19th June, 2023
Your last single, The Grim, was released back in 2021. Can fans expect some new music this year?
Yes, if it’s not out by the time this Q&A drops already it won’t be far away!
How would you personally describe your band’s sound?
It’s definitely gotten harder to in recent years with newer members coming in and adding new elements. Somewhere in the realm of Death Metal for this new upcoming material for sure.
Why heavy music? What is it about this style and sound that attracts you to it?
The immense force of it compared to the listening experience of other genres was the most immediate attraction.
How did you first discover and get into metal?
Slipknot’s self-titled 1st record.
Who were/ are your music heroes?
Early musical idols were/ still are:
Matt Heafy (Trivium)
Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom)
Willie Adler (Lamb of God)
Mick Thompson (Slipknot)
Joe Haley (Psycroptic)
Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold)
Was there a defining moment that made you decide to play guitar?
It was a pretty snap decision shortly after listening to heavy music for the first time. it’s somehow stuck ever since.
How did The Absolution Sequence form?
As a college band under a different name, we then played our first show under Abso at the start of 2014.
How did you learn to play guitar? Formal lessons, self-taught, online?
Had fairly regular lessons for my first 10 years of playing.
What guitarists inspire you these days?
Josh Middleton (Sylosis)
David Davidson (Revocation)
How often do you get to practice with the band?
Almost weekly when shows are coming up or when new material needs to be learnt (like now!)
How often do you practice guitar? Is it playing along to songs, working on specific techniques, etc…?
Probably not as often as I should, but a guitar gets picked up every few days. Practice is a good mix of all the above.
How are your band’s songs conceived?
Riffs usually come first, we’ll then work out arrangements together in person as well as on our own.
What artists, old or new, are you listening to currently?
Sylosis are staple, but have been listening to a fair bit of Counterparts, and Bleed From Within lately too.
What have been some of your most memorable shows to date?
Direct support for Thy Art is Murder in 2022 by a landslide, followed by multiple sold out shows with Psycroptic in 2021, and then opening for Northlane across multiple shows in 2020.
Who’s your bucket list artist to tour with?
Keeping it Australian: Psycroptic is a pretty easy answer!
Any pre-show rituals?
I will usually spin Lamb of God’s “Sacrament” record front to back before most shows.
Favourite venues to play, and why?
The Brisbane Hotel(RIP) in Hobart, as we practically grew up
there like a lot of bands from our era did.
What’s the last show you saw that you weren’t playing at?
Knife Hands 10 Year Anniversary show in Hobart.
Favourite show you’ve been to?
Crystal Lake in Sydney at the start of 2020. Best live band, period.
What do you do in your free time? Any other hobbies outside of music?
The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG takes up way more of my time than I care to admit.
Favourite holiday destination?
Melbourne.
What new bands should people check out that deserve some recognition?
Viscera, Despite Exile, Herod, Irist, and Ophidian I
Specifically, what gear do you play?
All ESP guitars, both at home and onstage. Neural DSP Quad Cortex for live tones where we are using captures/ profiles of the EVH 5150 III Stealth Amplifier. My ESP E-II M-II 7 sees the most consistent use as it feels like a good all rounder. Lately though, I’ve gravitated to the ESP E-II M-II 7B for recording and live use just for the tuning convenience and consistency the Evertune Bridge provides.
What would a Stephen Cusato signature guitar look like?
Would look/have similar hardware to the production model ESP’S I have already mentioned, just with a 26.5 scale length, a recessed TOM bridge and it’d probably have some sort of red finish!
Thoughts on U18 venues/gigs?
Definitely more integral to the longevity of the heavy music scene than people probably stop to think about. I hope we see an uptick in bands putting such shows on, moving forward.
Cats – lovable family members or Satan’s spawn?
Cats are fine, definitely a dog person though.
What does the rest of 2023 have in store for The Absolution Sequence?
New music soon for sure. We will also be hitting NSW with Orpheus Omega, Triple Kill and a bunch of other sick bands on Sept 3rd! Past there, we will be on the grind to play outside of Tasmania as often as possible.
Stephen Cusato : @phtevengustavo
The Absolution Sequence : @theabsolutionsequence