LOCAL METAL band Depressor hasn’t been together relatively long, but they’re already making their mark on Savannah and beyond. Perhaps that’s thanks, in part, to the acknowledgement they give the bands that paved the way for them in town within Savannah’s historically fruitful metal and hardcore scene. Whatever the reason they’re making waves, however, it’s the music that has been resonating with audiences.
The band most recently opened for The Black Dahlia Murder at Victory North, and turned heads with their debut album Callous in 2018. Their most recent release is a split EP with the band With Crows called Harm, and they’re currently working on new music. With no signs of slowing, the band is capping off the year with a show at The Sentient Bean, presented by AURA Fest, on Dec. 20. They’ll take the stage alongside Young Ghosts, Manhack, and Bragi.
Ahead of the show, we caught up with drummer Will Sapp.
How did you end up involved with Depressor?
I joined probably within four months of the band getting together. The music for our first album was already written, and they just expected me to do the drum parts. We released it in early 2018. So the band was already established by the time I was in. Our bassist, Lou, came in a little bit later, and he started taking over vocals after our singer’s departure.
From there, we released the Harm EP, and now we’re working on a full-length that should be out by mid-next year.
When you came into the picture, did you know the rest of the band well?
Yeah. Me, Ryan [Merica, guitar], and Brandon [Stark, guitar] were in a band called Awaken the Dawn before this band came to be. They came to me and told me that they wanted to keep doing music, and that’s how Depressor was formed.
In that early period, was there always a sound that everyone knew you were aiming for? Or was it more like you got together and played, and then figured out what the band was?
We always aimed for something that Savannah never had, which was kind of that over-the-top heavy type of music. A lot like The Acacia Strain or Spite—bands that we always looked up to. A band out of Savannah has never done that other than Vatican, but they’re more of a metalcore approach. We incorporated a lot of doom elements and stuff like that.
We pay homage to Savannah bands that have come and passed, though still taking a modern approach.
Since you joined while early songs were still in process, was there a particular song for you that solidified joining the band? One that made you know for sure that you wanted to be part of it?
I was still in high school, so personally I wasn’t even going to do it at first. Brandon came to me and said he needed a drummer, and I told him no. But I started thinking more and listening to the songs, and “It Breaks, It Tears” stood out to me. I just thought, “There’s no better way to do it than to just do it right now.” So I ended up telling them I’d start practicing with them, and it never stopped.
So you just decided to jump in.
Exactly. Just take the risk factor and dive head first. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love this.
How do you feel like what you’re working on differs from the first batch of songs?
We’re taking a lot of time on this record. We’re definitely taking a lot of inspiration from our home territory, so to speak. It’s the darkest material we’ve made, and definitely the heaviest material we’ve made. We’re taking a lot of inspiration from where we actually grew up and absorbing it.
There really is a history of heavier music here in Savannah, so it’s interesting to see the evolution of that scene.
Yeah, I’m really happy to see the Savannah hardcore scene coming back.
