DEIFIED – interview
- Posted on 15-04-2020
INSIDE THE BROKEN MATRIX – AN INTERVIEW WITH BRITISH METALLERS DEIFIED
I recently had the pleasure of reviewing the rather brilliant mini-album entitled "Anthrobscene" by the hard-hitting British artillery that is Deified. These talented dudes have a firm knack for churning out razor-sharp tunes that are as technically impressive as they are memorable and hook-laden. On top of the songs being captivating and steeped in atmosphere, the lyrics are quite though-provoking too and go hand in hand with the pummeling, thrash-infested metalcore music of theirs rather perfectly. In short, make sure you grab a copy of "Anthrobscene" as soon as it hits the street in late May and enjoy our chat with the band below.
Greetings guys, how are you feeling? First of all, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to reply to these questions of mine – much appreciated. Now, what is happening in the Deified camp these days? Are you busy promoting your upcoming mini-album "Anthrobscene"? You have teamed up with the excellent Stampede Press in order to promote the record too, right?
D: Hey Eternal Terror, thanks for having us! It’s great to be here, we’re just trying to do as much as we can at the moment to get ‘Anthrobscene’ into peoples hands while we’re all stuck in this lockdown. As you’ve heard we’ve recently jumped on board with Stampede Press and we could not be happier to have the expertise of Rob at the helm to help push ourselves to the next level.
To those over here in Scandinavia who are not familiar with your exhilarating brand of bone-snapping metal, could you perhaps briefly guide us through the history of Deified and perhaps touch a bit on your releases and live work and perhaps even some of the highlights of your musical career so far?
D: We’re a Metal band hailing from Merseyside, UK. We’ve had 3 musical releases so far ‘Lo & Behold’ (EP), ‘Ascension’ (LP), ‘Inhuman Manifesto’ (EP). We won a regional UK wide competition in 2015 to play the biggest Open Air Metal Festival in the UK (Bloodstock Festival!). We’ve supported the likes of Exodus, Lost Society, Cattle Decapitation, INCITE & many more amazing bands throughout our 7 years together and we only hope to expand on this with our new record ‘Anthrobscene’ out 29th May 2020.
What inspired you to launch the band in the first place? Was there a certain motivation or perhaps a goal on your part to achieve something very specific that made you decide to spawn the project? In short, what made you want to pursue the idea of playing in a modern thrash metal outfit? Also, was there a specific message that you wished to get across to people by means of your songs and lyrics, or is Deified more about channeling your inner thoughts and feelings into something constructive and positive?
D: We all knew each other from a wider group of friends, but came together to form a band in late 2013 when Alistair (Guitarist) put a post out on Facebook, and the metal cogs of fate seemed to fall in place. Matt was DJing at a local event and started the band that very night. Straight out of the door, our sound was described as ‘a ballroom brawl between Devildriver and Sylosis’ by Burn Fist webzine at our first gig. Our lyrics started out as scenarios, ideas, dreams but as we’ve got older we’ve wanted to relay the problems going on in our lives, the people around us, the politics, the issues in our society and the world. We are pointing out issues and imbalances in a positive way – We all should be talking about how certain facets of social media / ads are feeding us shit, how global warming is killing our planet and a lack of proper discourse around issues that affect us all.
As you know, I am utterly blown away by the quality and strength of "Anthrobscene", but I was wondering what the evocative title of the record connotes and signifies? And just as importantly, what does it mean to you on a personal and/or philosophical level? Is there a deeper meaning to it or is it a veiled reference to something?
D: For us, ‘Anthrobscene’ means a number of things. But at its core it’s an attempt to get people talking about certain issues that surround us everyday and how these issues affect us (or will affect us), rather than just ignoring them and leaving future generations with the burden of our ignorance. It’s a call to arms and wants to encourage people to believe in a more conscious world. We can be better!
I am curious as to the lyrics and whether or not there is an overriding theme to "Anthrobscene" (as in a concept of sorts) or if they focus more on everyday life and the things that we all encounter and wrestle with in our modern societies?
D: It’s a combination of the two. There is absolutely an overriding theme to make this a concept album. But that theme overarches into the many issues that surround us in the current climate and how they affect us all. From governmental to technological issues, each song vents our own and others frustration with a world that everyday seems increasingly self destructive, underhanded and untruthful. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
In terms of inspiration, are there any specific bands or artists out there who have had a huge influence on the sound and atmosphere of Deified’s song material?
D: There have been many bands over the years that we have all looked up to and gained some sort of inspiration from. We have gained our riff inspiration from bands such as Sylosis, Trivium, Killswitch Engage and Devildriver. Lots of vocal inspirations have stemmed from numerous ranges of genres too, such as punk and rap.
Rumor has it that you guys are a fantastic live band and judging from the videos that are floating around on YouTube, those very same people are absolutely right. How do you feel about performing live and would you say that that is where you truly thrive and excel, i.e. when performing together on stage and firing on all cylinders?
D: Performing is one of the biggest enjoyments of being in Deified. We love playing our music all around the country and even the world (if it got to it). Jamie is a strong frontman, we’re all moving around but he does a great job of keeping the headbangers upfront involved, and entertained. Our records are an extension of our live performance and we never record anything that cannot be done onstage. It’s as raw as it’s going to be, and ‘Anthrobscene’ is the first time we’ve ever added other elements on top of our sound. We’ve done this very lightly and only added elements when we’ve really needed it.
Are any of you involved in other bands or is Deified the one and only musical priority for all of you?
D: Matthew Pike has a side business with Sound Pike Records (who recorded this latest project) – But at the moment, Deified is the only musical priority for the entire band.
Have you begun working on new compositions for a follow-up to "Anthrobscene" and if so, will they be similar to it in terms of style and dynamics?
D: We have quite a solid riff bank that keeps growing larger by the week. On top of this, we have got lots of new synths, samples and recording gear that will not only help us maintain the style and dynamics of this record, but will also help us to grow and better ourselves in the future.
Do you recall what the first record you ever bought was and where you got your hands on it?
Matt: My first metal record was Alive or Just Breathing by Killswitch Engage. It was the first time I heard screaming on a record and it literally blew me away. It is still to this day a modern day classic.
Tom: Think my first record was ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ by Toploader ?, but my first metal record was Slipknot – Iowa. This record changed my whole perspective of music.
Jamie: First record I ever bought was System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’. I just love the style, and the messages they convey, plus I had never heard vocals quite like that at the time. Really powerful and inspired stuff.
Just out of curiosity, what is the least glamorous place or location you have ever found yourself in while on the road?
D: Probably in Runcorn. It was the worst venue we have ever played and it was run by the worst people we have ever encountered. Bands were walking away, and even though we stuck to our promise to play, our allotted time slot was delayed by three hours!
Thanks once again for your time. Any words of encouragement to our awesome readers?
D: Don’t stop playing riffs, don’t stop playing drums, don’t stop singing, don’t stop listening… never give up!
Cheers,
Deified
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