Monday, September 19, 2016

An Interview with Demonical



Of the recent crop of Swedish death metal bands, few have been praised on this blog as highly and as regularly as Demonical. I discovered them quite by accident while in Prague in 2008, and since then their albums have been a reliable staple of my year end lists. After seeing them again at this year's Maryland Deathfest, it seemed long past time to get them on this blog. I e-mailed some questions to the band, which bassist Martin Schulman was kind enough to answer.



Dreams of Consciousness: Please introduce Demonical for those who don't know the band - who are you, where are you from, and what kind of music do you make? 
 
We are a death metal band from Sweden formed in 2006 with several releases under our belt. Hate to label music but one could say we play dark death.... or something.

DoC: It's obvious that you are influenced by the classic Swedish death metal sound, but is there a particular band/album that you hold in particularly high esteem? What are 5 albums that no death metal fan should go without?

I don't think there is any specific album that has influenced us but there are the "big four of classic Swedish death metal albums" every true metalhead should own. Which they are? The debut albums from Dismember, Entombed, Unleashed and Grave.

DoC: In addition to Demonical, a few of your members are also in the long-running Centinex. How would you describe the difference in approach between the two bands? How do you balance the schedules between the two?

Yeah Centinex was reborn in 2014 so I keep myself busy, that's for sure. The difference is that Demonical is more Swedish sounding as Centinex sounds more like the classic early 90's albums recorded at Morrisound Studios in Florida.

DoC: One of the reasons why Demonical is one of my favorites of the recent crop of Swedish bands is there seems to be a real emphasis on making the songs memorable to the point of anthemic. What is songwriting process like? What do you hope the listener gets out of each song?

There isn't any special formula for the song writing process, I just sit with the guitar and make riffs and put together the basic core of the track which I then rehearse with the drummer before presenting it to the other guys. Then we rehearse it together and make changes and adjustments if needed. When that's done we add the lyrics and vocal lines.

DoC: You just played Maryland Deathfest for the first time. How was the experience? How did you end up choosing the songs in your set list?

No, that was actually the second time we played MDF as we were there in 2012 as well. [whoops - Dreams of Obliviousness] We did a pretty much standard set there as we only had 40 minutes.

DoC: Your most recent release was the Black Flesh Redemption EP. What was the impetus behind the EP? How does it continue where the band left off with your previous album, Darkness Unbound?

We wanted to release something with the new line-up and an EP sounded like a good idea. The reelase is maybe a bit less melodic than Darkness Unbound and more brutal. The next album, to be released in 2017, will continue on the same path.



DoC: After a long period with Cyclone Empire, your last EP was released through Agonia Records. Why the switch, and how did you end up with Agonia?

We had fulfilled our obligations for Cyclone Empire and felt it was time for something new. Agonia had been interested in signing us already since a few years and as I had a good experience from working with them on the Centinex album I saw no problem to sign Demonical to them as well.


DoC: What is the status of the next Demonical album?

Currently working on new mind-blowing material. The plan is to record a new album during the spring for a early summer 2017 release (hopefully).

DoC: "March For Victory" is one of the greatest songs ever written. I don't have a question here, I just thought I should let everyone know.

Haha thanks for that, great that you appreciate it as so do many others as well.



DoC: What's next for Demonical?

We will head out on the European Death Doom Darkness co-headlining tour in exactly 10 days. Will be a fucking blast, check our social medias for details and see you on the road!

Thanks for your support & all hail!

Demonical in Prague, 2008


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