By Tom Sundgren
As Inanimate Existence kicks off their North American tour in the Sacramento area, guitarist and vocalist Cameron Porras sat down with Tom Sundgren of Capital Chaos TV to talk about the band’s new album Clockwork, the challenges of touring, and the metaphysical and psychedelic themes behind their music.
The new album just came out today. So the tour goes until June, right? Like, end of June?
Yeah, it does. We’ve got a bunch of bands joining us, too. It sort of changes as we go. We’ve got Flub for the first leg, then when we go to Canada, I Am Forest comes in, and later Warforged joins us — plus a lot of other sick bands.
Are there any certain dates you’re really looking forward to, or places you’ve never been?
I’m just stoked to get to Canada, ‘cause we’ve only ever been there for like four days at a time. This will be the first time we spend a solid month there, so we’ll see a lot of new places. I’m excited to get a deeper feel for it. I’ve always loved going to Canada — the shows usually have better turnouts and people are really into metal there.
Are you guys playing in Montreal?
Oh yeah. We’re playing Montreal, Quebec City, and a bunch of random places in between. I think the first one is Vancouver.
Have you been to Kelowna? I’ve heard that scene’s really good.
Yeah, they definitely show up and go hard over there — it’s pretty fun.
So, the new album Clockwork dropped today — amazing record. I noticed it’s even more technical than the last one — more clean guitars, more presence. Want to talk about the sound or lyrical themes? What’s new?
Yeah, it’s definitely more technical. The last CD was our first time as a three-piece, so we wanted to make it really playable since it was my first time handling both vocals and guitar. I didn’t want to overdo it, so those songs were a lot easier.
After playing them live, I realized what I was capable of, so this time I wanted to push myself — turn it up a notch. On the last tours, I could drink and still pull it off, but now I really have to be on point. It’s a different vibe — tighter and more focused.
Lyrically, is it still metaphysical?
Yeah, definitely. It’s not a full concept story this time like before. I’ve always tried to put my essence into the lyrics through the story, but it wasn’t always personal. This time, some songs are directly about things that happened in my life — maybe exaggerated for the sake of the song — but definitely more personal.
And yeah, some riffs and lyrics repeat intentionally. There’s deeper meaning behind that, and I’ll probably do a little write-up later explaining the nuances.
Random question — you guys are on the road a lot, which means a lot of gas station food. What’s your go-to snack?
Lately, I’ve been trying to be healthier. Right now I’ve got a backpack full of beef jerky, granola, and dried fruit — basically car food. Sometimes we hit Taco Bell more than I’d like, but I try to stay mindful. Being on the road this long, eating unhealthy just adds more stress. I drink a lot of water and sparkling water instead of soda.
Good move — though those late-night drives can be rough. Do you ever cave for an energy drink?
Yeah, sometimes — if I need a little buzz to keep driving. But I try to be conscious about it. Having snacks ready helps for those 2 a.m. stretches when nothing’s open.
When you’re not driving, what do you do to pass time? Movies, books, music?
Yeah, I’ve got my laptop. I watch a lot of old-school Simpsons — like seasons 6 through 10. Stuff I’ve seen a million times but still love. Recently, Scott got some N64 USB controllers, so we’ve been playing Smash Bros and NFL Blitz on emulators.
Nice. Back to lyrics — you’ve always had those spiritual and metaphysical themes. Songs like “Formula of Spores” and “Psychedelics” really touch on that. Are you guys into psychedelics personally?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve done my fair share — LSD, mushrooms, and even DMT. Around the time we were coming up with the band idea, I tried DMT, and it completely changed my perspective. It wasn’t crazy in a violent way — it was otherworldly, profound. That experience inspired a lot of what Inanimate Existence became.
That makes sense — the music and art totally reflect that. I heard you mention microdosing earlier?
Yeah, actually while writing this album, I microdosed mushrooms for about two weeks — like a little bit each morning. I think that’s why the lyrics came out so introspective and personal. It worked really well. I’ve found microdosing helps with depression and resets your mindset. Full trips can be great too, but they take time, so microdosing is more practical for most people.
Yeah, California and Oregon are even moving toward legalization.
Exactly. I think it’s medicinal — not for everyone, but definitely worth exploring if it feels right.
So what’s an underrated band right now — maybe in or outside the metal scene — that deserves more attention?
Tough one. I really like our label mates. Warforged is killer — we’re touring with them, and I’d love to do a run with Inferi or Odious Construct. They’re all different enough but on the same page musically. That’d be a great Artisan Era tour.
Yeah, Warforged’s new album is incredible.
Totally. Their music has so much atmosphere and vibe. Not many bands have that special something, but they do.
Any dream festivals or future plans?
Cameron:
I just want to tour overseas — Europe, Japan, anywhere. That’s the ultimate goal: travel, experience the world, and make music.
Any big bands you’d love to open for?
Playing with Behemoth would be amazing. We already opened for Dying Fetus, which was awesome. Honestly, sharing the stage with any of the bands I looked up to in high school would be a huge accomplishment.
Are you looking to add more members, or staying a three-piece?
For now, three works well. I handle most of the writing, Scott brings killer bass lines, and Ron’s great with structure and drums. Too many cooks can slow things down. But we did just add a fourth guitarist for live shows, so we’ll see where it goes.
Anything you’d like to say to the fans?
Yeah — thank you to everyone who’s checked out the new CD. To anyone who hasn’t, give it a listen. It’s my favorite thing we’ve done — the best we’ve ever sounded.
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