Editors Note: Greetings, my filthy animals. Join me in welcoming the incredibly talented Krisanna Marie to the Black Metal Archives family. In her first piece for the site, she sat down for a chat with Derrek Connolly aka: Mr. Unholy Cannolli.
Tell me a bit about your experience and current projects:
Derrek: I’ve been doing music for ten years. My main inspiration is Dickie Allen from Infant Annihilator. When I listened to that album it changed my life. I always wanted to go 5 steps ahead so when I watched It in 2017, I tried to emulate Pennywise’s demon voice and Bill Wilkins from the Conjuring 2, I did this by reenacting their voices and head movements to get that accurate sound that I always craved for that demonic multitone insanity, to do this tone its mostly pretending your mouth has another voice on top of it, by putting your tongue under the teeth, this style is called tunnel throat vocals. Five years later I found Nick Saia and together we started a band called Feast of the Antipathy. Unfortunately, that band is not a thing anymore, but me and Nick stuck around to create Nitheful.
Nitheful, is an old ancient word for evil and our first ever EP I wanted touch upon the subject of paradise lost, a story which talks of the fall of Satan. I had the whole EP give that egg Infant Annihilator sound but more aggressive with lyrics more portraying Satan’s POV on how God is this tyrant and how Satan was the revolutionist. The sound gives that very dreary hell sound with slow breakdowns and intense vocals. I wanted it all to be themuatic. My main goal is basically to mix Portal with Infant Annihilator to create our sound.
Our second album was something different I wanted to touch on the subject of blasphemy, but do it in a whole new way. I studied the whole bible and basically used the old testament stories but added them for a 14 length deathcore album. The album name being The Creation ov God. This album touches on the POV of God and how each story fits in a biblical narrative structure.
As of right now Nitheful is just an internet based project but we are currently almost done with our third full length album.
I wanted to branch out so I met the dudes in Catcher and the Rye, they currently had a vocalist but he wasn’t passionate enough for the project., All I craved was to be on stage and be in a live band. I hit up the drummer and he let me become the official vocalist. The first thing they had me do was re do vocals for Stigmata Gospel the sound has a more Pysclo Nine and Carnifex vibe than a full on Infant Annihilator vibe. It was unique, but we are all craving more.
What are your next plans?
Derrek: Niteful is currently working on our third album, I will not say the name yet but it is probably our most horrifying intense album up to date, The album that truly influenced for this was two things: 1. The movie Skinamarink, which is this indie horror movie that is basically a living nightmare of pure nostalgia. 2. Is this album called Everywhere at the End Time. This album isn’t evil it is just pure horror of what dementia feels like, I listened to this full album and I truly felt inspired as an artist to take things to the next level. By doing this we will be touching on exorcisms and using these horrifying sounds, such as 1900s ballroom music, with blast beats, intense tunnel throat vocals, and lyrics that are just pure horror of this girl being possessed. I am trying to do something what in the case of what old school black metal did in the 90s which of instead of using giant demons from hell everywhere, I want to give this more uncanny vile sound that feels like your stuck in this southern gothic house where you just can’t escape. I want this to be the next level of blackened deathcore that no one has ever seen before. The band that truly influenced me for this album was portal and knoll giving that void of emptiness that not a lot of bands can capture.
What got you into screaming and singing?
Derrek: It was a lot of things. I always was a theatre kid growing up and took a love for using my voice, especially in high school, but kind of stopped after that. But then I saw Dickie Allen do a live feature for Body Snatcher and was hooked ever since.
What was your first metal album?
Derrek: My first album was Iowa by Slipknot but I thought it wasn’t heavy enough so then I found Whitechapel This is Exile, but even then I was craving more so I found Dark Funeral: Diablos Interium.
Biggest hardships you’ve had to face in the music industry?
Derrek: I constantly compare myself to others and think “Damn, I really wanna be where those other vocalists are and touring” but then I think “No, I need to focus on me.”
Guilty pleasures outside of metal?
Derrek: I’m a big My Chemical Romance fan and fan of old school emo music.
Marry, kill or fuck: A dead fish, The Olsen Twins and Pee Wee Herman
Derrek: Marry the dead fish, fuck Pee Wee Herman and kill The Olsen Twins
Anything else you want others to know about you?
Derrek: I have a YouTube for voice acting and horror stories called Mr UnHolly Cannoli.
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