Apparitional are a doom/goth rock band from Orange County, California featuring members of They Feed At Night, The Returners, The Writhers, etc. I am always on the prowl for dark bands that don’t sound like much else, and I have struck oil with this pool of SoCal horror-leaning acts.
I sat down with both drummer Rikk R Treat and guitarist/vocalist Rik (yes) to discuss the band, the local scene and more. You can read more below.
How/when did Apparitional form?
(Rikk R Treat): Rik and I have been friends for quite a while and last year (2023) we started discussing starting a project together. Originally, I don’t think it was going to be a gothic doom project, but it morphed that way through our mutual influences. Fortunately, he knows a lot more bands in that style than I do so I have been able to pick his brain to find new bands and influences.
(Rik): Yeah, I’m not sure how or when it pivoted to the current style, I know we wanted to do something with a very stark, gothic feel. I think when I sat down to actually write what ended up being the first song, “Unhallowed,” it turned out a bit heavier than I originally envisioned and I sort of just leaned into it. I think it was around the time I turned Rikk on to Poisonblack, so I think we were both in that state of mind.
How would you describe your sound?
(Rikk R Treat): I would describe us as a mixture of goth rock, doom metal and '90s hardcore.
(Rik): I don’t think the hardcore aspect of the music is intentional, it’s nice to break up the pace of the song to something that hits a little harder but I see it more of a feature than a component.
If I were a better musician, I would try to write in more of an atmospheric or doomgaze style, but as it stands it’s a bit more straight-forward heavy gothic doom.
Let's talk a bit more about influences.
(Rikk R Treat): A few of my biggest influences for this project are HIM, Type O Negative, and hardcore bands like Strife. I think my current obsession with “gothic hard rock” like HIM and Lacrimas Profundere has helped me feel okay with “4 on the floor”-style drumming which I think I typically stray away from in The Writhers.
I think bands like Strife, while having heavy parts, are also a bit more simple for impact compared to the metalcore I grew up with in the MySpace days (that I quite frankly don’t have the double pedal chops to attempt to emulate).
(Rik): With the music, I initially really wanted it to have an ethereal, reverb-washed sound, I was listening to Faetooth, Iress, Sylvaine, and Emma Ruth Rundle constantly at the time. When it came down to it, I just pulled from some of my all-time favorites like Type O Negative as Rikk mentioned, but also Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Sinamore, Darkseed, Poisonblack, and some newer bands like Deathwhite and Unto Others.
My paganism plays a heavy role in the creation of the lyrics. I try to make them interpretable in two ways; symbolically, through the lens of spiritual connection with (or in most cases disconnection from) the natural world, and our tangible relationship with ourselves; acceptance, depression, and loss.
How have others described your sound?
(Rikk R Treat): “Goth-laden doomcore with deathrock undertones. You can spinkick in a mausoleum and light a candle to this.” Which is really what I hope people get from this project.
(Rik): I have heard comparisons made to Life of Agony, which I did not expect but won’t argue with.
What other bands have you all played in?
(Rikk R Treat): I currently play in The Writhers, but I think for this project I am drawing more inspiration from some old projects of mine - They Feed at Night, and JXV. The former being a sludgey deathrock band and the latter being more on the metalcore/hardcore punk side of things.
(Rik): My other band is the Returners, which just sounds like a faster version of Apparitional, but I guess Apparitional is the slow, heavy version of the Returners.
What are some bands from your area you’d recommend?
(Rik): If you like deathrock, check out the Wraith and Shrouds!
What are Apparitional's touring/show plans for now?
(Rikk R Treat): We played our first show at the end of August and have another one booked in Los Angeles for November 2nd. I have a few bands I would like to play with in San Diego but nothing has been planned yet. Aside from that, we are focusing more on getting more music out.
What are some current bands you’d like to share the stage with?
(Rikk R Treat): I would like to play with bigger acts such as 69 eyes and touring acts like Frayle, Iress and Faetooth but also would really like to share the stage with our friends in The Wraith, Our Frankenstein, Woods Witch.
(Rik): For sure Frayle, Iress, and Faetooth. I haven’t seen Frayle or Faetooth live yet but I have all their records, I’ve seen Iress and I have a feeling they are going to be huge. Other than that, probably Unto Others, Nothing, Hoaxed, Kaelan Mikla, or Myrkyr.
Any final thoughts to share here?
(Rik): Rikk told me not to be pretentious… and I have failed.
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Photos by Robert Barnett and Samantha Gonnella.
Apparitional on social media: Facebook | Instagram
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