DREADLINK Interview
Category: Interviews Published Date Written by Christine Hits: 166
Genre: Death/thrash metal
1. First of all I’d like you to fill us in on what’s happening in the DREADLINK camp at the moment.
DREADLINK / It’s vacation time in camp-DREADLINK at the moment. We’ve gone through some frantic months. First the recording of “Zero One”, than signing the deal with Massacre Records making this whole thing more and more professional, live gigs… it’s been a lot of work for everyone in the band.
2. What made you form a band of your own? What was your driving force and which were your influences?
DREADLINK / Well, we’ve all played in several bands before – some of us even together. After all, we thought it was about time to grow up and do something that leaves a footprint. DREADLINK was meant to be something special, more than “just another band”. We wanted to do something new, true and more professional without really leaving the underground metal scene… we think we did quite alright. We don’t have any special influences which makes the album interesting because we only cared for how good the song is, not if it really sounds like something or someone.
3. Can you present “Zero One” to our readers in a few words? Give them reasons to check it out.
DREADLINK / First of all “Zero One” is very raw. So if you like clinical multi-million dollar productions better don’t listen to it and shut the fuck up. “Zero One” just sounds fuckin’ brutal and was described as “music like heavy industry” but still has lot of melody and melancholy in it. In addition, we’ve made it a concept album telling very cynical stories about the errors of humanity.
4. Which are the elements you are most proud of in your music and which are the things you think you need to work more on?
DREADLINK / We are very proud of the album as a whole and of course very proud of the fact that we produced this long player with basically nothing. But looking back, we could have put some more time into its production – hopefully we can do that next time.
5. Why do you think you stand out from most metal bands out there? What do you believe you can offer to the metal scene?
DREADLINK / Metal has changed rapidly during the past ten or twenty years. We all grew up with 80s and 90s metal bands like SLAYER or PANTERA… these bands had something only a few bands still have today. Balls. A lot of modern bands seem to make music for themselves, their critics or some rich kids that listen to metal because it’s a fucking trend or something. We still live this 90s philosophy. We don’t care about any critics or trends. When we write a song it reflects all the anger we feel every day. That makes our music very special.
6. What kind of procedure do you follow when you compose songs? Do you have to be in a certain state of mind in order to perform the songs as you want?
DREADLINK / Yeah. We have to be pissed off! And we mostly are… and then we just let stuff happen. Usually someone comes up with a couple of mean riffs or ideas and then we start composing. Lyrics follow afterwards. We believe that there has to be a special connection between music and lyrics.
7. Which song or songs do you think are the most ideal to represent the whole album’s essence?
DREADLINK / Our songs are very different from each other. Maybe you should take a few more minutes and listen to all of them…
8. Which are your sources of inspiration when it comes to the lyrics? Which are the main topics you deal with?
DREADLINK / We are inspired by everyday life. Work, news, stuff we witness when we walk along the streets… life’s full of shit showing how stupid and unimportant humans are. The problem is that most think that our species is “the summit of creation”. The lyrics on “Zero One” revolve around that topic.
9. Why did you name the album “Zero One”? What do you want to express with this title?
DREADLINK / It’s our first album, so we’ve called it “Zero One”. Sure, it would have deserved a real name, but there are a million things on earth (even humans) that have or deserve a name and only have a number or barcode or whatever. Plus, it makes you ask questions like “Why did the band name the album “Zero One”?” That makes people think about it… good name for an album, eh?
10. Who created the cover artwork? How was it inspired and how is it connected to the album title and lyrics?
DREADLINK / Raffa, our singer, created the whole band artwork. Our colors have always been black and yellow and so it was logical to keep this design for the album as well. We all think he did a fantastic job! It is mainly inspired by the lyrics of “Zero One” (e.g. “Soulburn Industries” or “Haterpillar”).
11. Do you have any plans for live shows? How easy is it for you to play your songs live? Do you have to be in a certain state of mind in order to create the right atmosphere and feeling?
DREADLINK / There are some shows planned for 2013, but nothing confirmed yet… It’s quite hard to find good gigs for a newcomer band like us. Our songs are basically made to be played live that makes it easy for us. It gets a little complicated when we work with samples and have a shitty sound on stage… but that’s alright.
12. Have you made any video clips? With YouTube I think videos have started becoming a necessity for bands again. How helpful is the Internet?
DREADLINK / YouTube, Facebook, the whole fucking Internet has become a massive help for bands, especially newcomers. And yes… we have recorded a video which will hopefully be shown on YouTube in a few weeks!
13. What kind of feedback have you received thus far? Can you mention a comment, be it positive or negative, serious or funny, that impressed you?
DREADLINK / Some critics have written hilarious stuff about DREADLINK… but we don’t really care.
14. What do you want people to think when they listen to DREADLINK?
DREADLINK / We want them to feel something in the first place. Thinking comes second.
15. Germany is one of the most important cradles for heavy metal music and there’s an abundance of bands over there. How difficult does this situation make things for a newcoming band to stand out?
DREADLINK / Through the possibilities of the Internet it’s not harder to be a newcomer in Germany than anywhere else. Sure, there’s a huge competition but also a lot of opportunities!
16. Thank you! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
DREADLINK / Thank you for giving us the opportunity to present us at Behind The Veil! You guys do a great job and open a lot of doors for us! Cheers!
Christine Parastatidou