“Things are getting more and more ‘Orwellian’ day by day. It’s fucking scary.”
Last week, we featured a track called “Flesh” on Volume II of our playlist. To be honest, it almost didn’t make the cut. Not because it wasn’t good (It’s definitely good), but because it was — for lack of a better phrase — a hard pill to swallow. Of course our end goal at Darkness Calling is to curate playlists that people will enjoy listening to. While the quality of 5 R V L N 5’s “Flesh” was undeniable, we feared it might be a little too abrasive. Ironically, “Flesh” is probably the most accessible of the band’s songs — probably why it was chosen to receive the video treatment [See below]. Meanwhile, some of their other songs make NIN’s Broken sound like Kidz Bop.
But we listened. And we listened again. And what we determined was that there was an undeniable allure to the song: a mystery, a scab that was begging to be picked (Okay, maybe we’re a little too eager with the Reznor references). Needless to say, we had to learn more about this project. Who is 5 R V L N 5? What is 5 R V L N 5? What the hell are we listening to?
We may have some answers. Read on to learn more.
DARKNESS CALLING: Question one -- and it's a serious one: what's it like being so fucking scary?
Your project is objectively unnerving, which I'm sure was the intention. And you genuinely pulled it off. I feel like a lot of acts try really hard to present something that's unsettling, and it really just comes off kind of laughable. But with 5 R V L N 5, between the imagery and the dark soundscape you've unleashed, it's truly a creepy experience.
5 R V L N 5: Thanks. Creating an atmosphere within the music is definitely one of my main goals. I like to write music that gives listeners the ability to imagine visuals within the mind’s eye. I have a background in film and animation, so the visual aspect has to be just as good as it is sonically and vise-versa.
People who’ve listened to the record probably think I’m one of the most miserable human beings on the planet and — for a time there — they’d be right in saying so. Those years in which I was making these songs were some of the most difficult times in my life. A lot of the themes on this record are kind of me processing those feelings. It all comes from a place of good intentions, though.
It’s real. I try to keep it as honest and vulnerable as possible. Writing and releasing this album has been cathartic, to say the least.
“It’s real. I try to keep it as honest and vulnerable as possible. Writing and releasing this album has been cathartic, to say the least.”
DARKNESS CALLING: A little embarrassed to admit, but I feel like I should be picking up on the significance of the project's name. Can you tell me what it means? Or is that a mystery? [Okay, now looking closer at your IG page, I have a feeling it might mean Surveillance? If so, can you give any background into the significance?]
5 R V L N 5: There’s no mystery at all regarding the name. You are correct in saying it is pronounced as “Surveillance.” The band is called 5 R V L N 5 as it’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to the state of the world and where we’re headed. Things are getting more and more “Orwellian” day by day. It’s fucking scary.
DARKNESS CALLING: May I ask who exactly is 5 R V L N 5? Or am I peeking too far behind the curtain?
5 R V L N 5: 5 R V L N 5 is mainly comprised of myself [Chuck Clybourne] in terms of writing and the overall direction of the band. For this album, however, I did bring in a few friends to help out on a couple of songs. The talented Lara Noël does a guest vocal, and my longtime friend Danny Garcia plays drums on a couple of songs.
Playing live is a whole different story… We typically play out as a full band with as many people as I can cram on the stage. It makes things interesting, and it’s fun to collaborate with other musicians in the scene that way.
DARKNESS CALLING: What can you tell us about your songwriting/production process? I can tell a lot of work certainly went into this. The sound is very layered and production-heavy, in the best way possible. I also have to say, compared to much of the indie music out there, this sounds so professional and polished, while still being mind-destroyingly-distorted and insane.
5 R V L N 5: Believe it or not, most of this album started out on an acoustic guitar with just me in my room. I’ll write some chords or riffs that start fitting into an arrangement, then I transfer all of that over to the drum machine and kind of rewrite/remix the song with sequencers and synthesizers. Once I have the demos where I like them, I bring those tracks to my producer (Adam K. Stilson) and we record everything legit in a real studio. He mixes everything down and that’s about it. Adam has got some pretty crazy outboard gear at his place, so it’s always a blast twisting knobs and watching him work his magic. He’s a wizard.
DARKNESS CALLING: When recording the vocals for a song like "World of Filth," do you have to get into a certain headspace to make that happen? Or are you able to carry on normally and transition on a dime? It's hard to picture you making nachos before screaming, "I want to die every day of my life!"
5 R V L N 5: That’s one of my favorite songs to play live, actually, for that reason alone. I’ve always been able to get a real rough, gritty sound out of my vocals for as long as I can remember, but yeah... that one requires me to summon a demon or two [Laughs]. I think if you’re a singer or out in front in a band, you need to be able to be an actor, in some ways. Sometimes, the song has a character and you need to step into that role. That song is a good example of that for me.
DARKNESS CALLING: I'd love to know more about "Flesh." Lara Noël and Danny Garcia contributed to the track. Can you tell me how a song like this comes together?
5 R V L N 5: That was one of the first songs I finished demo’ing for this record. Once I had all the basics laid down, I immediately knew I wanted to have a live drummer and put a female singer on it. Lara and I had been living together at the time, and she was already hearing a lot of the things I was working on, so I just asked her if she’d like to give it a shot. One night, we sat in my studio and banged it out. She had kept trying more of a lower, bluesy register, and I just remember I kept telling her, “Go higher! Like Cyndi Lauper!”
As far as Danny Garcia, that was an obvious choice. I’ve been in bands with him on and off for the past 20 years. I naturally think of him anytime I’m going to work with any drummers. He’s very reliable and rock-solid in the studio. He’s my go-to guy when I need some of that big John Bonham style of playing.
DARKNESS CALLING: What's in the future for your project? Are you already working on new music or taking a break?
5 R V L N 5: Definitely lots coming up in the future for us! Since we are unable to play shows or tour, I have been busy in the studio creating the next volume of songs, which is coming along nicely.
We also have some remixes coming out later this year. They’ll be part of a “Deluxe Edition” vinyl for The Black Mark. David Bottrill (Muse, Tool, Peter Gabriel), Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu), and Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Eyehategod) all contribute tracks, to name a few of the bigger producers. We are really looking forward to that!
Lastly, I’m putting together a collection of 5-6 cover songs for release next year. More details to come on that, but I can say Lara Noël will be making a comeback and that one of the tracks is a rework of an old Ozzy Osbourne song. Stay tuned.
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