Based between Texas and D.C., with a raft of guest contributors from around the US and further afield, …And We All Die are a heavy blend of hardcore, punk, post-punk, industrial, noise-rock and dark alternative influences. Their latest Halloween offering is the four-song EP Static Age, comprising two Misfits covers, and two industrial remixes featuring Metal Blade synthwave artist Gost. Devolution caught up with the project’s founder Raymond Burton (Burt) Estes to talk about …And We All Die, Static Age, and more…
…And We All Die’s music is often at the intersection between hardcore and dark alternative music, and the same is kinda true for Misfits. Are there other artists you take inspiration from when it comes to blending those different styles?
“There are a number of artists that come to mind who are known for blending styles and evolving their sound – David Bowie, The Cure, Ministry… I don’t think I would dare compare …And We All Die to these music pioneers, but I would say that we wouldn’t be doing music if it weren’t for them.”
What has response been like in the hardcore scene to that crossover with dark alternative, post-punk and industrial influences? And vice-versa – how do goths and their ilk react to the hardcore elements?
“It’s hard to say. There aren’t too many individuals reaching out to express their views one way or another. We do have regular streams on Spotify from all over and that suggests to me that it’s resonating with some people. But, as we’re not a “live act,” we aren’t really out and about engaging with the people who could best answer these questions. We hope that people like what we’re doing and welcome any feedback they’re interested in sharing.”
A big focus for …And We All Die is collaboration, and that’s clear with this new release too. Can you tell folks a bit about all the guests and contributors featured on Static Age, and how your work together came about?
“As …And We All Die is not a band, it couldn’t work without contributions and support from others and Static Age came out as a result of this collaborative model. My friend, Guillermo Murillo, who plays guitar on the Static Age release had previously worked with me to engineer the Eleventh Hour Remix of our song, Bodhisattva. He and I were talking about possible projects and decided to take a stab at some Misfits covers. We settled on these because we’re both fans of the early Misfits era and the rockabilly vibe of these songs. We thought we could make them heavy and interesting. We chose to enlist my Eleventh Hour bandmate, Walter Lee, to play drums.
After recording the basic tracks, we decided it would be fun to create straightforward versions of the songs as well as industrial mixes. Having had Gost create remixes of our song, Modern Day Privateers, it was a no-brainer to ask him to contribute synth to ‘Static Age’ and ‘TV Casualty’. I also wanted some additional guitar on the industrial mix of ‘Static Age’ and reached out to Shelby Cinca of Frodus and Frantic Mantis to see what he thought he could do. He quickly came up with a tasteful guitar part that complements Gost’s synth work.
When it came time to actually finish these songs, I had to find the right person. That took a while. Getting to know and work with William Faith on another project convinced me he was only choice for these songs.”
Your previous remixes and outtakes release, Modern Day Privateers, also featured the likes of Daniel Ash, Assemblage 23, Ego Likeness, and The Gothsicles. What was it like to work with legendary figures like Daniel Ash or Assemblage 23?
“The process for working with these artists was easy and painless. They all came up with their own interesting takes on the song and helped make a fun record.”
It’s been a few years since Modern Day Privateers, but during that time you’ve been working on several different projects with …And We All Die, including two very different albums, and an EP of Cure covers. Can you tell folks a bit more about these releases?
“Our next release will be our album, In Dark Places. It’s dark, industrial rock album that is inspired by Americana, hardcore, industrial rock, post-punk, and punk influences. Musically, it’s all over the place but lyrically it’s very consistent. I was able to work with most of the same musicians for each song, so it was almost like having a band.
I had compiled demos over the course of several years and sent them to John Gable of Knifight. He dug the songs and agreed to help me get the record off the ground. John led pre-production and brought in our friend, Patrick Marshall, also of Knifight to contribute synth parts. After we laid down rough parts, we brought in Myke Bingham of Skatenigs to record drums. After drums were pretty solid, we brought in John Hetherington of Knifight to flesh out guitar parts. John Gable then worked up some roughs and I cut vocals to those. I had John Gable and Darin Johnson of Eleventh Hour contribute vocals on one song and also Bobble Kleman of Hellfury provides vocals on three songs. I’ll be working with William Faith of The Bellwether Syndicate to finish the album and hope to have it out next year.
After In Dark Places, I plan to release an EP of covers by The Cure. This release has a number of contributors, including Jason Rufuss Sewell and Kimberly Freeman of One-Eye Doll, Guillermo Murillo of the Half-Guided Hearts, Tim White of Snowdonnas, Tony Greene of Except Europa, Patrick Marshall of Knifight and Help Society. It’s mostly done, and it will hopefully come out next year.
Following the Cure covers EP, I plan to finish my second album, At The End Of A Rope. It’s an Americana and rock inspired record. It’s far from finished but has some great contributors, including Andrew Trube and Anthony Farrell of Greyhounds, Hunt Sales from Tin Machine and Iggy Pop, John Hetherington of Knifight and Foxtales, and others.
So, expect more music from …And We All Die in 2025.”
Anything else you’d like to say to Devolution Magazine readers and fans of dark, heavy music in the UK and Europe?
“Thank you to everyone in the UK and Europe who’ve taken the time to listen to our music. The data analytics indicates that we have listeners in the isles and across the continent and that’s inspiring. If you’re out there and you’re into what we’re doing, be sure to reach out to us and let us know what you think.”
All Photos By: Fleurette Estes
Connect With …And We All Die
https://andwealldie.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/andwealldie
https://www.facebook.com/andwealldie
