The DISTANT Interview: Deathcore, Exofilth 2.0, Projects for 2024, and more

We spoke with Elmer Maurits from DISTANT, covering everything from their 3rd album Heritage to their collaborations with members from Lorna Shore, Within Destruction, and more.

If you've been following our site for a while, you already know we are all about music. We make no distinction between genres or anything of the sort. Recently, a particular genre caught our attention: deathcore. The entire music industry has witnessed a resurgence of rock, pushing pop or rap to the sidelines once again. At the end of the day, it's just the cycle of the music world where the top spot is always undergoing constant change.

But in this spiral of constant Matrix reboots (caught the reference?), one thing is particularly notable: the rise of a very niche and extreme genre, which is deathcore, or the modern version of Death Metal. It's difficult to understand how the 'invisible hand' of the music industry works, but deathcore is growing like crazy. It's just fantastic how bands like Lorna Shore are top trending on TikTok.

As for the reasons why such a niche genre is trending, our job is to cover and provide the most precise and updated data to our beloved users. That's why we've been on a quest to interview emerging deathcore bands. We've had a good time getting to know better about the individuals who are contributing to the rapid growth of the genre. Just a week ago, we talked with Dan Tucker from Crown Magnetar, another brutal, technical, and emerging deathcore band. Check it out here.

Today, we bring you yet another band that is propelling deathcore up the charts. DISTANT is a Dutch deathcore/death metal band that means business. We spoke with Elmer Maurits, the bassist for the band. Whether you're already familiar with these guys or are just discovering them now, DISTANT is not something you want to miss. Let's dive into it!

2023 and Deathcore

CONCERTY: 2024 has just started, bringing with it new projects, new roads, new quests, and new horizons. But first, let's reflect on 2023. Looking back on everything you've been through in 2023, could you describe the year in one word and explain why?

DISTANT: BUSY! We did A LOT in 2024! We started the year off with our album release of Heritage, continued with 4 tours of which two were in the USA and two in Europe and we started writing new music.

CONCERTY: Data speaks, and it indicates that deathcore is on the rise. How do you feel about it? Do you position yourselves to reap the benefits, or do you consider it a "momentarily viral" trend that will eventually fade away?

DISTANT: Deathcore is booming currently, and we love it! We have the impression it is because of the resilience the deathcore scene showed during COVID-19. Of course, music genres come in waves, but in the long term, we think Deathcore will stay relevant.

As we said before, the rise of deathcore may be linked with the rise of social media, initially gaining traction through the support of scene enthusiasts on platforms like Myspace, and later expanding on Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit. It's no surprise, therefore, that TikTok has played a significant role in the genre's recent surge in popularity. Over the last year, tracks like "Demolisher" by Slaughter To Prevail and Lorna Shore's "To The Hellfire" went viral on TikTok, propelling these bands to newfound levels of mainstream attention.

CONCERTY: Extreme metal is not a generic music genre; everything needs to be super technical, combined with meaningful lyrics. How is the process of creation for you guys? Does it occur smoothly?

DISTANT: Heavy music seems to be in our blood. Since we just make the music that we really love, no matter if people love it or not, it comes more naturally for us and goes pretty smoothly.

Heritage, Exofilth and Within Destruction

CONCERTY: It has been over a year since the album 'Heritage' was released. It is an extremely technical album. Now, one year after its release, how do you see the album today? Is it how you expected it to be?

DISTANT: Heritage was released a year ago, and what a year it was! It blew away all our expectations and was received with open arms by our fans.

In the realm of metal, sheer heaviness alone doesn't always suffice. While it certainly earns enthusiastic approval, a record must offer more than just crushing breakdowns to maintain the attention it receives.

The album also features Will Ramos from Lorna Shore contributing to it.

CONCERTY: You guys just released a single with Within Destruction. You've shared the stage on some previous occasions, but it was the first time hitting the studio together. How was the experience of working with each other?

DISTANT: We love the Within Destruction guys and have been working with Howard Fang as our co-producer for a while now. Since we wanted to give our song Exofilth more of a metalcore twist, the connection with Within Destruction was easily made as they perfected the game of turning heavy music into melodic tunes.

Distant collaborates with members of Within Destruction on a revised version of their track "Exofilth." Additionally, a guitarist from Within Destruction served as a co-producer on Distant's recent release "Heritage," where the original version of "Exofilth" was featured.

“The collab I did not know I needed” a Reddit user said.

Upcoming Projects

CONCERTY: Some bands prefer to be on stage rather than in the studio writing new music. How does that work for you guys? Do you prefer being in the studio brainstorming or on the stage?

DISTANT: Stage all the way. We really are a live band and love playing shows. Music is mainly written between tours and while we do love hearing our new tracks mix and mastered for the first time, playing them live for the first time is a whole different level of excitement.

CONCERTY: Festival season is approaching. Are you excited for this year's festivals?

DISTANT: Every year we keep doing more and more festivals, this year seems also to get busy. So we are very excited for it! But, two more tours before we start with the festival season though.

CONCERTY: Lastly, could you share what fans can expect in 2024?

DISTANT: 2024 will be a year of old and new music for us! It is our 10 year anniversary so we got some special thing planned out. And also to our USA fans; keep an eye out for the fall!

We wish the band all the best for their 2024 tours and upcoming projects!