The Androgen is an industrial black metal project based in southern California. They have released two EPs thus far, both in 2020 – Insomnia and Words Are Knives – and are preparing to drop a new album entitled The Cave in 2024.
I was given the chance to have a conversation with front man Vincent Thorn. We discussed the project’s history, influences, writing/recording process, and more!
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Mostly Music: First and foremost, tell me about the formation of The Androgen.
Vincent Thorn: The formation of The Androgen is a long and drawn out story, with many twists and turns. But, to sum it up, the band has gone through three main stages thus far. Originally, the band was just me, then we had the introduction of its second permanent member, Angel Nightmare, and we cycle in other members for live performance.
The long story – When I lived in Culver City, California, I would do vocal covers in my room every day on a shitty little PA system. I had been doing that since I was thirteen. I am thirty-one now.
One day, far in my past, I came across a song called “I Am Halloween,” by Midnight Nightmare. The vocalist, Angel, had a YouTube channel, and I watched some of his stuff. Time flew by…
Then in 2018, I bumped into him at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood. He had just moved out to L.A. Crazy!!!
A year later, I was trying to put together a small underground show in Northridge, and I contacted my friend who I used to practice with when I was on the streets of L.A. (a whole other story). It was a crazy coincidence – he was in Midnight Nightmare, doing keyboards, and the band performed at the event.
After beers and many war stories, Angel would wind up helping me produce Insomnia, Words Are Knives, and the long-awaited third album, The Cave, and playing live guitar in the band.
MM: It sounds like lucky coincidences brought y’all together. That’s definitely one of the better stories I’ve heard behind a band’s formation. What’s the story behind the name “The Androgen”?
VT: The story behind the name is, an androgen is a human hormone in everyone, responsible for aggression, sexual behavior, and masculine and feminine traits. The point being a philosophical take on the humanity of the band and the reflection we provide of the public as a whole.
MM: Who are the band’s biggest influences?
VT: We at The Androgen listen to a lot of international music, mostly jazz, black metal, and aggrotech/industrial. There are too many bands to mention, but a few include Shining, Dark Fortress, Dir En Grey, Dissection, and Rose Funeral.
MM: And for you, personally, what was it that made you want to pursue a career in music? Was there any specific moment, such as hearing a certain song or discovering a particular artist/band, that made you think “That is what I want to do”?
VT: Well, I wouldn’t call it a “career” in music. Most artists work multiple 9 to 5 jobs to be able to afford the luxury of taking the stage and sharing their art. It is a struggle to get shows, but I enjoy every second onstage.
If there was one moment that made me want to do this, that is a hard one… a genuine hard one…
I wouldn’t say there was a certain song, but just like everyone else, I found an album at a low time in my life – Rose Funeral, The Resting Sonata, 2009 – and I decided to try to do that type of music as an outlet for severe anger that needed to be channelled from within myself.
MM: I know these types of things aren’t always explainable in words, but can you tell me why you think The Resting Sonata resonated so deeply with you?
VT: At the time I was sleeping on a park bench, and I used to go into the public library to listen to CDs on their computers. I eventually found an old CD player at a donation place to listen to it on repeat. The reason it resonated with me was, it was a challenging piece of art and I liked that. It was a new language musically that I had to learn, and it was like a gateway to a whole other genre of music.
MM: Switching gears just a bit, what is the writing process for The Androgen? From where do you draw most of your inspiration? (I know you mentioned channeling emotion, so I imagine that answer might be “from within.”)
VT: For Insomnia, I drew most of the lyrical writing from my experience living in Culver City, California. The EP alludes to fatalistic and defeatist ideals, referring to the city’s penchant for hedonism and overworking. The name of the EP refers to the way in which the city seems to never sleep, and I myself didn’t seem to get much sleep while living there. The guitars, synths, and drums are brainstormed in the studio by me and Angel. A typical song is usually created with a foundation of synth and guitar, followed by vocals and then finally drums and bass.
Words Are Knives was written at the very beginning of the lockdown, and was the band trying to push itself farther and is higher quality than what we had done before. The songs were more philosophical than anything else. The writing process remained the same, but we wanted to bring more polish.
The Cave is a testament to the band’s/my struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, depression, ostracization, homelessness, adoption, and disassociation. The name of the album is drawn from a sewer tunnel that between the years of 2011 and 2014 was the residence of myself and many others. Most of the lyrics, if not all, were written on random pieces of paper while living in those conditions that survived up until now.
The writing process is about the same as before with the instruments, but the mix is completely different and the mastering process is also more drawn out, using upgraded technology compared to the previous works.
The date of the release of The Cave is TBA at the moment.
MM: With the varied inspirations and approaches, do you have a track you’ve written that is your favorite? I almost hate asking that, since I imagine viewing your own art objectively might be a difficult thing. Lol.
VT: Yes. But the track is not released yet… It’s off the unreleased The Cave album. Stay tuned.
MM: You mentioned how much you love being onstage. What is your favorite thing about live shows?
VT: Overall, the best thing about live shows is that it is a rare opportunity to drop the mask of pragmatism and be more authentic; while performing I fancy myself an actor, so depending on how you look at it– jumping into another character, or dropping the mask and being myself. At least, I find, if done right.
MM: Piggybacking off that, what would be your dream tour lineup (that includes The Androgen, of course)?
VT: Dream lineup would be (in no particular order) – Dog Fashion Disco, That Handsome Devil, Igorrr, Pensées Noctournes, Watain, Shining, and Rose Funeral. And, obviously, The Androgen. I would love to open the show.
MM: In your dream lineup, The Androgen would open? I feel like that’s unusual; most artists want to be headliners. But I can see the benefit to playing first. (Now that I’m in my late 30s, the openers get all my energy. Lol.)
VT: As a band that has not paid their dues, as the other acts that I mentioned have, being able to play on the same stage, in this theoretical scenario, would be awesome for us. I’d love to be an opening act for a show with that lineup, and being an opener allows for the ability to watch all the other acts without the stress of having to prepare for your act.
MM: That makes sense. So I guess we’re nearing the end of our chat. I just have to ask, what are the band’s plans for 2024?
VT: We have a new single, “Awaiting the Apocalypse,” that is available for streaming, and a music video for it on YouTube as well. [We will release] the album, The Cave, but the date is still TBA. We also have multiple shows in September, and are working with various other bands in our industry to possibly bring more shows before then.
Thank you for the interview, it has been quite refreshing to have such a professional interview. And thank you for your time, and god speed in your future endeavors.
MM: Thank you so much for your time and patience! I look forward to all that is coming from The Androgen!
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Check out the latest single from The Androgen, “Awaiting the Apocalypse,” and be sure to follow them on all their socials so you never miss an update!
Mostly Music 