Ελληνικά
Canadian deathsters Kataklysm found time in the middle of their summer festival live acts and will be appearing together with Cannibal Corpse and Loudblast on July 26 and 27 in Athens and Thessaloniki. At the same time they are about to unleash their new record “Of Ghosts and Gods”. For all this stuff and lots of others they spoke to Metal Invader. Check it out!!!
Hey guys! How are you doing lately?
Doing great! Feeling on top of the world lately. So much going on with the band and in my personal life, it’s exciting times for me.
Your new album “Of Ghosts and Gods” will be out in late July. How are the final preparations going?
There’s lots of press and promo things going on everyday but the best part for me is to prepare for the upcoming live shows. We will be playing 18 open air festivals this summer all over Europe and a couple shows in Greece with our friends in Cannibal Corpse. Pretty stoked about that!
If you like, give us a brief explanation of the album’s title and concept behind the tracks.
Mostly for me it represents the eternal conflict science vs religion through the years. We worship gods, but really we are just passing living organisms on this earth. Better make the best out of our existence and the time we have. There are lots of different subjects we are going deep into in this record, but that’s the main idea.
What can you say about the time you spent in the studio and the recording / mixing process?
We took this album very seriously from the start. Spent a lot of time writing and arranging the songs. We recorded in 3 different locations. We did the Drums at Pirate studio deep in the woods of Northern Quebec, Canada, guitars were done in my own JFD Studio in Texas. Vocals with Mark Lewis in Florida. Then sent everything to the UK for a mix with Andy Sneap. Lots of traveling and effort into the whole process but you can really hear it when you press play, from start to finish. Everyone gave their 200% on this one. I’m really proud of the boys.
Are there any unusual additions in the album that weren’t featured in your recent previous records? What should a Kataklysm fan expect from it?
It’s a strong Kataklysm album with all the elements you like from the band. Everything is there, but we also took a lot of weird left and right turn and took things to a new level with a lot outside the box and surprise elements. It’s a fun record to listen too and when you get to the end and absorb it all, you just want to hit play again and listen to the whole thing again.
You’ve been in Nuclear Blast, one of the biggest metal labels in the world, from the very start (meaning your debut full length). Two decades later, what can you say about your collaboration?
Very happy to be working with them still. They are our family sort of speak. They give us full artistic freedom and always believe in what we do. Very proud to work with a label like them.
Is it difficult for a band to stay active for 20+ years? Were there any hard times in the past where you considered splitting up?
Like anything in life there is always lots of ups and downs but see for us. Music is a passion and it’s just what we do. I live it everyday and I don’t see it any other way. Eventually a time will come when it’s not gonna be possible to maybe tour as much and stuff but for now we are here to stay and go full force into it.
What’s the composing process of the band and how much emphasis do you guys give on the lyrics, vocals and instrumentation?
We take the song writing very seriously and everything is of importance. The guitar riffs, the drum beats, the songs arrangements. At the end of the day, the music is what matters lyrics and vocal delivery included. It’s who we are as a band. The live shows are obviously very important too but without good music none of it matters.
How do you balance the busy schedule of a musician (playing live shows, recording albums) with your personal lives and the time devoted to your families?
I think scheduling your life as a musician / parent /family is an art in itself hahaha! But you get to master it when you’ve been in this business as long as we have. It’s important to make room to appreciate all the aspects of life. I’m still learning how to do that and live the moment.
Do you prefer the era of modern death metal or the early days back in the 90’s?
I feel the level of musicianship as improved a lot since the early days. I do notice that I find the newer bands should pay attention more to the song writing. I feel writing good songs got lost a bit along the way and at the expense of performing better at your instruments.
Are there any newcomer bands today that you admire?
I like to watch new bands that are opening up the shows and discover new talent. It’s nice to see the younger generation keeping up the flame and the passion for this genre of music. There are a few good talented bands out there coming up.
Are Kataklysm’s influences purely metal, or death metal specifically?
We listen to so many different kind of music, and I’m super open- minded. If you go look on spottily, each of us made playlist of what we listen to for those interested. As for myself, I grew up on things like Iron Maiden & Pantera but I also love Radiohead, Deftones, and guys like William Elliot Witmore, Howling Wolf, Lorena Mckennit.
I guess there are plans for touring in order to promote “Of Ghosts and Gods”. What are some of the countries you’re planning to visit?
We have lots of plans. Europe is first with all the summer open airs, then North America in October/November starting at Knotfest. Europe again in January/Feb then the rest of the world, Asia, South America/ South Africa. Looking forward to it all!
Is there any advice you veterans could give to new metal bands trying to get their names out there today? Do you think it’s easier to be recognized in the metal world today than it was 20 years ago?
I think it’s easier to get noticed in today’s age with the internet and all the social networks in place but it’s getting really hard for new artist to actually make a career out of playing music. I feel we got lucky on that level because it was still something possible to reach back when we started. I guess I hope in someways we can inspire people to try and make it. I think it takes the Iron will and giving all you’ve got to do so nowdays.
I once traded Moonspell’s Memorial for Kataklysm’s Prevail. Do you approve? Hahaha…
Hehe, Moonspell is a good band in my book, they do their own thing and its working well for them. But thank you for doing that! 🙂 Approved!
Thanks for your time, comments are yours!
Cheers!
