English
Diving deep into the macabre and cinematic realms of horror, Heads for the Dead returns with their latest album, Never Ending Night Of Terror. Known for their unique fusion of death metal and chilling storytelling, the band takes listeners on an immersive journey where each track embodies the spirit of a classic horror film. In this exclusive Metal Invader interview, we explore the inspirations behind the album, the creative process, and how the band continues to evolve their sound and visual identity. Join us as we uncover the dark heart of Heads for the Dead’s most ambitious release yet.
Hello and welcome to Metal Invader! What was the initial inspiration behind “Never Ending Night Of Terror”? How did the concept develop throughout the writing process?
Thank you! As always, the inspiration for Heads for the dead is horror and then some more horror. We had a clear picture of what we wanted to achieve with this album, so the process was to capture that in music and lyrics as well as the visual aspect.
Can you describe the central themes or stories explored in the album’s lyrics? Is there an overarching narrative?
Each song is based of a horror movie, but rather than just writing a typical death metal lyric around it, Ralf tells a story about the movie, in a way that captures you and brings you an intimate view of the movie. We always pick movies that we enjoy ourselves, and we always watch them to get in the right mood for the creation of the album.
How does this album differ musically and lyrically from your previous releases?
What we have done with Heads is to push the sound that makes us what we are even further. We hone and develop our skills to be able to tell these horror stories through our music in a better and better way. In a way it is the natural evolution of our sound.
How did the songwriting process work this time? Did you write together as a band or individually?
The album was written by me, which is something that follows all our albums. But Matt again added some really good solos that elevated the songs to a whole new level. The way he manages to incorporate his ideas to the songs is always mind-blowing to me.
What musical influences shaped “Never Ending Night Of Terror”? Were there any unexpected inspirations outside metal?
We usually never have death metal or even metal as inspiration for our songs. We build the songs around the cinematic aspects. However, death metal is in our souls, it is what we dedicated our lives to, so that part comes naturally as we write riffs to infuse with the cinematic horror movie parts.
The album artwork is very striking; can you tell us about the concept behind it and the artist involved?
I have a horror mask that hangs on my wall. We have used it a little bit previously in band photos, but we wanted to incorporate it into the soul of the band. So, we started look at artist to make this concept come true. We spent quite some time to fins the right artist, and finally we realized after seeing the artwork for Sub-Basement by Pentagram and Exhumed Information by Fulci that Solo Macello would be perfect for us.
How important is the visual aspect to the overall experience of “Never Ending Night Of Terror”?
It is super important; it is all part of the horror experience. We are not simply just a death metal band, the overall aspect of horror and cinematic visual elements bleeds through everything we do. If you look at old horror movies, they always had super cool posters, and often different artwork depending on what country the movie was released in. They spent a lot of time to make sure it wasn’t just a movie, but also all the aspects around it.
Are there plans to perform these new songs live soon? How do you envision them coming across on stage?
No plans as of yet. It would be cool to do them live, but to come back to the previous question about the visual aspect, that would have to be in the live show as well. We could for example play a show with a screen in the back playing horror movie clips, while the only thing of us you see is the silhouette.
Do you feel the energy of this album translates differently in a live setting compared to the studio versions?
I don’t think it will. Especially if it is done right, the haunting feel of the songs will translate well to the stage.
After this release, what’s next for Heads for the Dead — more touring, new recordings, collaborations, or something else?
I have started to write some new songs, but they are in very early stages yet. Other than that, we will continue to promote the new album in every way we can.
Looking back at your journey as a band, where do you see “Never Ending Night Of Terror” fitting into your legacy?
I think each album has the correct spot in our history, “Never Ending Night Of Terror” is exactly the album we wanted to make, and that to me shines through in the music. We are very proud of what we have created, and the journey that got us here. We are just getting started and we will continue to spread horror and metal our own way for many years to come.
The closing is yours.
Thank you for a great interview. We have just started to build up a new own bandcamp page on which you can also get some exclusive merchandise etc.! Feel free to have a look at:
headsforthedeadofficial.bandcamp.com
And if you like Death Metal in the extremely rotten way then have our band ROTPIT on your map, too.
Finally thanks to all people supporting the metal underground, horns up to you! Keep up the horror!
