With the blistering cacophony of 2024′s Loved By None, Hated By All still ringing in our ears, Danish death/metallic hardcore outfit LIFESICK strike back with a brand new single, “Die With Me.”
The track begins in full grind mode with the chant “Die With Me” driving the chaos before shifting into a fast hardcore section. The track keeps pushing forward before collapsing into breakdowns that grow slower and heavier toward the end, finishing in a massive closing breakdown that feels like the final moments of a live set. Lyrically it’s about meeting death head-on and refusing to go quietly.
Navigating the highs and lows of fame while posing bigger questions about society at large, Awsten Knight lets his lyrics do the talking on the group’s impactful sixth album. Conceptual, often theatrical and necessarily political, he unpacks the process and key themes that led to ‘Jinx’.
SOCIAL DISTORTIONâThe Way Things WereâThird Advance Track From Born To Kill Available Now New Album Out May 8th on Epitaph Records Appearing May 7th on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!Check Out the Lyric Video HERE Photographer Credit: Jonathan Weiner Social Distortion […]
The chemistry between Solemn Vision is palpable. They laugh, joke, and finish each other’s sentences. There’s a genuine ease between them. Nothing feels forced, and there’s no sense of hierarchy. They move as five musicians with a shared vision that’s guided by instinct. The New York quintet have been carving an expansive and precise sound since 2019, one that strikingly balances heaviness and melody. It’s built on a driving, dual-guitar melodic death metal foundation, layered with atmospheric and progressive arrangements, all shaped by a distinctly modern New York “melting pot” approach.
What began as casual jam sessions between bassist Anthony Rafferty and guitarist Mauricio Cornejo has evolved into something far more intentional. Fresh off their most extensive tour to date with Be’lakor, and with their most recent release, Despite the Rise of the Sun (2023), continuing to draw attention, Solemn Vision are only gaining more momentum. Furthermore, vocalist Aaron Harris and Carlos Crowcell (drummer) co-founded Visionary Booking, which helps underground and out-of-town acts break into the New York scene.
I caught up with Anthony Rafferty, Mauricio Cornejo, Kadin Wisniewski (guitar), Carlos Crowcell, and Aaron Harris to talk about Solemn Vision’s origins, their recent tour experiences, the moments that stuck with them long after the set ended, Visionary Bookings, and what’s ahead for the band that has been drawing comparisons from Opeth to Katatonia.
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To start things off, how did you guys form Solemn Vision?
Anthony: It was actually Mauricio and I at first. I met Mauricio at a New Year’s party many years back. We realized we lived close to each other and hit it off as musicians. One day we just started jamming and realized we had something good going. That’s how it started. We went through several lineup changes and experiments before arriving at Solemn Vision. I met Aaron before everyone else, but we weren’t making music together yet; I was a fan of his old band. In the beginning, we thought we’d be happy playing at a neighborhood bar here and there on weekends. We never expected or imagined it would get where it is now. The initial goal was just to have fun with it.
Carlos: The way Aaron, Kadin, and I wound up joining was similar—we were all in other bands. We happened to play with the first iteration of Anthony and Mauricio’s band at different gigs. One by one, they recruited us. Kadin filled in on guitar for a bit and then joined. I replaced their drummer; being a drummer in New York, you wind up being in a bunch of bands. I had a bit more experience with band logistics, so I naturally fell into the administrative side. Then we went for a minute without a singer. And then Aaron was like ‘Let’s fuckin’ do this.’ After one audition, it was a match.
Mauricio: We’re basically a cult that just steals other band members. (Everyone laughs)
Aaron, you juggle gutturals, shrieks, and cleans. Which style do you find most challenging to maintain during a long tour?
Aaron: On tour, I focus more on execution than just maintenance. Specifically, I put a lot of effort into my shrieks—what one of our buddies calls the ‘eagle scream.’ (laughs) I’m very protective of that part of my range, so I drink a lot of tea to keep it protected. Truth be told, even when I’m sick or not feeling my best, my growls still sound great; it’s the highs or shrieks that I have to look out for.
How do you balance being the face of the band with the behind-the-scenes work of running Visionary Booking?
