Doomed Confessionary: Purulent Colossos (Undignified Cave)
Photos by Stive Canavarro
Undignified Cave is a drone/sludge/death/funeral doom metal one-man band from Brasília, Brazil. Undignified Cave is Maurício Caio aka Purulent Colossos (Absent, Burial Temple, Contemptible Ruins, Kurgan, Males Fecundos, Malicious Intent, Nekkrofuneral, Hate Your Fate, ex-Gutspack, ex-Extinction Remains).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Undignified Cave is a one-man band where I handle all the songwriting and production (recording, mixing, and mastering). The band’s theme and purpose is to explore environmental issues, not necessarily involving humans. The tragedies that can be told in the history of planet Earth, its biological and geological facets, are far more interesting to address than the small and insignificant presence of Homo sapiens and its consequences. Themes such as the movement of tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions, heat masses, and grandiose monoliths that were once exuberant and opulent in forgotten times: the Seven Falls, are examples of themes that make sense to Undignified Cave. In terms of sound, the band is primarily funeral doom, but it is undeniable that over time influences from sludge and drone bands have been incorporated into the final result.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
One of the biggest challenges the band faced was being a one-man operation. When the first demo was recorded (the whole process took place in the second half of 2017 and was released in January 2018), I didn’t have much knowledge of music production in general, and I only played drums in other bands. So, it was a challenge to play and compose the string instruments. Caio Lemos (Bríi, Kaatayra, Vauruvã, Bakt) and Ze mizanthrope (Nekkrofuneral, Less than Zero studio) were the two people who helped/taught/showed me the way to start producing everything on my own. During the pandemic, I kept studying and recording by myself, which resulted in the compilation »Deep Ecology«. The demo was recorded and produced by Caio Lemos, and the single »Mariana Grave« was recorded and produced by Ze mizanthrope.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Undignified Cave as a whole is something I’m incredibly proud of. It’s a tool for appreciating nature in its entirety, as well as a tool for activism for ecological protection and resistance. As a Black, South American, and environmental scientist, Undignified Cave gives me a way to unite the two things that make the most sense to me: metal and environmentalism.
What was your biggest regret?
I don’t have any regrets as such. Perhaps I could be more active in reaching out and spreading the word about my music, but I prefer to let things happen organically. I don’t have social media or anything like that; I’m not really connected to the online world. All my projects are concentrated on Bandcamp and Instagram, where I showcase my various artistic endeavors (music, graphic art, drawings, and paintings). But overall, I’m happy with how things are going, and I’m confident that the future is bright.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Unfortunately, Undignified Cave has yet to perform live. In Brazil, there are significant challenges for underground metal bands to find suitable opportunities to perform. However, personally, a memorable show for me was the release of Nekkrofuneral’s demo: »Pillars Of Hellish Fire«. The show marked the release of the demo on cassette tape by Death Voice Records, run by our friend Romulo (Profane Anger).
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The biggest surprise has been Undignified Cave’s ability to secure physical releases, connect me with people from all over the world (and even form friendships), and all of this without any kind of promotion, just Bandcamp releases. As I mentioned before, I let things happen organically. I believe that music can touch people in different ways, take them to different places and thoughts, and that’s the only form of promotion the band has.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I’m always listening to Bolt Thrower, Axegrinder and Mercyful Fate. But bands like Bell Witch, Aldebaran, and Primitive Man always provide that funeral doom touch when things need to slow down a bit!
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
I owe a lot to Caio Lemos and Ze Mizanthrope for being able to produce Undignified Cave on my own. Two very important pieces of advice were given to me by Ze Mizanthrope during this process, which were to always record at -6db and to practice with a metronome a lot. When I recorded with other bands like Kurgan and Absent, the drums were recorded live with the rhythm guitar, so no metronome was used. Nowadays I’m a metronome aficionado, and I never record above -6db.
What are your guilty pleasures?
As a person who is guided by detachment, I find it difficult to identify many guilty pleasures. However, two things that might qualify are eating extremely spicy peppers and listening to vinyl records with friends while enjoying a few beers.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Brasília / Brazil?
I live in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. This is a place where many bands are formed, but often due to a lack of overall structure, fights, or an excess of substances that drive us crazy, most of them end up before their peak. As such, it can be said that “Brasília is a cemetery of great ideas.” But even so, there are great bands that have been playing for a long time, and we have great bands that are just starting out and have a great future ahead of them, like Necroxorume, Primitive Death, Nekkrofuneral, Contemptible Ruins and Execrado. All of these bands are worth checking out.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Unfortunately, there is no current timeline for Undignified Cave to play live shows. However, we are definitely open to the possibility of touring or performing in the future, when the situation makes sense.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
The biggest plan for Undignified Cave is to release material on vinyl. I am a big fan and a collector of physical media (CDs, cassettes, and vinyl). The demo was released on cassette by Audio Miasma of my friend Patrick (BR/UK); the first album »Opulence Of Nature« was released by Silent Noise Rec of my friend Denis (RU); and a split with my friends from Kanalia by Life End Rec (PL). So since material has already been released on cassette and CD, the biggest plan would be for a label to be willing to release something on vinyl. Touring would also be a great achievement for the band.
How can people best support your band?
Listen to and support the band on Bandcamp, spread the word to as many people as you can. Suport Funeral Artes on Instagram. Try to get some original physical material and most importantly of all: Obey the riff!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Do not view yourselves as an external agent to nature. The planet’s resilience makes it eternal in the face of our brief existence. Destroying the environment is destroying yourselves. The catastrophic selfishness of destroying the environment is so insane that it cannot be described. The planet may seem big, but it is smaller than its capacity to absorb the waste and dirt created and thrown at it. Don’t listen to or support fascist bands. Listen to funeral doom and be responsible for your actions by being responsible for the environment.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well