Kontusion are a death metal band with a noisy, wall-of-sound, old-school bent from the DC/New Jersey area. Primarily consisting of core members Mark Bronzino and Chris Moore, two heavy hitters in the punk and metal music scene with history and experience under their belt, and boasting work with CokeBust, Coffin Dust,Mammoth Grinder, Repulsion, and more, their resume is quite impressive. I got a chance to discuss some of Kontusion’s next output, their recent tour with Oxygen Destroyer, and some of Mark’s personal interests of 2024.
You guys just did a tour with Oxygen Destroyer up and down the West Coast. What city had the best turnout for you guys? Any tour highlights or stories?
The best turnout might have been Vancouver, which was awesome because it was our first gig outside of the U.S. Eureka, CA was the surprise hit, as was Adascadero at Dark Nectar Coffee with Deathgrave. Really cool to have such an enthusiastic response in some of the smaller cities, especially on our first time in California.
Tour highlight was spending every day hanging out with Oxygen Destroyer; they are the nicest dudes in metal and absolutely shred every night.
You finished your first demo/EP and have currently have a full-length in the works. How long did the ep/demo take to write and record, and what does the creative process look like for you guys when writing? What can you tell us about your first full length so far?
Writing the demo was a process of taking what we wanted to hear as a concept and turning it into reality. A lot of late nights in Volume IV Studios in New Brunswick NJ (RIP), blasting amps on full volume to make sure it hit right.
The creative process for writing the first LP was in many ways influenced by our time on the road, having long band discussions in the van about what we like and what we don’t like. The new album really expands on the work that we started with the demo but brings in even more concepts and overall, is a more extreme album.
What do you find to be more important for you guys as a band, the live shows, or the recorded material?
The live shows are important because it lets us connect with the metal scene and we feed off the energy of the crowd. It’s communal and is a release for us and for the crowd as well.
The way recorded music affects our collective psyche in general is difficult to quantify. The records are a statement, and theoretically that statement will last forever. However, performances are also now almost all captured by the availability of cell phones and content creation based society, so it’s difficult to weigh which has more impact.
You worked with both Rio Oka and Matt Plunkett for the cover art of the EP/demo release. Did you already have a working relationship with either? I know Rio does a lot of art for metal bands. What was working with those guys like?
Matt Plunkett’s work I discovered by chance online, and I’m not sure he still is working with artists? His online presence is limited, so in that sense I really enjoyed working with him because it’s not like anyone else can reach him and replicate the same aesthetic.
Rio is extremely talented and really knocked it out of the part designing the logo. He’s available for hire, and I highly recommend working with him.
Last year was an incredible year for metal in general. Some of the strongest releases in years popped up on a weekly basis. The fanbase and support for death metal seems incredibly strong with people really supporting artists by showing up to shows, buying merch, zines, and records. I don’t see this at the same level for other genres of music. What keeps the metal community so devoted in your opinion?
Agreed, it’s a great time for metal. What keeps the metal community so devoted? It seems to me that the fans are, over all else, obsessed with the music. A lot of other subcultures are about the aesthetic or the style or the scene; the metal fans just want the riffs! And if you supply the riffs, the community is grateful. I promise many riffs on our upcoming LP.
Outside of Kontusion, are there any other creative projects, music or otherwise, you are involved with currently?
Chris, being a drummer, is extremely busy; he also plays in Repulsion, Coke Bust, and Vosh as well as keeping his hustle alive at home in D.C. I also play in the band Coffin Dust and collaborate with artists as a writer or performer hired gun outside of the death metal world; my most recent drop this year was with the group Ho99o9.
What were your favorite albums, shows, and movies in 2024? What are you looking forward to in 2025?
My favorite metal drops of 2024 were probably Dipygus S/t and Necrot’s Lifeless Birth. The best show was probably the entirety of MDF; that was an amazing experience. Also seeing Blue Oyster Cult in Atlantic City; that was awesome.
For movies I really enjoyed Longlegs and Nosferatu.
Non metal stuff, saw Method Man and Redman perform in NYC, and they put on a killer show! And Songs of A Lost World by the Cure is a great album.
In 2025, I hope Cianide blesses us with a new release. Also looking forward to seeing Vastum on tour.
Most of all looking forward to finally releasing this Kontusion debut LP.
Stay tuned, many hails.
Photos courtesy of Brian Lopez