Aaron: It has its challenges, but that’s mostly a matter of balancing everyday life and a day job with the demands of the band and the business. I don’t necessarily view myself as the “face” of the band, though. In fact, on this last tour, I wore a hood the entire time—you could barely even see me. I try to avoid the stereotypical vocalist persona that’s always out there; at the end of the day, whether I’m on stage or running things behind the scenes, I just try to be human.
Carlos: Yeah, Aaron also helps with gear, not a lot of vocalists do that.
Carlos, what was your motivation behind co-founding Visionary Booking, and when booking a new show, what qualities do you look for in the bands you book?
Carlos: For that, I’d have to thank Aaron. I’ve been booking our shows for a while now, cutting out the middleman and doing it ourselves for the most part. We were tired of “pay-to-play” gigs or getting shortchanged. Aaron convinced me to start this venture with him, and now it’s become an awesome sort of karma project. We only book shows for out-of-town bands looking to break into NYC, and help our local friends network with them. It’s a win-win! As for requirements, they just have to show they’re actually making an effort. We’re not going to go out of our way to put on a show for a band with zero social media presence or no music online. What’s the point in playing out of town if people can’t find you afterward?
Kadin, what is the one essential piece of gear for the Solemn Vision sound?
Kadin: One of the main hallmarks of our sound is the fact that I play a seven-string guitar and Mauricio plays a six-string. It wasn’t planned—it just happened naturally. But it’s led to really interesting guitar interplay because sometimes I’m writing riffs on a low B string he can’t physically replicate, or I’m forcing myself to adapt his alternate tunings without retuning. That tension between instruments has become part of the identity of our sound.
The vocal layers are very intricate on the new record. How much is planned versus improvised?
Aaron: The layers came off the fly as we were doing it. When we were jamming together, I was going with the flow. I didn’t necessarily have any ideas of adding layers until one of the guys brought up the idea. When we go into the studio and bring these songs, it’s like painting a picture. The studio is like a blank canvas, and it’s sort of basic colors and then when you start adding the details, it’s like making a Bob Ross painting. So I guess you could say our song “Bane and Benumbed” is like a Bob Ross painting, in a sense. (Laughs)
Kadin: When we’re writing songs, we’re not thinking about how they’re going to sound on a recording. We’re mostly writing them in terms of the live arrangements and how we’re going to perform them. A lot of the extra layering that has come out on both albums happened spontaneously in the studio. We don’t usually plan out complex vocal layers or triple harmony rhythm parts ahead of time. The majority of those details come out on the fly in the studio because when we are writing music and arranging new songs, we’re thinking about it from a live performance perspective.
Carlos: Speaking of “Bane and Benumbed,” I remember we came up with the idea of a harmony for the chorus with the low growl. But in the studio, Aaron took it a step further and added third harmonies and also alternated between more aggressive and clean vocals. So, I’d say it’s a touch of ideas beforehand, but mostly just in the moment.
Kadin: If you were ever to hear the demo scratch track for that song, when we were just getting the skeletons of the song down, it is so much simpler and basic than the final product. To be honest, I thought that song was a filler track when we recorded the first version. I thought it was boring and had nothing going on. We added so much stuff to it over the course of recording that it turned into one of the strongest tracks on the album.
Anthony: I’d argue that “Bane and Benumbed” is kind of our song—if you want to show someone what Solemn Vision sounds like, you show them that because it encompasses everything we do. The bare bones of it were basic, but in the studio after working on it, it became something massive.
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Mauricio, where did the inspiration for “Eve of Silence” come from?
Mauricio: It all started with a dream I had during the pandemic when I was struggling with writer’s block. I dreamt that Death was chasing me, but it was very specific—almost like a video game. I started writing based on that experience because I could actually hear the music in the dream itself. It felt like a great way to further explore our melodic side, throwing those more mellow sections in between the heavy material.
