caffeine.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

And the vocal shift is so cool because, like, on one hand, he can get aggressive, but then he also gets hunting melody. He can sing. Yeah, brother can sing, and it's huntingly melodic, too. Like, the songs stay with you.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

No, like it when you're for the first time I was listening to The Shadowing, which was one of the first songs I ever listened to, by the by the way. Yeah. And the first time I listened to him, I heard his D vocals, which I love those, by the way. I'm still trying to recreate those on my own. And during the course, I'm like, what the hell? He can sing.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Oh yeah. But like, I I I think that that's something that a lot of metal fans are connecting with because life is also like that. Yeah. It can be aggressive, it can be melodic. And I really think that's that's what more people are being attracted to with metal, is that life is a big back and forth, heavy and intense, but we're still searching for meaning, you know, out here. Yeah. And you know, even me at 45, we're all searching for meaning, and you at your young age. Crazy, huh? Yeah, well, I've got a lot of stuff going on. I still know what I'm doing with my life. Yeah, you got time. We all do. So but what really makes Ninja stand out isn't just the sound, it's the things running through it. The album explores things like identity, inner conflict, strength and struggle, and facing the darker parts of yourself. Would you agree or disagree?

SPEAKER_00 14:31

I would agree because there are three songs. What was it? It was Nensha, The Shadowing, and there was one more Rebirth. Yeah. Those three, which are by the way, my favorite three songs on the album, ironically, those three are all connected into one big story. And the last time we tried to make an episode like this, I explained this as well.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

How it was just like a story of like how you have to let certain parts of your life go in order to create better things with your life. I mean, the reason rebirth means so much to me is because in the middle of the chorus he repeats it a few times. He says, I didn't let you go, I would never let you go so far from my heart. And right in the soul. Right in the soul for that.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Oh yeah. I I love that part. I do. And so, like, explain the story of the three songs before we go.

The Three-Song Story Explained

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Lay it on us. Oh, okay. Let's see, let's see. So I know that I don't know in what order they're supposed to go, but I know that they're all referencing three different things. So rebirth is, like I said, more of letting things go to make the better things in life. And at the end of the song, before the song ends, he says, Take this life, God, I don't need it. Full of thoughts, the ugly nates. Give me oceans, waves in motion, nothingness is always part of me. And that line is also really, really good. It is really, really good.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Yeah. The shadowing represents a running from your problems. In the music video, it's this girl running away from these shadows that she keeps seeing in her vision. Okay. To the point where she runs the point where she collapses on the ground and the shadows catch up to her. Pretty much show me you can't always run from your problems. True. Which also goes along with the themes of rebirth, which is you have to let some things go to create more.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

And in Nensha, this one's this one's really weird topic. Like it's pretty much staying away from bad influences in a sense, or staying away from the people who don't reflect who you want to be as a human being. In the in the lyrics, Nicholas mentions a being as a girl, and it's it's like a it's like a demon, and it's saying, like, you've fallen into her space, and now she's gonna take control of you, which is exactly what bad influences can do.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

You're right. Yeah. We've all had a bag of MMs, memories, and mistakes.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

That was not the first time I heard you say that.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

You're gonna hear it again. But yeah, so a lot of metal does do stories and they they they make you explore identity, inner conflict, and strength you struggle. But I feel like Orbiculture does it, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but I feel like it they do it in a way that feels more personal and reflective, but not just aggressive, not just in your face. It's more like uh the question. And there's research on why that matters. Yeah. There's actual research on this.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Yeah, so like in one of their heaviest songs, Saw, which is on the album Red Fog, love this song. Which Red Fog is one of their best albums by far. By far. And in their song Saw, which is the heaviest song on that album, right in the middle of it near the ends, it just goes into soft guitar tone. And whenever you're singing the song live, yeah, your head banging and all and going into the pit and all that stuff, till you hear that soft guitar part and you just immediately start crying.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Yeah.

Metal As Medicine And Belonging

SPEAKER_00 18:19

It's just that switch up is literally represents how real life is. I'm not kidding. Oh yeah. It it represents how life is, how like you're going through so much, and then not sometimes not even a week later, it's just silent. There's nothing there's nothing anymore. There's no more stress, there's no more worries, there's no more problems, it's just silence. True story.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

But yeah, so our studies have shown that metal music listeners and through music, it helps regulate emotions, provide a sense of belonging.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

Oh. But for many fans, albums like Ninja aren't just music, they're they become an emotional outlet. Yeah. And I totally agree with that. Because, you know, metal has always had this reputation of being darker intense, because you know, we used to have the satanic panic in the 80s. Yeah, with with like with Slayer, Slayer, Annibal Corpse. I mean, you know, you're gonna use a badass name to get some badass traction.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

I mean Well, I mean, hey, you of Sulfur, their name, their name sounds a lot softer than what their music is. Their music is like Warren of Shore level.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

Oh yeah, but just think about that. Like in the 1800s, they would have been vilified for just having their name sulfur in their name. I mean, we used to hang women just on suspicion of using She's a witch. Yeah, she used some Cuban or something. She's a witch. Yeah. But yeah, so the reality is very different, though. Last week I did an episode on why concerts are medicine. And I will always tell you that there's a strong fan loyalty in the metal community. There's emotional openness that you won't find at other shows. And there's also a sense of unity that you will not find in any other genre, which is pretty amazing. But when people listen to albums like Misia, it can't feel like someone else understands the chaos going inside of you. And that to me and to many other fans, that's probably the most powerful. Because music like this reminds listeners, just like this show, that you're not alone in what you're feeling. And would you agree with that as well, my good said? Always.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

Always. I mean, there there's a reason I cried at the Orbiculture Show last week. Those their songs, especially like Saw, the Shadowing, and what was that last one? That other one that I cried for. It was either it was either From the Inside or Oh no. It was Tales of the War from the newer album from the newest album.

