Fuming Mouth has certainly succeeded in death metal’s surface level aspects – titanic riffs, dismal subject matter, and so on. However, what really sets them – and all good death metal – apart is their deep and sincere approach to songwriting and sense of melody. It’s a formula that worked for the genre pioneers Death as well.
Like Death’s founder Schuldiner, Fuming Mouth vocalist and guitarist Mark Whelan has had an uncomfortable brush with death following a cancer diagnosis. The result is a record where the vocals feel raw, immediate, and even desperately gripping, yet the record is incredibly heavy and also ridiculously hooky and catchy for what is ultimately straightforward death metal.
We spoke with Whelan about how they hit this ultimate blend on their latest album, Last Day of Sun, out now via Nuclear Blast.
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What was the writing and recording process like this time around on Last Day Of Sun?
This is Fuming Mouth’s second full-length album, and it really started right when we released our first record. We wanted to dig into our roots and tap into bands like Nirvana, Carnage, Nihilist from Sweden, and old-school American death metal with bigger metal production, more melodic sections, more guitar solos, and bigger, heavier riffs.
And throughout the process, I got diagnosed with cancer, so it was really slow. It slowed everything down, but that also allowed us to work on those ideas even more. And now, years later, the album is finally out.
I know, I heard about that. It’s good that you had something to work on to keep you busy during all that.
It was nice because I was focusing so much on my guitar playing, and even though I wish this was done a little sooner, I really got to flesh things out.
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently because I also play death metal, and my father recently passed away from cancer. So I’m curious how having this big heavy thing on your shoulders that made the “death” in death metal seem more real affected the creation of this album.
It’s definitely true that some more serious elements of death got highlighted, but I can confidently say our most vile, disgusting, putrid songs came from that experience, songs like “Rest in Piss.” It’s almost morbidly funny.
And personally, when it comes to your dad, to a loved one going through cancer, it’s so much different than going through that yourself. Sometimes I look at my girl or my family members or friends, and I almost feel like they went through more than I went through, if that makes sense. So, from my perspective, it’s more like all these disgusting things I’ve had to go through and disgusting things are happening to me. That’s what I was seeing, so that’s what I was writing about. But then I did write some songs, like “Kill the Disease, which was so much more serious and, while being morbid, was about being strong and fighting back.
The record was obviously made under duress and has a lot of heavy themes as a result of that. But we have to ask—Are there plans in the works for a third record already?
We’ve been focusing on touring on this record, and there’s some solid plans for 2024 tours as well, so we’re going to focus on that. But there will definitely be a third album.
Is there anything else specifically you’d like to add while reflecting on the record overall, or to anyone who has enjoyed the record?
I would say, listen to our influences; don’t just listen to modern death metal or metal that is super trendy or currently cool. Entombed is one of the greatest death metal bands of all time, and so is Morbid Angel, Incantation, Carcass. So listen to our influences. Don’t just listen to what’s going on right now.
Just because something is really hyped up right now, it doesn’t mean that’s not your thing, or that your thing won’t turn into a trendy thing right now. So just listen to all metal, including our influences, and listen to your heart when it comes to metal.
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Last Day of Sun released November 3rd, 2023 via Nuclear Blast.