Kadin: We’ve got very strong positive reactions from that song. In fact, one of the best moments from when we were on the tour with Be’lakor, we were playing in Toronto, when we played that song they continued moshing into the second verse when it goes into the quiet part, and they just kept going the entire time. Most people get thrown off when it goes into the softer part, but they kept moshing the whole time. (laughs) I was like, okay, we got a bit of a waltz pit here. I love a crowd that’s not afraid to mosh to the sensitive parts, too.
How do you guys feel about being compared to Opeth?
Aaron: We’ve embraced it so much that we call ourselves “Bropeth.”
Carlos: It became one of the band’s hashtags. #bropeth, we took it and ran with it.
Mauricio: To me, it’s a huge compliment. I see it like Wayne’s World—we’re not worthy!
How was the tour with Be’lakor?
Anthony: It was the longest tour we ever did and the best tour we’ve ever done, hands down. It was an incredible experience and I’m itching to get back on the road.
Aaron: I was very proud to learn how self-sufficient we were on the road especially. Most times we would get in and be on point—setting up the merch table and doing soundchecks. Routines became second nature. It felt really good. I learned that we can keep doing this.
Kadin: This was the longest tour and the biggest by far. Everything we’d done previously was DIY, but since Be’lakor is the biggest band we’ve ever toured with, we were operating with a higher level of professionalism. We dealt with larger venues, bigger crews, earlier load-ins, and longer soundchecks. I was really proud of how quickly we stepped up; it never felt like we were out of our depth. It felt like this is where we’re supposed to be. Huge shout-out to the guys in Be’lakor—they were incredibly generous and took great care of us.
You guys signed with Black Lion Records in 2023. What motivated that move from DIY to signing with a European label?
Carlos: A lot of it was their fanbase; they’re very focused on death metal. Since our demographic is more European in general, so we thought it would be a win-win. We really needed a reliable distribution, but we weren’t ready to step into a major label yet. Without much negotiating power, you can easily get stuck in a shitty contract. This was a way to step up without getting ourselves roped into something bad later.
Visionary Booking is a huge part of your identity. How has being on the other side as bookers changed the way you approach your own tours? What has that taught you about survival in the music industry?
Aaron: The biggest lesson has been the importance of respect and professionalism. We prioritize transparency and want to ensure every band we host is truly taken care of. For example, if a band is coming to New York from out of state, we try to make sure they at least walk away with gas money. We took the ‘do’s and don’ts’ we learned from our own time on the road and applied them to Visionary Booking. The positive feedback we get from bands is a testament to that accumulated experience, and it’s really brought us to where we are today.
Carlos: The whole reason we started it was because we played a random gig in Chicago on a Monday. The promoter put us on at midnight and we played to the bartender. It was ridiculous. Aaron and I were adamant about not letting that happen to other bands that want to play New York. It’s been about paying it forward. It’s also affirming that it’s not just us that goes through it; everyone in the scene goes through similar experiences.
For Mauricio and Kadin, you both have very different musical influences. How do you resolve creative friction when writing a new riff?
Mauricio: One of the biggest things is that we are both huge Opeth fans. That’s already a huge helping hand in our consistency and knowing where we want to come across with a certain style. Kadin is more on the technical side, but I like that because it brings a different dynamic to the group. We’re a good match.
Kadin: Mauricio and I complement each other really well. We both like progressive metal, but Mauricio listens to more melodic death metal and more chord-driven music, and I listen to a lot more Tech Death—it’s very riff-driven. He’s really good at coming up with chord progressions, which is something I’m not very good at. I’ll come in with a pile of riffs and he helps turn them into something that sounds like a song through actual progressions and melodies.
Mauricio, Aaron mentioned that you have contributed to pushing the lyrical direction. Do you usually write riffs with a specific story or mood already in mind?
Mauricio: It depends on how I start the music. Sometimes I just come up with something I think sounds cool; other times I’m feeling a certain emotion and want to portray that, even if I don’t have a lyrical theme yet. Writing lyrics is a really big thing to me. Aaron does a phenomenal job with it. I like writing lyrics, but I don’t think it’s the easiest thing in the world, especially because I’m very picky about how I write and what I want to portray. So I usually prefer giving an idea to Aaron and letting him take over. I’ve written lyrics for a few songs , and even then, he helped me finish them. But musically, I always know what I want to convey.