SPEAKER_02 20:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

The Tales of War. So those three songs, Shadowing, Saw, and Tales of War, I cried for all three of them. Because those three songs got me through a really, really tough time last year. And that emotional output is exactly what I needed in that situation. And it they they just mean a lot for me, mean a lot to me because like they helped me through so much. Why would they not mean a lot to me? It's true.

The New Wave Of Meaningful Heavy

SPEAKER_01 21:23

And I I want to say, and I may even be getting a little crazy here, but so like over the last like 12 to 20 years, you know, there's been a lot more hate in the world, right? And there's been a lot more manosphere. But I also think, you know, with all the negative and all the hate, I also think that not just music as a whole, but metal is evolving and orbiculture is a part of that new wave. Because like I can say that yes, bands have always talked about mental illnesses and emotions, but you see more bands today that are blending like old school heaviness. With modern production, but then they're adding deeper psychological themes. You don't see this in a lot of older stuff.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Yeah, yeah. For example, like Atlas, for example, they take that old school heaviness, like they kind of remind me of Gojira and Hate Breed. Yeah. But they still have they still have a lot of deeper meaning within their songs on their newest album. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

And I think that's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

It really is. And along with you saying that they're that Orbiculture is a part of that new wave. I wouldn't, in me personally, I wouldn't necessarily say that. I would say they're more of the the strength that's pushing the new wave forward. Because they're giving people more ideas of what to do with metal. Because it isn't all just guitars and drums and and vocals. It's it's a lot more than that. And they can expand out into different things. I mean so like orbit culture would be the inspiration for the new wave, the power pushing the new wave forward.

unknown 23:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:01

And that's that would that's just my opinion because they're because they're they're part of that transition from uh like that older heavy metal that like Metallica gave us, that Pantera gave us, that like Hate Breed gave us, that that Slayer gave us, Cannibal Corpse, like all of those songs, all yes, they some of them do have meaning, but for example, all of Cannibal Corpse's songs, they're just they're they're just heaviness. There's true. There's like nothing else to them.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

And I think that, you know, by and large, because metal did have that the stigma of just being angry and dark, that yeah, that's what a lot of people used it for until it other bands started attracting with deeper things. But I do think, and it seems like we both agree though, that people want music that hits hard, but it also means something to them. And musia does definitely fit that bill.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

There's a reason I bought the signed vinyl. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

You still owe somebody money, dude.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

No, no, I paid him. Oh, you paid him back? Yeah, I paid him back. Hell yeah, you paid off my debt.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Good job.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

It took me like two days. It wasn't long. I mean, those albums were hella expensive. I only got two signed vinyls and it was like a hundred bucks.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Hey, it'll be worth it.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I also got an album from when we went to a different show a few days before, which you'll see in a different episode. With In Destruction, their newest album, Death Wish. I got that vinyl too, and that's also hanging up right beside my other vinyls. See, I like vinyls.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

I just have a bond.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

I like the art. I like I like being able to get up in the morning, look to my desk, like, ah, there you are.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Stop it. Yeah, so if you guys haven't listened to the album yet, oh yeah, he's making kissy pieces to the album. And I don't blame him. But yeah, some hand films on, turn the album up and experience it start to finish.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Yeah, I mean, it star it starts off with a banger. I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Well, it's like a journey, the whole album is.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

It starts off with starts off with At the Front, which in that song, there is a story behind it. It's just a lot about war and violence. And then it goes into more deeper topics like Shadowing, Nentia, and Rebirth. True. And what what song does it end off with? Let me check real quick.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

You're fine. Get on the internet and get on the interwebs and do what you gotta do.

Support Resources And Closing Words

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Oh yeah, that makes sense. It ends off with a song called Set Us Free. Yeah, so at the front, it's it's exactly what it sounds like. It's pretty much a little bit like a rebellion in a war because the main quote he uses in that song is move at the front and rise. And oh my god, that it's such a powerful song. It is. It can just it can push you mentally to push through your problems, it can push you in the gym just to discipline yourself a little bit more. And there's so much power behind that song. You can tell that Nicholas and the other band members definitely put some thought into how they were gonna make this album. You're right. You're absolutely right. I love Nicholas Carlson so much. Dude, they were so good. Oh my god. This that wasn't the first time we saw them, though. No, first time it was the Detroit? Yeah, that was those two years, two or three years ago now. I think that was actually three years ago now. Oh so that's fun.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

But again, guys, we thank you for listening today. If you have some illness going on, if you're depressed, text 988, Boys Town National Hotline. Or you can reach out to us if you like. Maximus, thank you for your time today.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

No problem. I'll be back here again sometime or sometime sooner or later.

SPEAKER_01 26:51

Well, you'll be back here a few times.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Yeah. Probably right around May. Sounds about right.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

Well, thank you guys for listening, and we appreciate you. Stay loud, stay curious, take care of each other, and love each other.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

And wear your seatbelts.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Oh, yeah, do that too. Bye, guys.