"Atrocity Machine" Ramps Up Body Void’s Oppressive Vision (Interview)

Sludge trio Body Void are best surmised by repurposing a quote from the legendary techno-surrealist film Videodrome: They have a philosophy, and that’s what makes them dangerous. The band are virtuoso chroniclers of humanity’s downfall, be it the unfolding global ecological catastrophe on previous LP Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth to state violence and late-capitalist horror on their latest full-length Atrocity Machine. 

Crucially, however, Body Void refuse to celebrate society’s downfall. Instead, the lyrics of vocalist/guitarist Willow Ryan satirically lament it with razor-sharp precision and a keen eye for unique macabre imagery. This acute vision extends to Body Void’s sonics, which are equally abrasive and pointed. On Atrocity Machine, they’ve incorporated an oppressive air of electronics that serves as a harsh, omnipresent bedrock for their intense sludge metal. 

Body Void are a band in full control of their vision, right down to their new album’s artwork created by Primitive Man’s Ethan McCarthy. Atrocity Machine is a vital album for its thrilling heaviness, humanistic worldview and as proof that metal has a unique role to play in confronting our current era of seemingly-endless crises.

We spoke to Willow about Body Void’s vision, Atrocity Machine’s production, and the role of nihilism in art.

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I found a lovely phrase from a previous interview where you said that “transformation is the central theme of Body Void.” Leading up to the release of this new album, how has this transformation recently manifested itself ?

That’s a good question. I suppose one of the earliest ideas behind Atrocity Machine was a human transforming into a machine, so it’s thematically on point. Then, in terms of the band, we wanted to do something more mechanical and industrial musically, adding synths and noise to what was already there. 

On that note, the music of this album feels so hot and close; is this a deliberate aesthetic choice?

I like hearing that. For me, approaching this album, we had so many ideas that we wanted to do. With this kind of music, the mix becomes so dense, and we wanted to add even more to that. A big part of this record involved saying, “We have this amount of space; how do we make this additional electronic element fit into it?” It’s interesting because I think there is only a certain amount of space there; I think we made it sound thicker. I’ve never thought of it as hot; I like that.

The runtimes here caught my eye. Across your last three albums, the runtimes of your tracks have gotten increasingly shorter. Is that a conscious decision?

It’s definitely intentional, but also a natural extension. We wanted to make the songs tighter. That mindset has resulted in shorter times. A lot of it is also because playing really long songs live gets exhausting, particularly when you can only play, like, two songs in a set. 

Does the finished product of Atrocity Machine resemble the thing you imagined when you were writing and recording it?

Yes and no. From the abstract, we wanted to introduce electronics, and I think we did that. But I think the results were still surprising. Hearing what our vision sounded like was a pleasant surprise. It was really fun to make because it didn’t feel like anything we’d done before or anything else we’d heard. 

You worked with Ben Greenberg on this one. Is he the kind of producer who gives advice on things like arrangement, or is he more there to help with the textures and atmospherics?

He was heavily involved, giving notes and stuff on things like, “Maybe end the song this way,” or, “Add this to it.” Also, the electronics side—He was there to help that along. I think without him, it was more an abstract idea; then with him, it worked. Even down to suggesting types of synths we should use. He was a big, hands-on producer which is something we’ve never done before and was really cool.

I feel like, as epitomized by the artwork, this album’s aesthetic is more mechanistic in contrast to your previous album’s more ecological focus. Is that a correct assessment?

Definitely. If the last one was human-to-nature, then this one is human-to-machine.

I love the imagery in your lyrics. In and out of music, what are some of your influences?

I went to school for writing, and I grew up writing a lot of poetry. I listened to a lot of hip-hop when I was younger; that was a big influence. Approaching lyrics for this band, it often feels like I’m fitting the words to the music. I can’t really bring lyrics to the song.

Specifically on this album, Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Akira are big influences, also Kurt Vonnuget. I was really interested in taking the themes of modern-day America and using extreme imagery to convey the feelings of living in this country. It’s hard to point to any specific lyric writers; I’m just generally influenced by punk rock finger-pointing. Although for this one, I wanted to move out of my comfort zone and write satirical, absurd stuff.

Some people’s perception of this type of music is that it’s nihilistic; however, your music is the opposite. It’s deeply compassionate. Do you think nihilism has any place in terms of the radical potential of art?

That’s a good question because in my day-to-day, I definitely bounce between cynical nihilism and being hopeful for the future. I feel like, no matter what I believe, I’m still going to try to do my best for my community and the world. Whether I believe that it’ll have any effect, it won’t change my actions. 

I approach Body Void as if, even though the world might be ending, we still have to live day-to-day. We’re gonna need to do our best and, for example, (with) this record, chronicle what we’re going through and fight for something better.  If it works it works, but if it doesn’t, well…

At least you’ve gone down swinging?

Yeah.

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Atrocity Machine released October 13th via Prosthetic Records.