DEATHCRAEFT – interview via Angels PR Music Promotion #deathcraeft
Interview conducted & submitted by Marian Nicolaou via Angels PR Music Promotion

Band Links:

https://www.facebook.com/deathcraeft/
https://deathcraeft.bandcamp.com/
YouTube

 

 

1. When did you decide to form the band? Which members joined you in and how did

you get in touch with them?

The band was formed late 2016 during a conversation I had with a friend of mine. The band name, the story of the album how it will begin and how it will end, and the style it will have, all came up to my mind in a matter of a few minutes.

2. Is Deathcraeft a live band or a studio only project?

It started as a studio project – we live in a small town where finding musicians to form a band is little bit difficult, but my plan is to form a complete band and do live shows.

3. You have a great new album out. Please give us all the details on the way you

worked for On Human Devolution. Where was the album recorded and mixed and why

did you decide to self-release it?

The album was recorded and mixed in the recording studio that I ran in my hometown (Infinite Loop music studio)

The idea behind the album was to take the world that Lovecraft created and use that as the base for the story, but not leave it just to that. I didn’t want to create a fictional story. It also had to incorporate all the wrong things happening around us in our everyday lives and throw them into the mix.

I decided to self-release it because for a new band and especially a studio project, it is very difficult to find a label willing to invest the time. Labels, especially nowadays, are looking for a band that has already made a name for itself and is out there selling tickets.

You have a strong influence from the Lovecraftian Chthulhu Mythos. How do you

arrange this mythos to your own reality?

I used to read Lovecraft from a young age, since I was 10 years old I think, and one of my fond memories is reading a Lovecraft story in the dark with the help of a flashlight and mother yelling at me to go to sleep cause I had school the next morning. You can never fool the parents 🙂

For those moments of genuine terror and memories, I wanted to give back something and incorporate the Cthulhu mythos into the album.

5. You have studied Music in Berklee College. How did it help you in your

songwriting and your performance?

I always remember myself studying and practicing the guitar but attending a music school gave me a look of what other musicians, from a different cultural background, were doing with their music. It helps you expand your music vocabulary and certainly not be afraid to use a new technique, a scale or experiment with the composition. You feel more confident.

6. Except from playing the guitars, you also handle the bass duties of the album.

How easy was this for you?

I didn’t want to treat the bass as an extension of the guitar and just play the same notes. I forced myself to try and find different passages and especially make a good use of the kick hits Giannis – the drummer – had incorporated into his rhythms.

 

Which bands would you declare to be your biggest influences in music?

My biggest influences come from the first years I started playing the guitar and are bands like Forbidden, Testament, Helloween, Megadeth, Annihilator, bands that used riffs as a major part of their songwriting and not just rhythmic patterns.

8. Apart from H.P. Lovecraft do you read/study other writers/poets and whom? Is it

possible to see a totally new concept on a forthcoming album of Deathcraeft?

Edgar Allan Poe is another favorite of mine as well as Clark Ashton Smith. I find that concept albums have something special to them in comparison to just writing single songs. They feel more complete to me. From Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, to Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime”, to Paradox’ s “Heresy” and many more, they all have a story to tell, it is just reading a book or watching a movie. You have more time to develop and encompass everything you want to say.

9. What is the symbolism in your album’s cover and who drew the cover and the

band’s logo?

I did both – about the artwork I can’t say much…You have to wait for the physical formats (Cd, Vinyl) to come out. 🙂

10. You play a mix of all extreme metal genres with an emphasis on death and thrash

metal. Symphonic music and black metal are also present. How would you label your

own music?

Extreme symphonic metal maybe?… 🙂

11. What is the Greek scene like at the moment? Which are your favorite new Greek

bands and which old bands do you still listen?

I believe the Greek scene is on the rise. Many good bands are coming out and bands like Rotting Christ and Septic Flesh have helped a lot in making this happen. One of the good and oldies is certainly Flames and Varathron.

12. What are your next plans for the band? How will you support the album and when

will you enter the studio for your next step?

The next plan is to complete the formation of the band’s line-up, do some live shows and start writing the next album. I believe we will be ready to get into the studio during Spring of 2021.

Thank you for the interview and support!

Kostas Kalampokas

Deathcraeft