Everything Has A Price With CK SMILE From CHAOSEUM

Switzerland isn't known for its nu metal/metalcore bands, with
thrash bands such as Coroner or extreme acts Celtic Frost more
prominent. But all that changed in 2018 when Chaoseum, a newcomer
to the scene, announced their arrival with their debut album First
Step To Hell. The album took the musical landscape by surprise, in
the process helping Chaoseum secure a US tour supporting Soulfly,
and things just snowballed from there.
Following a steady, yet upward trajectory, Chaoseum refined their
sound on albums such as Second Life (2020) - which also welcomed
new vocalist CK Smile - and The Third Eye (2022), constructing
their music in such a way to incorporate more cinematic elements
and soundscapes that have now become part of the band's signature
sound. That evolution continued on their most recent album, Life 4
Sale, which was released this year on September 19. HEAVY recently
sat down with CK Smile to find out more.
"This album has a completely different story," he measured,
deliberating over speaking English, "more than the previous album,
because I had to compose it completely alone. On the previous
album, we were two composers, the ex-guitar player and I. When he
quit the band, we had to find new members, and they had to learn
every song from the previous album. It was huge work because we had
to do some tours and many, many gigs so they didn't have time to
form the composition, so I decided to do it alone. It's different,
because I grew up in a nu metal era from 90s and early 2000s, and
you can hear on this album it's a little bit simpler, but that's
what I like. Plus, the lyrics are different too, because in the
previous album, I was mixing part of a true story, mixing with
something from my imagination for something more epic. This one is
more real. More personal, and so that meant that it was hard for me
to write that because I'm talking a lot about my past, and I have
many episodes from my past that were very complicated to live. For
some things, it's still a little bit complicated, but I deal with
it."
In the full interview, CK talks more about the writing and creative
process for Life 4 Sale and how it impacted the finished result. He
spoke about the darker nature on the previous album, The Third Eye
and if that flowed onto this record, plus opening up more in his
lyrics and how doing so was a difficult process.
He spoke about the emotions and atmosphere present in Chaoseum's
music and how difficult those features are to integrate into music,
how Chaoseum have expanded their sound since he joined the band,
how much growth the band have left in them musically and
more.


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