Non-Divine delivers an impressive comeback with Eyeball, a metal jam packed with heavy beats and grooves that immediately piques the listener’s attention. The project, developed by the Dutchman Ivor van Beek, uses a powerful riff, melodic guitar playing and strong vocals, in an aggressive and memorable manner. The song kicks off with a lot of energetic drumming and some rapid-fire guitar riffs that establish a gloomy and intense atmosphere.
The balance between raw metal energy and unsettling atmosphere is what truly makes Eyeball.Eyeball is really a balance between raw metal energy and unsettling atmosphere. It’s not just about going fast or aggressively. Instead, it gradually crouches on the surface of the tension and the diligent pace, and the haunting calmness. The voices are particularly strong, ranging between control and intensity and never losing the feeling or effect.
The theme of the song is even deeper. In the upcoming album Alters, Eyeball delves into the idea of broken identity and dangerous certainty with the character of Dr. Chill. This psychological advantage imparts a sinister character to the song that remains in the listener’s mind even after its conclusion.
Eyeball is Non-Divine’s comeback after a reflex of polished production and a visually striking video by Very Metal Art, it’s clear that it’s definitely worth the wait and is a promising new chapter in the lives of the project.
In a recent interview he shed more light on”Eyeball” his music career and what goes into music making
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Non-Divine, what’s the main feel of “Eyeball,” and how does it start the Alters album?
The main feel of Eyeball is a spooky tense dystopic atmosphere. It has a steady groove which slightly reminds me of a Rob Zombie groove. There are heavy A-tuned riffs, punchy distorted bass, a choir and heavy distorted vocals. There is also a vocoder voice that adds more ominous atmosphere. Yet the composition is very melodic with a wah solo and twin solo.
“Eyeball” is the first single ahead of the “Alters” album. It won’t start the album. At this point I don’t know on which place of the album “Eyeball” will be.
What idea sparked Dr. Chill and his lobotomy cult in “Eyeball”?
I used to word with working lyrics. That means I fill up the lyrics with some words that sound good. Eventually the lyrics will write itself. I came up with the start sentence “There’s something heading for your eyeball”. Later I made up the whole concept album idea of “Alters” about a psychiatric patient with the diagnose of dissociative identity disorder (D.I.D) in which every song of the album will be an alter of the patient. I then came up with the idea of the alter Dr. Chill who is into lobotomy; the main subject of “Eyeball”. It fits in perfectly well.
How did you create “Eyeball” to match the patient’s mood swings?
The patient’s mood swings depend on the alter that is leading. When Dr. Chill leads the system is in need of a dominant leading alter who inspires people. Also, the patient is able to escape from reality and hide in this fantasy world.
What did mastering with Jacob Hansen add to “Eyeball”?
It added clarity, power, aggression, and just all perfect frequencies a mastering needs. When I decided to make the album “Alters” when I re-entered as a musician in January 2023, I made two demos from which “Eyeball” was one of them. I was happy with my own conclusion that I was able to make this album from scratch but needed a good mastering from a producer at the end. Jacob Hansen recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered the Non-Divine debut “Asylum 45” which was released worldwide in 2007 by Rusty Cage Records. So, I asked him to work with Non-Divine again which was bullseye for me. In my opinion it couldn’t sound any better.
What’s the story behind Dr. Chill, the leader who gives out fake lobotomies?
Dr. Chill is one of the alters of the patient who is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The patient is one of the psychiatric patients of the fictive psychiatric hospital “Asylum 45”, which was the debut album title of Non-Divine. On that album every song has a patient telling his or her story. The patient from “Alters” is an “Asylum 45” patient.
Dr. Chill is a medical, political overlord. He thinks he had lobotomy in the past. He believes it made him relaxed and a better person. He also believes therefore other people should have lobotomy too. He thinks he is a doctor that gives lobotomy to other people. Giving lots of other people lobotomy would create a new social class of people who are better, and more peaceful than other people. This new social class should unite and separate themselves from the depraved society like a cult. He feels like he is the leader of his imaginary patients. It is interesting that the main character has identities, and this alter leads imaginary patients.
How do the artwork and video make “Eyeball” more creepy?
The artwork, video, logo and icon are done by Andy Pilkington of Very Metal Art (Motörhead, Judas Priest, Opeth, Flotsam and Jetsam, Skindred). We had much communication on how to make the alters visible. I think he has done a great job creating the first alter “Dr. Chill”.
Dr. Chill looks tough, confident, and commands respect and obedience. He wears an uniform that is partly medical and military. On his leather belt he wears medical instruments to perform the lobotomy. His old and dirty clothing makes it extra creepy and far from clinical. No one wants lobotomy and getting a lobotomy from Dr. Chill would be extra creepy.
This creepy feeling is also perfectly performed in the “Eyeball” video.
How does “Eyeball” set up the rest of Alters?
“Eyeball” will be the creepy track. That’s what it does. That is how it differs. It also behaves like a low-A-tuned heavy mid-tempo song. The vocoder adds more body to its authenticity.
The songs from the debut album “Asylum 45” all differ. Eventually all comes together on the album. Every song tells a story. The music and lyrics match the atmosphere. I can tell that “Alters” behaves the same. You will experience yourself in another world in each song.
Any fun or hard moments making Dr. Chill’s sound?
“Eyeball” is a song that basically wrote itself musically and lyrically. If all songs could be created this easily, I would be very happy. So, I can call that fun for sure. The vocoder I came up with later. What I had in my head was exactly what you hear. Hardest moment (which was basically not that hard at all) was rewriting the main chorus lead vocals. I changed them because I experienced the vocals that were on the track earlier pretty lame. Also fun moment was creating the synths. They work out very well and add a creepy dystopic feeling that enters from the intro immediately. A good beginning is half the work you might say.
Why is “Eyeball” a great single for fans?
“Eyeball” is a great single for fans because it’s groovy, danceable, melodic, fresh, spooky, creepy, and a great introduction for more to come. It also tells a great creepy story about lobotomy, a nice subject to start with.
What’s next—shows or full Alters release?
The “Eyeball” single is ahead of the “Alters album. That means that the album is not finished but already has a single released. I chose “Eyeball” from six songs that are totally ready. Next up is writing the “Alters” second half. Currently two new songs are ready in pre-production. Twelve songs are planned for the “Alters” album. When I have six new songs, I will do the recording and mixing. At the end I make sure 12 songs are equally sounding and mixed. This is only regarding the writing, recording and mixing process. Next up after that will be a lot, and too much to mention for now.