Progressive death metal can get very “busy.” How do you ensure the guitars leave enough room for Anthony’s bass to breathe?
Carlos: Honestly, a lot of it isn’t intentional in that way; it comes naturally. The melodies and music come first, and then we make room. When there’s a moment to shine, we emphasize it. We love dynamics. For example, in “Bane and Benumbed,” there are sections where we encouraged Anthony to run with some cool tapping ideas he had.
Anthony: It depends on the song. If it’s too busy, I might just stick to root notes so it doesn’t get overcomplicated. On the album, you’ll hear songs where the bass takes the lead and others where I’m in the back. For example, in “Gates,” I was doing a lot, but the recording engineer suggested I simplify the bassline because it was going to sound too crowded. He was right.
Mauricio: I know we joke a lot about the “bassist being the butt of the joke,” but Anthony really comes through. He’ll follow us on root notes, but when it’s his time to shine, he comes up with parts that even I can’t play.
Aaron: We also have to bear in mind that Anthony can also play guitar as well, and he wrote “Sea of Trees,” so when it comes to having all of those different elements together, coming up with parts on guitar and bass comes naturally to him having an ear for both.
Anthony: It’s funny because I’m writing stuff on guitar right now in different tunings, and I’ll realize, “Damn, the only thing that will work on bass here is a simple root note.” But sometimes that’s exactly what the song needs.
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Anthony, how do you and Carlos work together to lock in those sudden tempo shifts that define your progressive style?
Anthony: I just follow his lead. I don’t use a click track in my ears when we play; I just listen to his timing. But since everything is written in sections, I know when the changes are coming.
Carlos: I rule with an iron refrigerator. No, it’s pretty seamless, honestly. We work together really well.
Mauricio: As a joke I started calling Carlos Baethoven (laughs). He’s really good at composing and rearranging the stuff we come up with.
Carlos:Yeah, I’ve kind of become the “transition guy.” I do a lot of the bridging pieces together. Mauricio will write an infinite amount of riffs—he’ll even write them on the spot during warm-ups—and then I help put those thoughts into a format and structure the song.
If a new listener were to start with Solemn Vision, which song should they hear first?
Carlos: I think “Bane and Benumbed” is a great example of our different wavelengths coming together. It touches every part of what we do: clean vocals, acoustics, shredding, and blast beats. It has a good range of what we do. I’d also suggest “Soul Impaled.” “Unfinished Tapestry” is our most streamed, and “Cerebral Labyrinth” is an incredible, epic closer. It doesn’t have as much of the soft side, but it has a really great soundscape of this storytelling kind of crescendo songwriting that gets bigger as it goes.
Mauricio:I’m biased toward “On the Eve of Silence” because it was a very personal song for me. It showcases everyone’s talent—Aaron’s most present clean vocals to the guitar work, Anthony’s bass work, and Carlos’s drums, then the heavy shifts. I think it’s a good mixture of everyone. Besides that, I would say “Soul Impaled” and “Fortress of Solitude.”
Aaron: For straight-up metal listeners, “Bane and Benumbed” or “Soul Impaled.” Those both have my longest screams in any songs we’ve ever written. It just happened that way. Those are perfect examples of Solemn Vision songs. Now, when I meet “normal” people in my day-to-day, I show them the acoustic version of “Unfinished Tapestry.” I’ll show them softer stuff. So, I try not to scare people away from our band too much. I’d start them with “Unfinished Tapestry” and then “Eve of Silence” and then progress from there.
Anthony:For the last four years I’ve worked at a recording studio so I deal with musicians on a daily basis and for the metalheads, I show them “Bane and Benumbed” but I deal with a lot of jazz musicians and I show them “Eve of Silence” and our acoustic versions.
What has been your most meaningful fan interaction?
Carlos: Someone in Philly compared my drumming to Kenny Grohowski from Imperial Triumphant. He’s one of my favorite drummers in New York City. And someone in Philly after a show said “I haven’t seen a drummer that good since we saw Imperial Triumphant here.” And little did he know that I know Kenny and have so much respect for him. Hearing that meant so much to me.
