Dedication To Flesh

When the success of their 2019 album, The Root of All Evil, segued into the pandemic lockdown of 2020, California deathcore dealers Spite had plenty of time to plot their next move. “We had the opportunity to make this record really represent our live show, which is what makes people listen to us,” guitarist and primary songwriter Alex Tehrani tells Apple Music. As such, Tehrani stepped in as co-producer on Dedication to Flesh. “I had made some demos of a few songs, and the guys trusted me to take the reins,” he says. “You want the record to speak for itself, so we spent a lot of time on this one.”

The band—led by Tehrani and his brother, vocalist Darius—also wanted to settle a few scores, lyrically speaking. “This album is a direct retaliation to the way we’ve been put down for so long by our peers and other people who try to take shots at us,” Alex says. “But it’s a triumphant retaliation. It sounds dark—and it is, at times—but it’s very triumphant as well.” Below, he details each track.

“Lord of the Upside Down”
“Darius wrote the lyrics for that song. It’s an epic meltdown using apocalyptic language to describe the world falling apart in front of us, which is definitely relevant to the time. But I think it applies at all times as well. We didn’t intend for it to seem like a reference to Stranger Things.”

“Caved In”
“This is a very direct song—a shot at certain people that have kept us down, whether it’s taking money from us or just keeping us in the position that we’ve been in for a long time when we want to move forward. We’ve been a naive band in the past. You make moves that you think are in your best interest, and yet people that work around you are not doing that. This is us coming to the realization that we can’t take anything like that anymore.”

“Proper One”
“‘Proper One’ was a tough one to write. What I like about that song is that its musical content contradicts what the song is written about. It deals with the different dynamics of suicide. Sometimes there’s a selfish aspect to it—it’s hoping you hurt other people when you do this. How will they think of you afterwards? It’s super dark, but the song is catchy. It’s one of my favorite songs on the record.”

“Made to Please”
“Darius wrote this song. It’s from his personal experience, and I think it takes a direct shot at predators taking advantage of people. It’s about getting back at them in a hypothetical situation. Obviously, the language he uses is violent, but it goes with the song. It’s absolutely a revenge track.”

“Some Things You Should Know…”
“This is a song about what you wish you could do. A lot of the record was written while we were isolated [during the pandemic] and not spending time with a lot of people at all. You had time to dwell on all the things you wanted to do, like the stuff you wish you could do in certain situations. Even though you might not follow through with it, sometimes the things you think about are a lot worse.”

“Dedication to Flesh”
“This is personal to the band because it applies to all of us. It goes back to that triumphant retaliation I was talking about earlier. Certain lines of the song, like ‘Drew blood and hid the body together’—we’re just recognizing that we’ve eaten shit for a long time. But also getting together at the end and just never stopping. It sounds very cliché, but it’s written as a self-motivating song—something to carry us through.”

“The Most Ugly”
“This is a very personal song for me because it has a lot to do with my family dynamic. Not to go into too much detail, but you can grow up in a household and play heavy music—or any music in general—and it’s hard to convince people of what you’re doing. No matter how much or how well you do it, they might not get it or just don’t see a future in it. It’s about being sure of yourself regardless of what those people are thinking of you—but it’s going to hurt.”

“Fear”
“This is another hypothetical situation, but it’s very violent. It’s a mosh song for sure. The lyrical content is unnerving and makes your skin crawl. Again, it’s just some things that you wish you could do in, maybe, past experiences you’ve had with people.”

“The Son of Dawn”
“Darius also wrote that song. He has a very religious vocabulary when he’s writing, so a lot of it just sounds epic. It’s another post-apocalyptic song and very chanty. It’s meant to bring everyone together in the situation of just moving forward. It’s a triumphant song, and the biblical references make it larger than life.”

“Sounds for the Descent”
“This is an interlude into the next two songs. We had a lot of fun just creating a vibe to transition into the next two songs because we’re coming to the close of the record at this point. We wanted to give a break as well because the album is pretty relentless. It just gives you a chance to process the songs that you just heard.”

“Hangman”
“I wrote this one during one of the hardest points of lockdown, when I was watching everyone else go out on tour again. Our band spent a lot of time just sitting there and watching all that happen. We wanted to make all the right moves, but it was hard to see that. It was also a point where I had a lot of relationships falling apart, so the song became a very direct way of saying what was going on in my life.”

“Crumble”
“‘Crumble’ is for anybody who’s been ruined in a past relationship. It’s not a breakup song, but it’s kind of getting the lead out, saying things you wish you could say that the other person never got to hear.”