Xiphoid Dementia interview: ‘Some Bastardization Of Personal And Spiritual Apocalypse’
Xiphoid Dementia
Egan Budd founded Xiphoid Dementia in 1999, carving out a unique space within the underground Electronic music scene. Over the years, the American artist has developed a rich sonic palette, blending diverse influences into a sound that is as aggressive as it is Cinematic. While his work is rooted in Industrial and Power-Electronics, it extends far beyond genre boundaries—drawing listeners into immersive and often emotionally intense soundscapes. His latest album, “Spiral Rapture Holy War”, released on Aufnahme + Wiedergabe, stands as his most fully realized work to date. Mature, dynamic, and conceptually striking, the album forms a powerful bridge between the raw aggression of early Industrial and the layered complexity of modern Experimental and Industrial Electronics. With this landmark release as the backdrop, I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Egan about the project, his creative process, and the evolution of Xiphoid Dementia. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Xiphoid Dementia was started more than a quarter-century ago and has since released many productions. How do you look back on this journey? What have been the highs and lows, and what keeps the creative flame alive to continue pushing the project forward?
Egan: I get high from just being creative. Getting time alone to write music and make something is honestly enough for me but I’ve had a great time playing shows with other amazing and inspiring artists and touring as well. My favorite part what I do though is just being alone and writing new music and getting releases out there. As far as low points just putting in effort and not having something to show for it whether it’s a shitty show or spending hours in the studio smashing my head against the wall. Both of these happen less these days though.
What pushes the project forward is just striving to write music that I want to hear and that I feel like there needs to be more of out there.
Q: When I listen to your latest album, “Spiral Rapture Holy War”, I notice an evolution in sounds and
composition rather than a shift in influences. How do you perceive the project’s evolution in relation to your
own growth and development as a musician?
Egan: I think I’ve done a lot of honing my taste and deciding what Xiphoid Dementia isn’t striving to be. I still have a tendency to add too many elements sometimes but I’ve gotten much better at recognizing what’s not working and stripping out elements that aren’t needed.
Q: Could you tell us a bit more about this latest album? What was the driving force and which influences
inspired this rather dystopian work, and how did you translate those ideas into sound and music?
Egan: Taking inspiration from a cringey thing that happens to many people around the time they hit 40: the midlife crisis haha. But more importantly fully understanding with your entire being that you and everyone you know will die and what that means. Essentially it means we all go through our own personal apocalypse whether we are a king or criminal; and so this is some bastardization of personal and spiritual apocalypse. It’s the first in a set of albums exploring the elements of the apocalypse: War, Disease, Famine, & Death.
Q: What was your modus operandi when composing this album? Do you notice any particular evolutions or
differences compared to your previous works?
Egan: The concepts propel the composition and although I probably composed roughly half of it before I had full realized the concept I already knew the aesthetic and spiritual direction I wanted to take the project. I think in broad strokes of sound and then when I sit down to compose I fill in the details. I think the main evolution in the composition is that I studied orchestration a lot in the last few years and it’s been essential for me to apply those practices to a heavier and more abstract form.
Q: Some parts of your new album remind me of the earlier Industrial style, which you skillfully blend with
more contemporary influences. How do you view this yourself, and what does ‘vintage’ Industrial mean to
you? Are there any particular projects or artists you hold in high regard?
Egan: Most definitely I think vintage Industrial and more contemporary artists that are inspired by that sound is the aspect of Industrial that I appreciate the most.
Of the more classic variety some of my top artists are SPK, Sutcliffe Jugend, In Slaughter Natives, Megaptera, Brighter Death Now & Mz.412. Of the more contemporary would be Moral Order, Matriarch Roots, Karjalan Sissit, Sophia, Theologian… the list is long, heh.
Q: I’m very fascinated by your versatility. Besides Xiphoid Dementia, I also discovered you as a member of Headstone Brigade, which sounds completely different. How do you explain this eclecticism? And what does the future hold for both projects?
Egan: Well Headstone Brigade is my Neo-Folk project which is an offshoot of the Industrial genre traditionally so there is a link there whether or not it is apparent. But I started the project because Xiphoid Dementia is more cerebral and existential and therefore a specific mood and headspace. I’m not always a super dark person – though I will gleefully blast Atrax Morgue while driving on a sunny summer day – so I wanted another project where I could express different kinds of emotions. I also wanted a more cathartic musical experience so playing the accordion in a Folk band scratches that itch.
I have a ton of ideas and very little time to work on music but I’m consistent and dedicated so I manage to get some records out every few years and keep up with playing shows often enough. With Xiphoid Dementia I am playing Slab Fest (https://slabfestnh.com/) in Manchester, New Hampshire as an unofficial record release show and I hope to continue work on the Apocalypse series with the next installment being disease. With Headstone Brigade I have written a whole new album but nothing recorded yet so lots of work to do on that front.
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