Edge of the Abyss: Calva Louise on Crafting a Sci-Fi Epic in Sound and Story
Sci-fi metal with DIY drive: Calva Louise break boundaries
Few bands feel like they’re creating an entire universe with every release. Even fewer manage to do so while completely embedded in a fiercely DIY spirit. But with Edge of the Abyss, the latest album from UK-based, globally-born alt-metal trio Calva Louise, the band doesn’t just expand their sonic and visual storytelling—they set the ground ablaze and build a galaxy on top of it.
I had the chance to sit down with bassist Alizon Taho and drummer Ben Parker just ahead of the release of Edge of the Abyss, a record that’s not only their most ambitious to date but arguably one of the most exciting heavy alt records of the year. We talked about the band’s multi-national roots, the evolution of their sound, and the meticulous DIY work that goes into both their narrative music videos and homegrown recording sessions. If you're new to the Calva Louise Universe, buckle in.
Your band has a bit of a unique origin story. Can you walk us through how Calva Louise came together?
"So it starts with Jess. Jess grew up in Venezuela. And so she started making music, playing music, making music, writing songs, and kind of started wanting to go to England, you know, because there was so many influences from England, you know, like in the music that we listened to, I mean, that she was listening to. So her dad's French and so when she was 16 she moved to France... and she ended up in my school so that's where I'm from the north of France Normandy and then we were in class together when we were 17 and we just connected straight away..."
Ben continues: "So we met at a venue called The Underbelly in Hoxton in London and yeah we just made friends there on that night... we exchanged information and she called me up one day and asked me to help out with some drums on some demos... and then it kind of went from there really... I grew up in New Zealand and then moved to London with them when I was about 15."
Culturally and linguistically, what was that transition like for you?
“Pretty much... fortunately Jess could still speak [English]... she was doing the networking... I had to just pick it up straight away because I just had to find like a job... I was feeding furniture, people’s places... I used to go on Google Translate and write scripts before calling people... most of the time it didn’t go as planned.”
The new album is your heaviest and most cinematic work yet. Was that intentional or just where things naturally headed?
“Yeah, it definitely felt very natural. Jess has been working on her vocals for a long time and now she can do those crazy screams. And yeah, it just felt right... There’s no boundaries in terms of creativity. There’s no telling what Jess is going to come up with next... I feel like Jess is now at a place where she is unrestricted and she can write whatever she feels like and that’s great.”
Compared to 2023’s Over the Threshold, what changed in the process of making Edge of the Abyss?
“Over the Threshold was a mixtape because it was built little by little, song after song... For this album, we had the chance to work with Gareth McGrillen from Pendulum and Knife Party... He co-wrote two songs on the record with Jess and co-produced and co-mixed as well... We recorded everything at home like before, but Gareth really helped us get the most out of our situation.”
Ben adds, “Funny enough the process was still quite... fragmented... We had to go on tour in between. Jess was in the middle of recording... Gareth was also on tour at points... sometimes we had to get up in the middle of the night because Gareth was somewhere in the world, you know, playing and then he had a couple hours free.”
You’ve built an entire visual world to accompany this album. What’s the storyline behind Edge of the Abyss?
“There is the real world and the people in the real world actually have a double in a different world that is superposed to this world just in a different layer... Every character has a very different journey on that path. For this record, we see Louise which is the main character... people are unaware they have a double until there is a connection... For this record, we go back in the 90s to [a character named Johnny] when he was young to see why and how he ended up as an older commander in the fractal world.”
All your videos are DIY but they don’t look it—how do you pull this off?
“It’s always been born from necessity... We spent all the music video budget from our previous record deal on a camera. That’s what we’ve been doing ever since. Jess directs the videos. We shoot with our friends, build props in the garage... Jess takes the footage and she edits it all and puts all the VFX just on her own... upstairs. She’ll spend weeks just working away.”
Which track is each of your favorites from the album right now and why?
“I think first one was Aimless... it flows in between so many different vibes while still being cohesive... Recently I think it was Hate In Me that I'm the most excited about right now... but I’m sure it will change.”
Ben says, “For me, live, I think Tunnel Vision is probably one of my favorite songs to play... It’s great fun. I thought Hate In Me would be more difficult, but it’s not as bad as I thought... and it’s great.”
What do you hope people get out of Edge of the Abyss when they hear it?
“I would really like people to listen to the album, enjoy it, come to the shows... If people find anything to relate to, any kind of energy to uplift any part of their life, then that’s a win.”
So what’s next for Calva Louise after this release?
“We’re actually off to the US for a month in September... we’ll be doing West Coast, Midwest and East Coast We love playing in the US. It’s always so much fun.”
Calva Louise’s Edge of the Abyss is more than a record; it’s a portal to another world. Whether it’s the multilingual vocal delivery, the blistering musical shifts, or the interwoven sci-fi narrative Jess began as a 10-year-old in Venezuela, this band delivers their vision with poignancy and conviction. With stadium-sized ambition, punk grit, and DIY resourcefulness, they’ve carved out a sound and a story uniquely their own.
Edge of the Abyss is out now on Mascot Records. For more on Calva Louise, tour dates, and a front row seat to the multiverse, visit calvalouise.com and join the band’s active Discord community. Calva Louise will also be supporting Stray From The Path in their final tour of Europe.
Follow and support the podcast:
thepowerlesspod.com
linktr.ee/thepowerlesspod