Ask any member of death metal stalwarts Undeath what their influences are, and you might get a mixed response of bands from Cannibal Corpse to Bolt Thrower to Cryptopsy. But the overarching muse? Good old-fashioned cannabis.
Now, Undeath has a weed to call their own. Dubbed 'Necropolis,' the live-resin sugar extract is made in partnership with Broome County-based Blotter, a producer of cannabis concentrates, pre-rolls, and vaporizers. It will be available for sale at most licensed New York state dispensaries.
In Rochester, Necropolis will be available at Henrietta’s MJ Dispensary, the area’s only licensed and operating dispensary, beginning this weekend.
Undeath vocalist Alex Jones said the idea for the band to have its own branded cannabis was a joke they floated around for a while. Jones’s fiancée, Michelle Sason, a longtime worker in New York’s cannabis industry, had been working for Blotter. The joke then materialized into full production.
“I sort of soft-pitched the idea to her, not really expecting anything to come of it, and she was really excited about it, she pitched it to her boss, and he was really excited about it,” Jones said. “As they say, 'the rest is history,' and now we have Undeath weed.”
Necropolis is an Indica-leaning live resin sugar, a variety of cannabis concentrate made through a process which aims to capture the characteristic and flavor of fresh-cut flower. To do that, fresh buds are put through a freeze-extraction process, which aims to maintain all of the plant’s flavor compounds, or terpenes. The end result is a concentrated form of cannabis similar to the texture of sugar. Necropolis clocks in at 80% THC and sells for $56 per gram.
Jones first tried Necropolis while on tour with thrash metal giants Exodus earlier this month.
“(For) everybody who wasn’t driving, we would just fire it up and within minutes everyone was either asleep or blissfully staring out the window,” Jones said. “I would think that means it’s testing very well.”
Cannabis collaborations have become commonplace in the legal weed market, from Willie Nelson’s “Willie’s Reserve” line of flower and concentrates to Snoop Dogg’s “Leaf” line of products produced by Constellation Brands subsidiary Canopy Growth.
Undeath isn't the first upstate New York band to get their own bud —Buffalo-based rapper Benny the Butcher has his own signature strain through California-based Packwoods, dubbed 'Buffalato.'
Originally planned for a small run, Jones said a second, larger production of Necropolis is already underway due to high demand.
“If you’re in New York and it’s not at a dispensary near you, it will be soon,” he said.
Gino Fanelli is a reporter for WXXI/CITY.