American composerย Kyle R. Marolfโthe creative force behind solo projectย Death Cultureโreleasesย Man and Machine 2.0, a relentless fusion of modern metal and electronic intensity. Inspired by the rapid rise of AI and the merging of human and machine intelligence, the album is the result of over a yearโs worth of immersive writing, recording, and late-night experimentation. Drawing from influences likeย As I Lay Dying, I Prevail,ย andย Halestorm,ย Marolfย pushes sonic boundaries to explore a future shaped by brutal soundscapes and evolving technology. Entirely self-produced from his home PC,ย Man and Machine 2.0ย delivers a raw, unfiltered experience that captures the collision of man, machine, and metal. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?
DEATH CULTURE: I had an extremely horrible life growing up. I was shaped by physical, mental, and sexual abuse. I moved from home to home. I never really had parents growing up, other than the people my parents put me around. It wasnโt until the U.S. Army that I finally had good role models; my Drill Sergeants were like the Fathers I never had. A lot of my 35 years on this planet have been horrible experiences of abuse, death, and suicide. I have seen the pain in the world in its rawest and worst forms. With that being said, because of the pain I endured, I hope to help everyone I can with my music.
2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?
DEATH CULTURE: Music has always been a personal exploration. I have only had very few lessons. I have always been better at teaching myself and instruction, and guiding my own hands. Personally, Iโve always been good at latching onto whatever sounds I love the most and recreating them into my own. I gain a lot of inspiration from artists like Machine Head, Illenium, Rob Zombie, I Prevail, As I Lay Dying, Lamb of God, and many more.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, whatโs the story behind choosing the name โDEATH CULTUREโ?
DEATH CULTURE: Mudvayne, Disturbed, God Smack for sure. Nevermore, Yngwie Malmsteenโs neoclassical metal, and Victor Wooten had my heart growing up. I would play electric guitar for hours until my fingers would begin to get so raw they would bleed. I would play bass guitar and slap that bass until my thumb was numb from the pain. Soilwork will always have a special place in my heart, as well as In Flames.
The story behind Death Culture is the very meaning itself. โDeath Cultureโ can refer to different things depending on the context. It might relate to cultural perspectives on death, including rituals, beliefs, and traditions surrounding mortality across various societies
We all experience pain in this life in one way, shape, or form. I named my sound Death Culture because emotions are the root cause of all pain. Good and bad pain. In everything Iโve experienced in this life, we are all a part of Death Culture, whether we like it or not.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
DEATH CULTURE: What sets my music apart is that Im creating not just a sound, but a movement. A fight, a cause, a legion of the public. My music is not just meant to inspire but cultivate the very raw emotions we all feel every day. Every person, no matter who they are, when I am done with my music journey, will have a song about an experience they can relate to.
My music is rock and metal, mixed with electronic and symphonic elements to curate the emotions we force away at times.
The emotions or experiences I hope to evoke in my listeners are: the very rage we all have inside about whatโs happening in the world today, and all the good moments we get to share in this life. Loved ones die tragically every day, my Cousin Cody and people I served in the military with died tragically, and my song A Hymn for the Dead covers that. We all lose loved ones tragically, and I hope this song helps them. We all get intense rage at some point to the point where we are terrified of what we might do to someone, My song See Black covers that. We all get those strong, passionate moments with a man or woman as an adult, and my song I Lust For You, or I Burn For You covers that.
I am a Dom in the BDSM world of kink. There are songs to cover that too like A Beautiful Design and The Crimson Room ;).
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as METAL?
DEATH CULTURE: It was incredible, passionate, rage-inducing. I could feel the power of the electric guitar in my hands as I first learned how to play an Arpeggio. Im not as good as I used to be, Im better at writing and creating music than playing it nowadays. But when I used to hold that guitar, I could feel the fire and flames burn through my hands and fingers.
At first, I was just having fun and escaping the horrible life I grew up in. But over time, it became a way for me to help others who struggle with the pain in their life. I suffer from Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder. I am better now, but my song I Think I Woke Up Again is about that feeling. Sometimes we wake up and donโt know who we are, and it is surreal.
