Tattoo Talk: Cognizance Bassist Philip Archbold Talks Castles, Bong Moths, and His Future Ink

We recently spoke, via email, with Philip Archbold, bassist for the up-and-coming metal band, Cognizance. Founded in 2012 in Yorkshire, England, Cognizance is a melodic death metal/technical metal group who will pummel you into submission with their hypnotic beasts of beats (see “The Succession of Flesh” for example). The group has a new EP, _Inceptum, coming soon, so what better time than now to talk tattoos!? Right!?

When, where and what was your first tattoo?
Archbold: A real shitty star on my ankle when I was 18 haha, I have a skin condition and got it as a tester to see if my skin could even handle ink. It’s covered by a grim fandango tat now tho for all you OG Lucas arts gamers out there.

Do any of your tattoos have a particularly special meaning behind them? If so, do share man!
Archbold: I guess when I started getting tattooed they did, like “oh I’ll get this for my dad, this to commemorate this day, etc.” then I just got to a point – after getting tattooed more regularly where I thought, “fuck it that’s gnarly let’s go with that!” Haha.

Do you have a specific shop or artist that you frequent (insert shameless plug time!)?
Archbold: I personally go to see my guys Dave Simpson at Cock-a-snook, Newcastle and Lewis Parkin at Northside Tattooz, Newcastle – quite regularly. Alex and Henry frequent the guys at Sacred Electric Tattoos in Leeds too. We dig travelling to different places to get tattooed too though, Henry and I recently got work done by Toby Gawler and Matt Houston at Salon Serpent, Amsterdam and that was awesome. They were great guys and amazing artists!

Do you have any new tattoos planned or underway? Give us the dirt dude!
Archbold: I’m currently getting a medieval castle piece done by Lewis Parkin – Northside Tattooz (picture attached) this is gonna tie my sleeve off so I’m pumped to get this finished up.

We know you have one… tell us about that stoned/drunken joke-tattoo you once got.
Archbold: Yeah man, I have a bong moth tattooed on me so you know… I just really like weed man, I’m drawn to it like a moth is light, so I got a fuckin’ bong moth tat like whatsup?! Haha.

Check out the song “The Succession of Flesh”