Emerging from Louisville’s vibrant metal scene, REDIVIDER has quickly made a name for themselves with a sound that’s both brutal and meticulously crafted. Founded in 2021 by lead guitarist Paul Nunavath and vocalist Jacob Spencer, the band blends relentless aggression with intricate songwriting, drawing inspiration from death metal pioneers like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Death—yet forging a distinct identity all their own. Their debut full-length, Sounds of Malice, delves into themes of death, decay, mythology, and high fantasy, delivering a cohesive narrative across tracks that range from crushingly heavy to introspectively melodic. With an approach that combines technical precision, storytelling, and live-performance energy, REDIVIDER has already begun turning heads in the underground scene.

By Sandra Pinto

In this exclusive interview, Paul Nunavath shares insights into the creation of Sounds of Malice, the band’s songwriting process, the influences that shape their sound, and what lies ahead for REDIVIDER as they continue to push the boundaries of death metal.

Sounds of Malice is your debut full-length. How does it feel to release such an intense and mature album at this stage in your career?
I am very excited about the release and absolutely thrilled to share it with everyone. This marks a very important milestone for REDIVIDER and I.

Although the album doesn’t follow a strict concept, there’s a clear narrative about death, mythology, and decay. How did you ensure cohesion across the tracks?
The musical ideas and technique follow a strict framework to project dark and aggressive themes in music. Intricacy melded with simplicity was the recipe.

Songs like Quartered and Devoured and Fratricide draw inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons and Elder Scrolls. How important is fantasy to your songwriting and imagery?
The lyrical concept inspired off of high fantasy isn’t explicitly conveyed in most of the lyrics. It’s all open to interpretation and that is one of the things I absolutely love about Jacob’s work. The ideas do help during the initial creative process of visualization.

Shackled to Existence is your longest, most introspective track. How did you balance slower, melodic passages with extreme intensity?
I believe that naturally came from years of playing songs by ‘Death’ and my true admiration for Chuck Schuldiner.

The instrumental Bask in the Rot is slow and crushing, reflecting its grotesque theme. How did writing a track around Jacob Spencer’s vocal rhythm shape the composition?
It was a lot of fun and also challenging to create an interesting thick layer of sound around the vocal pattern without mimicking. Jacob’s ideas helped shape the grimy and rawness my riffs project in this song and also helped with the overall structure.

How did REDIVIDER come together in 2021, and what was your initial vision for the band’s sound?
Jacob, Travis (ex-bassist) and I were in another project and we jammed a few times but that ended up dying. Late winter of 2020, I reached out to Jacob and he quickly resonated with the idea of writing Death Metal music with me. The vision we had was to create music that is driving and aggressive; paired with subtle intricacy. Naturally we had Travis on Bass and then early 2021 we recruited guitarist Jake Atha and Tyler Lewis (ex-Drummer).

You cite influences like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Death, and Gorguts. How did you build your own identity without simply copying these legends?
Those influences are embedded into my playing style and it was quite the task to create our own identity. But the mindset of viewing that as a strength and self-awareness were important for the writing process.

What does your songwriting process look like, do riffs, lyrical ideas, or live jam sessions come first?
Death metal has a lot of rhythmic value and I imagine drums and time signatures when writing riffs. Lyrical ideas help me visualize the atmosphere I intend to create.

The album was recorded at two studios and mixed by Paul Nunavath. How was the experience of producing your own sound?
We overcame a few obstacles that hindered the production at first and it taught us a lesson or two. In my books there is no room for cutting corners and we cannot compromise with the weight and character we wanted to bring to the table. So I took over the mixing duties. Producing on our own gave us freedom to make some well informed decisions. Also we are extremely happy with the transparent mastering of the album, by the legend Mr. Dan Swano, who took it to the next level.

Many songs explore death, decay, addiction, and ritual. How autobiographical are the lyrics, and how much is purely fantastical?
None of the lyrics are autobiographical or shared experiences of any of the band members. Lyrically all songs are inspired from high fantasy. Jacob Spencer aspires to be an excellent story teller like Ronnie James Dio.

Sounds of Malice is both brutal and structured. How do you balance sonic aggression with lyrical storytelling?
That’s deep and a huge challenge and I’m still learning how to effectively strike that balance. However, for this album, we’ve been successful in focusing on tension when building the atmosphere.

Is there a track that most directly reflects your state of mind while writing the album?
Hard to pick one. But if I must, it will be the title track ‘Sounds of Malice’.

You wrote the album with live performance in mind. What kind of reaction do you hope to see from audiences on stage?
We hope to exchange the intensity and energy of our music with our audience. Rage with us and show us how it makes you feel. We have a killer scene for Metal in Louisville and our shows here get pretty rowdy to say the least.

How does the band prepare to translate the album’s intensity to a live setting? Do any parts of the record change or adapt when performed live?
We rehearse all parts exactly as they’re written and recorded. Our live performances of these songs do not deviate from that. The only changes we make for live is that we stack up some songs and play them back to back or sometimes change the order to keep things interesting.

The album has already gained underground recognition. What are your expectations for future tours and sharing the stage with bands like Creeping Death or Crypta?
We would absolutely love that. Considering our busy schedules and day jobs, we planned on short runs and play shows all over the continental US. Definitely interested in bringing live performances to our new fans in Europe and beyond.

Now that the album is out, what are REDIVIDER’s next steps? Are you already thinking about ideas for a second album?
Already in the kitchen cooking up some new material for the next album. Can’t wait to share it with everyone.

Do you plan to continue exploring the connection between fantasy storytelling and death metal in future releases?
Yes, we absolutely love the idea of a conceptually rich material that is open to interpretation.

How do you see the band evolving musically and conceptually in the coming years?
I envision pushing the boundaries and our abilities individually to create music that everyone can relate to. Looking forward to more albums that are rich in musical value and stay true to the core foundation of Death Metal.

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