Anthony: The biggest one for me personally, we were wrapping up in Mesa, Arizona, and a woman came up to me and told me she’d been waiting years to see us. And I’m like “you know who we are?”. She found us on her algorithm in 2019 and told me that our album got her through the pandemic while she was working in a hospice. She said she’d play our music daily to get through her shifts and that our music meant a lot to her. She started crying while she was telling me this, and then I started crying. That meant the world to me. Then in Dallas, we met a 17-year-old trans boy who had just started playing bass. He was asking me bass-related questions. I encouraged him. He took a picture with the band. There’s so many good ones, but those are the two that stood out to me.
Mauricio: That was one of my favorites in Dallas, too. It was surreal because I started music at 17, So realizing that connection-being in a position to give advice to someone the same age I was when I started-was awesome. I told him to go for it! That was definitely one of my highlights.
Carlos: Honestly, during the whole tour with Be’lakor, the number of autographs we did was something we weren’t really used to. Our mindset was, ‘Okay guys, here’s the deal: as soon as our set is done and the gear is put away, everyone has to haul ass to the merch booth. We are going to shake every hand and meet every person.’ It was really humbling to interact with so many fans and sign so many things. It was intense.
Aaron: I feel like you guys covered everything, but I’ll add this: I don’t really care what other vocalists do, but we all know there’s a specific style of screaming that’s popular right now which I personally don’t care for. However, it was cool when we played a show in South Carolina and someone told us, ‘You guys remind me of Lorna Shore, but without the breakdowns.’ I took that as a huge compliment.
In a scene where that specific style stands out so much, it’s rewarding to have people appreciate my vocals for what they are. Another guy in Canada told me it felt like I was molding my voice like clay. Those little ego boosts were great, but honestly, the meaningful interactions we had with the fans stood out the most.
Are there any independent metal bands you would recommend?
Carlos: I’m going to have to send you a pdf (laughs)
Aaron: The Victorious Dead!
Carlos: Ventriloquist is sick and Decimation. Aversed has been killing it. There’s so many. We need another interview just to get through all of it. Be’lakor made a playlist for every opener from every city and they are the nicest coolest guys ever, and they’re just uplifting local bands because they have a platform to do it. They are incredibly humble and sweet. We owe them so much.
Mauricio: Yeah, Be’lakor was a unicorn of a band that we played with. They were perfect in every way you could think of. They didn’t realize how big they were.
Carlos: It’s actually mind-boggling how incredibly humble they are.
Aaron: Also, our homies in Breath of the Moor, but to simplify it, if people really want to see what we want you to check out, come check out a Visionary Booking show because we book a lot of these bands. And definitely check out Be’lakor.
Solemn Vision is a true “New York melting pot.” How does the frantic energy of living in the city manifest in your music?
Aaron: Because we all like different styles of music, not just metal. Some of us listen to rap, too. New York is big on hip-hop as is and diverse styles. We don’t try to pigeonhole ourselves into listening to one type of music. I don’t listen to a lot of metal when I’m at home. So, it’s easy for us to get influenced by any other types of music or going to local shows, it makes it easier to have a unique ear. Having our differences helps us shape the sound that we have.
Anthony: My influences are definitely the Nordic subgenres—Insomnium, At the Gates, old In Flames, and Dark Tranquillity. The whole Gothenburg style. I also like symphonic metal. I like anything that’s melodic in general. There’s something about combining aggressive with melody that just scratches all the right places for me. But growing up here in the city, I would go to a lot of different kinds of shows, and I was exposed to a lot of different music. My wife and I go see classical orchestras. I’ve gone to violin quartets. There’s just so much exposure here. Because all five of us listen to different things, all of our shared influences just melt into the Solemn Vision sound.
What is next for the band?
Carlos: We are excited because we got invited on a tour with Fallehin Fall. We will be playing in Brooklyn, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Milton, DE in June as their supporting act. So we are looking forward to that. Besides that, we’re focused on writing. We have a lot of material to organize. We’ll also be announcing the vinyl version of Despite the Rise of the Sun soon.
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