Outlying are a melodic death metal trio from Trois-Rivières, an old industrial city in Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2007 by Fred A. Dubeau, Outlying have shared stages with acts such as The Agonist, Augury, and Mass Murder Messiah, and they appeared at Trois-Rivières Metalfest in 2015.
With Oblivisci, they’re putting a full-length back on the table while also moving with the pace of the current landscape, rolling out songs like “November” and “Pitch Black Serum” along the way. In the interview below, Dubeau talks about the years between albums, writing across distance, and the themes that sit at the centre of the record, from addiction’s cycles to trust, betrayal, and the cost of being naïve.
“A lot of people don’t even make albums anymore. They record singles and EPs because it fits the streaming format better. Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth writing albums.”
You started in 2003 under the name The Curse of Angels. What pushed you to rename the band, and what part of the original idea is still there now?
Fred A. Dubeau: That was when we were very young and still in high school. The band doesn’t really have much to do with what we were back then. I just thought Outlying was a better name, simpler and catchier.
Your sound gets described as thrash/black metal early on, then melodic death metal later. What actually drove that shift for you, and how did it change the way you write songs?
I’m not sure that’s accurate, to be honest. I saw that on a well-known metal website, but I actually think we have more thrash and black metal elements in our music nowadays than we did back then. I do think we’ve improved the way we write music, even if our process is still very similar.
There’s a long stretch between Frameworks for Repression (2016) and Oblivisci (2025). What was happening during that gap, and what finally made you commit to finishing a full-length again?
A lot happened. Personal issues, like line-up changes, immigration issues, addiction problems, money problems, and so on. It also feels like the music industry has changed. A lot of people don’t even make albums anymore. They record singles and EPs because it fits the streaming format better. Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth writing albums.
On Oblivisci, it’s basically the two of you building the whole thing, with you handling guitars, vocals and bass. How does that setup shape the decisions you make when a song is still in pieces?
For part of the writing process, yes, it was only two of us. For a couple of years, our drummer was in France, so we shared tablature files through an online drive. I also tend to write the drums when I write a song, and sometimes Frenchy came up with keyboard parts that I’d turn into guitar riffs.
“We weren’t familiar with the concept of releasing singles before an album. It was the first time we ever did it.”
You put “November” and “Pitch-Black Serum” out as singles before the album. What did releasing those tracks early do to your confidence, your standards, and your pace?
We weren’t familiar with the concept of releasing singles before an album. It was the first time we ever did it. We should do it more in the future, because it fits how many people listen now, and it also creates a bit of anticipation.
The record ends with the three-part “Dreamless Nights” run. What’s the thread across those parts, and how did you decide where one part ends and the next begins?
The length of the tracks came naturally. The trilogy is about addiction. It’s about struggling in life, trying to escape with alcohol and/or drugs, and then realising it creates more problems in the end. It’s about the cycle you get sucked into.
Your themes lean into personal struggle and society. When you look back at a track like “Streets of Rats and Vultures”, what real-life scene or feeling were you trying to pin down?
“Vultures” is about trust and betrayal. Sometimes there are people you think you can trust, but in the end they’re there to backstab you. It’s about being careful, and trying not to be naive.
Get Oblivisci and the rest of Outlying’s catalogue on Bandcamp.
