Downlord
Wywiad przeprowadził Wouter Roemers
Downlord is one of the more interesting death metal acts to come out of Denmark since quite some time. Having a lineage to such renowned acts as Bolt Thrower/Benediction, Iniquity and Sacrificial it was only a matter of time before the word would get out to the world. Since Iniquity called it a day quite some considerable time ago, seeing ex-members resurface in this act was bound to pique my interest. After listening to the band's "Demo II" recording there was no doubt that some great things can be expected from Downlord. Talking to us is vocalist/frontman Dave Ingram, who many of us will surely remember from his time in legendary UK death metal acts Benediction and Bolt Thrower.
Hi! Thanks for taking time out to talk to us. How's everything in the Downlord camp for the moment?
No problem, a big thanks to you for doing this interview with us! It's appreciated greatly by us all! It's damn busy for us right now! A few weeks ago we began the 3rd recording project (making scratch tracks of the next songs we'll be doing in our studio) and about 3 hours ago we heard that the drummer we were going to use - Rasmus Schmidt, the original member who played on the first demo - may not be able to make the sessions. D'oh! Well, it's a little up in the air at the moment, until we can get to talk to him about it. But it's not going to stop us by any means! We're forging on with the tracks and continuing to look for a fulltime skin-basher! We have no fears. I just spoke with a guy who's going to drop in to chat with us next week, and we'll see how he is and if he's able to play our stuff. Full updates will be available on our website shortly!
Well, since you are fairly "new" to the scene - can you give us a brief history of how the band got formed?
Rene Falther (guitar) started the project off under the name Full Scale Hatred, and asked me if I'd be interested in doing vocals. I took along my long-time buddy and partner-in-sound-crime Donovan Spenceley and it exploded from there. This was back in late 2004, though the songs weren't ready for me to come along and start gargling over them for several months. There were a couple of line-up changes along the way, as well as a name change too since we weren't 100% happy with Full Scale Hatred. These are things which happen as a new band settles in but now things are going at full throttle....even if the drum position is temporarily vacant! The first demo was completed in 2005, then there was an "unstable" period of chaos surrounding us (more on that later) but we soon got back on track...now we're going with the flow....with a vengeance.
With a lineage in ancestral death metal bands as Bolt Thrower/Benediction, Iniquity and Sacrificial the expectations towards the band are understandably high - do you feel any pressure whatsoever from the outside from press, labels and fans alike?
No, none at all. We'll ALWAYS go at our own pace, and in the style that we want. If there's something we're doing that we don't like we'll drop it and focus ourselves and our energies onto that which we DO want. Also, we'd never bow to outside pressure just to make something commercial. That would be betraying ourselves.
In the very beginning Iniquity drummer Jesper Frost had some involvement in Downlord as well - but he no longer participates in the band as is now. What was the reason for his brief stint with the band - was he a hired gun, just helping a few friends out?
Actually, Jesper wasn't the initial drummer, that was Rasmus. Jesper came in with us in 2005 as his other project was on hold for a while, so it was to help us out, like you say, as a hired gun. He's a fantastic drummer, and a good friend. Butt ugly, too! When his other project kicked off again, he went back with them, and we really needed a full-time 100% dedicated person. This was the "chaotic" period I spoke of before. We're happy with how things are at the moment. There's no pressure, and a little more space in the studio too!
During your time with Benediction the lyrics dealt with horror, serial killers and more in reality rooted social-critic subjects. With Bolt Thrower you convincingly adapted to their well-known war/conflict based themes. What kind of issues does Downlord tackle, lyrically?
Mostly about life in general. Since I was ill some years ago - hence my departure from Bolt Thrower - I took stock of life and made several changes to it. These are part of the subjects I write about presently. For example: the song 'Hate Brace' is about the struggle with mental illness I had (and is dedicated to my psychiatrist!) Another track 'Loathe. Scorn. Detest' relates my feelings towards people I knew MANY years ago who I now see as complete fucking hypocrites. There's also tracks that have the "unreality" theme from my past, such as 'Nailing You In' which concerns a psychopathic mortician. There's a lot of tracks still waiting to be done, with a lot more bizarre subject to cover. I'm also helped out by Donovan with lyrics, as he wrote a few of the songs we're doing on the next demo. They're tracks that he & Rene recorded together when they had a project going called XSV PAYBACK a couple of years ago.
On the official site there are a few pictures of the band hanging out with folks like Mads Haarlov (ex-Iniquity, Strangler) - will Haarlov do a vocal appearance on the forthcoming Downlord record?
There's no plans for any guest vocalists as yet, but who knows? If there was anyone I'd like to get screaming on our stuff then it's Mads! I was in a band with him in '98 for a few months called DESERT MOUTH, a project we did together with some other friends. Somewhere I have a demo on cassette...I'll have to get it transferred to digital and put it online! Its a bit death 'n roll.... and very much inspired by beer & Abcess!
