Excited by the release of their thrash/death metal debut album, “War Against Ourselves”, Myth of Rock reached out to Demidead for an engaging conversation with the band’s founder, Danilo Mazzei (bass, vocals). Danilo’s responses were to-the-point, sharp and direct, as you can see for yourself!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
First off, congratulations on the release of your debut album, “War Against Ourselves”! How does it feel to finally have the album out for the world to hear?
Thank you! It was at the same time a relief and a gigantic satisfaction. We have been through a 2-years-and-half long work with many lows and the leaving of a member, but in the end, it has been a great chance for us to improve our skill and develop our style.
Demidead was formed in 2010. Can you tell us a bit about the early days of the band and how your sound has evolved over the years?
Our sound was primarily thrash metal-based, with Testament and Metallica main influences.We tried to mix things a bit with some “progressive influences” and that resulted to our first EP.
Your music blends technical thrash and death metal with influences like speed metal, djent, and groove metal. What inspired you to create such a diverse mix of styles?
During 2022 our style changed a lot. We pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible for us to do, with the main focus on the message that we are trying to bring: awareness about mental diseases and the energy to help those who are suffering to endure the opposition to these life-breaking conditions. These things brought us toward heavy desperate atmospheres and fast and “wrathful” riffs.
How did the songwriting process for “War Against Ourselves” unfold? Were there any challenges you faced along the way?
Well, the songwriting has been really discontinuous and full of sudden awakenings in the middle of the night, at least for me. But I always try to plant the seeds and let the song tell me what it wants to become. I think that, at some point, the artist is in the way of his art and he just needs to step back and let it be.
The album delves into the psychological struggles of modern life. Can you expand on the themes and lyrical content of the record?
As I said before, the main themes are the difficulties dictated by mental illnesses, and heavy emotional conditions too. These themes are becoming even more relevant in modern days and younger generations, and people still talks about them with shallowness and too many cliches. With these lyrics I tried to increase awareness on the listeners and give some comfort in those who are actually fighting to have the joyful life they deserved, upon all the suffering they still being through.
Songs like “Revelation Within” and “Incarnation of Death” stand out with their complex arrangements. How do you approach structuring your songs to keep them both technical and engaging?
Well, every time someone asks me this I cannot truly answer. Because during songwriting I personally focus on what the song wants to tells me. I don’t listen to music that do not speak to my “soul”, and so I do for what I write. I think that the intentions and the songsthemselves drove us to the structures you can hear in this album.
Danilo, as the founding member, how has your role as a bassist and vocalist shaped the direction of the band’s sound?
I started as “pure bassist” taking the route of the voice as a joke in the beginning. But since then, I’ve always been in searching of something heavier than before. I think that this mindset has influenced the artists I’ve listened, and so the sound of the band in the years.
The metal scene in Italy has produced some remarkable bands. How would you describe your place in the local scene, and how has it influenced you?
The scene in Italy is vibrant and full of great bands, in the underground too, but I think that the marked inclination to think metal in closed genres helped us a lot to developour mindset. We love to go upstream, and the general point of view helped us to see how funny and cool it is to mix things up, to brake habits and the purism that very often kicks in the metal scene.
Your music is multi-layered and varied, which must translate into a powerful live experience. How do you approach translating such complex compositions in a live setting?
Since I was a kid, I loved how James Hetfield interacted with people. He triedto put himself to “the same level” as the crowd and to genuinely talk to them, to their heart. I try to do the same, also because I believe that live shows are where the true message is delivered from the soul of the artists to the crowd one. It’s always a mystic experience for me when the people in front of us receive our energy and they throw it back to us. The way we structure our live performances are every time in this direction, as we alternate moment to speak with people with different song atmospheres.
Working with Ad Noctem Records for this release must have been a key part of your journey. How has your partnership with the label impacted the album’s production and release?
Due to the member of the band instability during the composition, we didn’t know when the album would have been completed. For this we didn’t expose us with labels until all the work was done and we were sure of everything, and at the same time plan the best way to maximize the effect of the release. The arrival of the guitarist Dave was like a “seal the deal” thing. For this Ad Noctem Records had little to do with the production, we had already our plan fixed, but they were able to understand our intentions and improve even further the release plan, bringing effects seen.
How do you balance the aggression and intensity of your music with the more melodic or groove-oriented elements?
I think them as “compressive” and “releasing” elements. I feel that a song is balanced when it has a good rhythm between these elements, and it’s not boring of course.
Thrash and death metal fans are always looking for something fresh. What do you believe sets Demidead apart from other bands in the genre?
We are daring to break the status of the closed metal subgenres. We are trying to mix and contaminate our style to obtain something different, ignoring canons and archetypes, as I think every artis should do.
What kind of impact or message do you hope listeners take away from your debut album?
My best hope is that people that listens to our album start talking about mental illnesses in some cases, and do not feel alone in others. Most of the one who suffer these conditions are the object of stigmas, discriminations and feels very lonely: well, there are not, and I hope they could feel it through our album and our live shows as well.
With your debut now out in the world, what are the next steps for Demidead? Any plans for tours, videos or new material?
We already started to write new songs but we don’t have any releasing plan yet. Our next work is in an embryonal state right now. The first step will be touring and make many live shows as possible to spread the message and build our fanbase.
Lastly, where do you see Demidead in the next five years? What are your goals for the future of the band?
Our goal is a constant growth that could bring us to even more people, and to develop even more our style too by pushing it even further in terms of aggression, groove and mindful moments.
