Band Of The Day: Caltrop

NAME: Caltrop
THEY ARE: Progressive, complex, sometimes bluesy sludge
FROM: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
FOR FANS OF: Mastodon, Baroness, Torche
LATEST RELEASE: ‘Ten Million Years And Eight Minutes’
SONGS TO CHECK OUT: ‘Blessed’, ‘Birdsong’, ‘Shadow and Substance’
WHERE TO FIND THEM: Facebook, Bandcamp

Caltrop’s music takes the listener on a journey, one which is about as dynamic, varied and melancholic as mid-tempo, fuzzed out music can be. This North Carolina quartet don’t really sound like anything else; while Baroness and Mastodon might be the closest thing in terms of general sound and approach, a direct comparison would do Caltrop a disservice. It’s clear that what we’re actually hearing isn’t one approach, but the approach of four opinionated and thoughtful members trying to come up with something they all think is as good as it can be. Terrorizer spoke to vocalist and bassist Murat Dirlik about Caltrop’s new album and the extent to which he feels the band were influenced by their surroundings.

Was this a difficult album to create?

“In terms of the time spent working out all of the parts and song structures, yes, it was very difficult. That said, it was so much fun and such a great challenge writing the material and working with these guys in general that it didn’t really feel like work. I think we all sort of live for this to a large degree so it has been really rewarding in that sense. That’s not to say that we don’t go through a lot of serious discussions and occasionally arguments and fights and shit when we’re putting all of this together, but it’s a labour of love.”

What’s the meaning behind the album’s title, ‘Ten Million years and Eight Minutes’?

“Ten million years, as estimated in a book I was recently reading called “The Universe: A Biography,” is the amount of time it takes a particle of energy which is forged in the centre of the sun to make it to the surface of the sun as a photon. This is not because it is an extremely large distance from point A to point B, as compared to the 93 million miles or so between the sun and the Earth, but because the sun is so massive and dense with particles (or waves or what have ye) that there are countless collisions on the way which send the particles on a twisty turny crazily circuitous route to the surface. Once at the surface, however, the photons are unleashed, free to haul ass in a generally straight line towards whatever gets in their path. Earth is only eight minutes away from the surface of the sun for things travelling at the speed of light, so I guess the title is a reference to this insanely long journey to go a short distance versus the speed of light. I like thinking about this when the sunlight hits me.”

North Carolina’s metal scene is very diverse – from Weedeater to BTBAM and Confessor. How much has the local scene and area influenced you?

“The music scene is great in NC, and there are so many really good bands around here. I don’t think any of them specifically influence us musically, but in a social sense, and definitely in terms of friendships and good times, I cant even begin to measure how all of the amazing musician-people around here have influenced my life.”

‘Ten Million Years And Eight Minutes’ is out now