Getting to Know… Epitome | Interview 🎤

In the 338^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from metal band, Epitome.

“We are EPITOME. And We will GRIND ‘TIL DEATH!” WOO, 🎙 Epitome! When asked about uniqueness, Dyvan responds, “In fact, the band EPITOME in today’s reality is not unique in any way. I know that sounds weird… From the musical side, we try to do everything in our power so that the listener won’t get bored listening to another clone of this or that band.” Like our many other Getting to Know Q&As, we get the inside scoop on the collective’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and of course, current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into 🎤 Getting to Know…Epitome: Interview No. 338! 

For those who may not be familiar with Epitome, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Dyvan: Hello readers! In fact, the band EPITOME in today’s reality is not unique in any way. I know that sounds weird. This is not how band promotion should look like 😉 But it’s the truth. We have a group of dedicated fans who have been with the band since the early 90’s. However, it’s nice to see young faces at concerts, so from the musical side, we try to do everything in our power so that the listener won’t get bored listening to another clone of this or that band 😉 We are EPITOME. And We will GRIND ‘TIL DEATH!

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Epitome form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

Dyvan: Unfortunately, as the youngest member of the band, I don’t know what it looked like in 1992. From the stories I know that, as it usually happened in those days, youth determined the beginnings of the band. Those were the times when there weren’t as many bands in the world as there are today, so recording material that stood out from the others wasn’t such a breakneck act 😉 In 1998, the demo 🎵 “autoeROTicism” was released. This material, although short, defined how people looked at the band. Thanks to this material, the band was able to perform regularly, including playing concerts with the young band BEHEMOTH entering the salons, later came concert tours around Mexico. There was so much going on that there was no time to… record the debut album! Those were the times. I remember seeing EPITOME on stage for the first time – total sound massacre! In order to complete the music with visuals, they invited a musician friend to help with… grinding meat on stage and throwing it at the audience 😀 Today, I can personally represent the band as a vocalist, such a perverse fate. There are many more stories of this type, maybe the next time we talk, there will be more time and space for memories 🙂

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Dyvan: Certainly, over the 30 years of the band’s existence, the goals set by the band have changed. At the moment, our goal is to record another album and play concerts. The more the better! We already have a few concerts confirmed this year, although we are open to new suggestions 🙂

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Dyvan: Definitely, the musical inspirations that influenced the music of EPITOME were the bands from the turn of the 80s and 90s. Of course, not only the music was the inspiration, in fact the greatest inspiration is our reality, which surrounded and still does, every musician representing the colors of EPITOME. Personally, in those days I listened to death metal to exhaustion, both its American and European versions, I listened to less thrash, black metal also a lot. On the other hand, I was and am completely against … heavy metal 😀 Of course, I liked to listen to Judas Priest, Running Wild for fun, but those were quite sporadic cases. There was always a place in my soul only for the extreme metal of that time 🙂

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Dyvan: On the next occasion of the conversation, we will assign a man who has been in the band continuously since 1998, i.e., our bass player, Kiszka. I’m sure he’ll have a lot of interesting stories to tell 😉

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Dyvan: I think the most recognizable song in the history of EPITOME is 🎵 “Surgeon Complex”. As far as I know, there wasn’t a concert where it wasn’t played. And so, it is to this day! It’s unique as well as the whole 🎵 “autoeROTicism” demo. To this day, many people who got to know EPITOME in those days believe that it is the best material that came out under this name. Perhaps it will stay like this forever, we are not trying to “dethrone” that material because it is impossible. But that doesn’t mean we won’t make another record that will grind death metal so hard that you’ll be out of breath!

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Dyvan: Yes. The biggest curiosity is that … it’s hard to tell from us on a daily basis that we grind death metal until our fingers swell up and our throats refuse to obey 😉

Closing out, what is Epitome currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Dyvan: We make no secret of the fact that we have started work on the next album. Soon we will also inform you about the next concerts that we will play. In the meantime, you can take a closer look at the EPITOME [Instagram / Facebook / Spotify / YouTube].

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

Dyvan: Also, thank you for the opportunity to present the team! I hope it wasn’t the last time 😉

All the best!

Getting to Know…Epitome: Interview No. 338 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Epitome; Tumisu via Pixabay]