Rocket Shop 7/20/2011: Oraculum

Words by John Powell. Photo by Jim Lockridge.

“I’m Quinten with an ‘e’,” says Quinten with an ‘e’, pointing to his bandmate. “He’s Quintin with an ‘i’.” Quintin plays rhythm guitar and Quinten plays drums. With them is lead guitarist Cade, and they’re one half of industrial metal band Oraculum. Their sound is amped up by addition of keys. “I think that sets us apart,” says Quinten. This past winter they did a Burlington tour, playing 242 Main, Higher Ground, the Monkey House, and other nearby venues.

“I think it’s hard for our sound,” says Cade, “because we’re about the message, not the money. Venues asks, ‘How many Facebook friends do you have? How many likes?” For Oraculum, it’s all about the message. “It’s a new mindset,” Cade adds. “It’s about opening up. We’re all human. It’s a revolution but it’s not a violent revolution.”

Quinten chimes in, “It’s a mental one.” Oraculum often uses politics as a metaphor for social hierarchy. “It’s like high school,” says, Quintin. “You have the president. He’s the popular one. You also have the independent, who is the outsider.”

The band has a demo out, but is working on an album. Quintin laughs. “I didn’t know about that until now. I’m psyched.” All night, guests in the studio paused to listen in as their songs were played on air. “I don’t normally like music like this,” said one, “but this is super interesting.” So are the guys in Oraculum, as they continue to discuss “positive message through negative sound.”