Danish producer Tue Madsen is currently the most sought after person for pristine extreme metal productions. Yet you didn't record anything in Antfarm Studios in Aarhus. Why is that exactly, as a DIY statement against all those trendy bands recording there?
It was simply because we (or rather, Donovan) has all the resources necessary here at the studio. When you have got the technology, why go to some trendy place that everyone else does? Why be a sheep and follow the herd? That's NOT my nature. We prefer to have as much control over what we do as possible, and with each session we learn so much more.
Reno Killeriich is doing session drums on "Demo II" - to what extent will you continue to use his services? His track record includes work for Panzerchrist, Vile, Dimmu Borgir, Exmortem, Hate Eternal and the likes. Is he a temporary solution until you find a dedicated skinsman?
I doubt we'll get to use Reno again for a while as he's just got the Hate Eternal tour to do, plus he has another 2 bands (I think) to work with afterwards, so he's busy for quite a while. Obviously, it's a shame for us but it's SO great for him. It was great working with him, his playing is so precise and powerful. He most certainly is one of the most talented drummers out there!
How are the press and fan reactions to "Demo II" - are they living up to expectations?
More than! It's been nothing but positive feedback from the moment we put it out on the site!! I get a lot of emails via our website (www.downlord.dk) and they've all been giving us a good feeling that we're doing something right! We personally think that maybe the guitars aren't quite loud enough in the mix, but - again - that's just something else we've learned through the process. Now we know more for next time round.
Can you tell us something about the full length that's currently in pre-production?
It's not actually a full-length, as we have no deal yet. One thing we're planning to suggest to labels is....we pay for the recording process ourselves (it's minimal, as we have all we need here at the studio) and maybe even fund the mixing of the album with a professional producer. We're more than willing to do it that way round, to get our music more known around the world. So please, spread the word!
For obvious reasons, you were recently invited to as a direct support for UK death metal veterans Bolt Thrower on the Scandinavian dates of the second leg of their "Those Still Loyal" European tour. Have these appearances stirred up some label interests for the band?
Bolt Thrower contacted us just at the right time, as we'd not long finished the 2nd demo and we didn't want things to slow down. It was a golden opportunity to test this band out live, and it worked real well. It was Rasmus Schmidt who returned to the drum stool for these shows, and it felt like he'd never really been away. It didn't stir up "label interest" as such, but word will get around, I'm sure. It did get us some more fans, friends and allies, so that was an added bonus. Plus, we met up with some other bands from Sweden that we may well ask to come play with us in the future. A great time was had by all of us!!
How was it seeing the folks of Bolt Thrower again? You did one album and a few tours with them after your time in the equally legendary UK death metal act Benediction. Never felt like storming the stage and grunting a track or two along with returned frontman/vocalist Karl Willets?
It was fucking amazing to see them again, they're in top form!! If anyone missed them on the "Those Still Loyal" tour then they missed out on a fantastic show! The whole "storming the stage" thing wouldn't happen. That's not the Bolt Thrower way, and I wouldn't do that, myself. Maybe we can ask Karl to come do a guest spot on a Downlord recording? That'd be killer!!
Now that we're talking former bands. Benediction have finished their new record "Killing Music" recently and doing a bunch of festival appearances in support of that. What your opinion on your successor and the albums they've put since then?
Cool, he's a real good singer and a down-to-earth guy. I only heard their last release a few times, as I'd imported a copy from a mate of mine into my iTunes library on my Mac at home and my son (who is the devil incarnate!) came along and wiped several of my albums from it. Unfortunately, he also wiped my Accused "Martha Splatterheads Maddest Stories" album, which is one of my fave albums ever.....so if anyone out there want to email me it as MP3s then I'd be much appreciative.
As far as touring is concerned, will you mainly focus on Scandinavia (for the time being) or are there any plans drawn to invade mainland Europe at some stage as well?
No doubt, Scandinavia is our home so we'll concentrate there for the present time, and then branch out a short while after. We're trying to organize a show in Copenhagen just before we begin recording the drums for the next demo, so it'll give the drummer (whomsoever it may be) plenty of time to warm up to the songs.
What are the plans for the remainder of the year for Downlord? I'm guessing some more recordings, followed by a string of gigs around the country?
You pretty much got the nail on the head with your question! That's the plan.... but remember that plans can change, and can do so very quickly! The idea for the time being is more recording (a lot) and gigs a-plenty, but we'd put things on hold if we were to record a full-length or maybe work outside Scandinavia touring, if the offer came.
Thanks a lot for your time, Dave! Good luck with Downlord - if there's anything else you want to add to conclude the interview, here's the place!
Many thanks for this killer interview! Greetings to all our friends out there, the masses that we cannot name as it would take too bloody long....except, of course, Bolt Thrower - in thanks for the shows! Mads H, Corpus Mortale, Splatterized, all MySpace friends and beers everywhere! For updates, keep an eye on our site: www.downlord.dk
Site: www.downlord.dk
Info/booking: Lapdog1@mac.com