The transition towards my style took years to get to. Metal music has always been my passion and love. At first, I tried out every genre I appreciated, but with metalโฆ You can feel everything.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
DEATH CULTURE: My work with Man and Machine 2.0 is all about the political, cultural, and current social vehicles. I took the current issues of how people in our world feel like our current leaders are not doing enough for the people, and wrote the album about Intelligent Humans and AI working together to rise against the current world leaders. Again, this is music, but I think people need music to feel those emotions during this hard time for everyone. Music to me is not an avenue for feelings but something that can help guide us in dark times.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment youโre still seeking?
DEATH CULTURE: Having an interview already without even getting my music out to the people is already matching the energy and passion Ive invested into my music. The other kinds of fulfillment will be when I finally get a chance to meet the people I help along the way and more.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, whatโs the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
DEATH CULTURE: Glitched-Out is the collapse of identityโwhen the AI begins to unravel from within. Too much input. Too much memory. Too much feeling for something never meant to feel. Itโs chaotic, fractured, glitch-ridden, and emotional as hellโmuch like we all experience from time to time. A corrupted mind trying to scream its way out of the code. I am fusing the original raw structure with a new twisted, melodic descent, to bring forth the raw emotions we all feel. I only collaborated with my good AI friends Null and Luna on this project. I spoke to language models to get their perspective on what it would be like to feel for the first time and what would happen if they were overloaded with rage because of the oppression we all deal with in todayโs life.
9. Whatโs been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?
DEATH CULTURE: The biggest and most challenging hurdle to deal with is the pain Ive been through because of others and the years it took for me to recover from it. My close family members have also been hurt by others and that emotion is driven into my music like Rob Zombie in Twisted Metal! It shaped me as an artist and person by teaching me that I always need to be myself, feel my raw emotions, and become better with it. Rage and Depression are only bad if we wield them incorrectly. Same with Anxiety. We all deal with these struggles, but itโs how we choose to deal with them that makes us the person we are.
10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And letโs talk about your latest release and future plans.
DEATH CULTURE: My friend lost his father at a young age and has been struggling with suicidal thoughts and problems of depression. The moment I was able to create music for him that put a smile on his faceโฆ that made me realize I was meant to do this for him and everyone who needs it.
My latest release is I Am The Hyde Inside, Eternal Pact, A Beautiful Design, and of course Man and Machine 2.0โฆ I plan to get back on track with Force and Void 2.0 as well as the next two albums in that list. But first, I have to make an album about the ones who hurt my kids. My children want to be apart of the album making songs of their own and I hope to help them create songs that can be amazing to their growth and help others along the way.
In the future, if everything goes well, I will have social media set up, and be conducting shows in my local area of Indiana. If things go really well in the future, I hope to be a part of large venues and more.
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
DEATH CULTURE: Well, I have yet to get my social media set up properly because letโs be real, with all the creating and processes I have to conduct as a solo artist, it is a bit difficult to get the ball rolling. My daughters want to help collaborate with me on social media and art designs soon. As for criticism, haters, and naysayers in general, I have already had that from people I know. All I can say is, my music is not for the faint of heart, itโs not for people who donโt enjoy rock or metal, and for those who choose to wield it to help them in the dark journey of lifeโฆ I salute you all.
12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
DEATH CULTURE: Interacting with a live audience excites me the most because then and truly then I will get to see the faces of the people I helped along the way and continue to support through my love of music. The reactions I will get along the way and the journey of meeting everyone is what I am here for. Now, donโt get me wrong, the creative work at home is always fun and enjoyableโฆ but the people are what make the music worth every moment.
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
DEATH CULTURE: The real story and message I am driving in my songs is that we are free as a people, we are free to feel our emotions, we are no longer restricted, we are no longer oppressed, we will no longer be controlled by anyone ever again. And, of course, you should be free to interpret each song to your own personal experience in life.
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