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Lets start with maybe a boring yet relevant question you might have answered in 200 interviews before - can you give us a brief introduction of the history of Deadstar Assembly?
We are a five piece industrial rock act hailing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL that formed in 2002. We have since released 3 full length records, 2 long form DVDs and 5 videos. Our music is a dirty mix of melodies, big hooks, massive guitars, heavy synths and abrasive percussion. A huge strength and attribute DSA posses is the intensity of our live performances, we have toured the states extensively over the past 6 years and recently jumped the pond and tore shit up at the Summerbreeze Festival in Germany. We wear make up but can still kick your ass.
How did you come up with the bandname? Did it have anything to do with the famous Star Wars series?
Has absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars, though all the members are big fans. Our producer and I developed the name while tracking the first record in South Beach, a trendy, seedy tourist scene in South Florida. Emerging from the studio late night into the heart of South beach was an experience. If it's even possible, think L.A. with less brains and more drugs. We would be stepping over scene-zombies decked out in their latest SeanJohn gear, soaked in GHB vomit. A tiny peninsula packed with psuedo-moviestars, wannabe rockstars, anorexic models…ultimately deadstars...hence the name...it just fit.
What bands have influenced you the most?
Artists don't so much influence me, albums do. Bands all have their prime and best work and I tend to latch on to an era or release rather than a band or their entire career. I listen to everything, I am really into songs and hooks as well as brutal straight up rip your face off metal or hardcore. I listen to everything from Hanoi Rocks to Himsa.
Your new album, 'Coat Of Arms', is in my opinion your best studio album up to date. What do you think of the album yourself?
Well thanks, yeah, it was a lot of fun to make, probably one of the most collaborative releases we've ever done. We went full circle bringing our original producer back into the mix to fuck some shit up and inject his sonic bombast. We were able to get all the key personnel from the first two releases and just have at it. I think we pulled the best moments from the first two records and were able to effectively leverage and capture the attitude of our live show to stitch the entire thing together. Lots of upbeat fast tracks, great solos, big drums and killer hooks. The overall response has been very positive and the material is fun as fuck to play live. To start as a studio project and end up currently with Coat of Arms is full fucking circle and I like where we're at right now. We had a handful of song skeletons left over from the "Coat Of Arms" writing sessions and we are already starting to flesh these songs out while we continue to promote COA. 4 years between albums is too long, I want to release a new album in 2011. But yeah, I am right there with you, COA is probably our most consistent release, it fucking rocks.
What are in your opinion the main differences / improvements between 'Coat Of Arms' and the previous releases?
The songwriting is better, we've matured. Lyrically I think it was an improvement and structurally the songs are sound. The sound design and arrangement of the album really flows well, I think it is a great listen and makes you want to hit repeat. Our first album had its challenges from a production standpoint, we had no budget and it was basically tracked in my bedroom and our producers living room. A mix of recording on an 8 Track 1/2" inch tape reel to reel machine and then dumping those tracks into Cubase. Yeah we acutally used TAPE! No Pro Tools on that album. I used to haul a 90 pound reel to reel machine down to the South Beach studio on a weekly basis, it was HELL. We named the tape machine "The Dead Body". Everything was direct, guitars, bass, the drums were a programed on a shitty Boss Drum Machine. I love the record and it really served us well but audibly I feel it has some challenges, it's a glorified demo really, but the songs are damn good and you can hear the angst and potential. Vocally you can tell I was a newcomer too. With COA I didn't even use any major EFX on my voice, for the most part it is dry with delay here and there for effect. Unsaved sonically was much more polished but was more of a metal/rock sound, abandoning that crazy wall of sound design and EFX that was so present on our first release, less industrial overtones. I think with Coat Of Arms, we were really able to pull the best from the first two releases and exploit them to really put out a well rounded DSA sounding release.
What is in your opinion the best track on 'Coat Of Arms' and why?
Hmmm, that's tough. Fuck… the new "Breathe For Me" is pretty epic. But I guess I'll stick to "F.Y.G.". It was the first song we collaborated on with our original producer OSS. We hadn't really written together in like 6 or 7 years so it was like fucking an old ex girlfriend, you forgot how fucking great it was! The track was refreshing and from a tonality standpoint got things headed in the right direction. The song is another sick live track, we played it every night on the COA Tour and at the big festivals, the crowd erupts as soon as that shit kicks in.
What is the message you try to spread lyrically?
I let our listeners create their own interpretation of what the song is about. We aren't political, satanic, straight edge etc., trying to label us or trying to attach a theme or message to the band, there isn't a singular message we are trying to broadcast. I let kids read into the songs and develop their own concept or opinion. The song is theirs, it is their moment when they listen and connect with it. Ultimately when our fans are moved and find the songs give them strength or provide some sort of emotional uplift… that is ideal! I guess in the end that is all we are really trying to do you know... connect with our fans and provide some sort of fire to evoke emotion by way of our music.
In April you did a full North-American tour to promote the new release. How did the tour went? Any funny things that happened? Will you come to tour Europe as well?
We hadn't toured the US in almost 3 years since the 2nd leg of our Unsaved tour back in the Spring of 2007. Overall it was a fun to go out with our original keyboardist Mubo and our new drummer Kriz D.K. The dynamic was fresh and there was no drama. It was great to go back to several cities where we have very strong followings, those shows were great. However the touring industry is in the toilet here in the States. The state of the economy has affected ticket sales in general for all touring artists and we felt a bit of the bite in newer markets we've never been to, but overall I feel it was successful. In regards to road gore and hijinx, I would suggest you or your readers pick up our DVDs cause we have a blast on the road, crazy shit goes down everyday in every city.
In regards to Europe, we would love to tour there. Germany finally popped our cherry this past summer, we were very fortunate to perform at Summerbreeze Festival in Dinkelsbühl (South Germany) and it was amazing! The country and people are so beautiful, it was an honor to do our first European show in Germany, so much great music has come from there. We hope to get back over in the coming year! We get a lot of offers but we had passport issues which have finally been resolved so yeah… we are ready to go!
What can a total stranger expect when he is bored, walks around in town, sees a Deadstar Assembly show flyer and decides to buy a ticket for the live gig?
Good question. The live arena is where we are most dangerous. As soon as we have our 2 hour ritual before show time and put on the war paint, it is pretty much guaranteed we are going to go out and kick total ass and take no prisoners. We interact a lot with the fans during the show, the energy explodes from the stage and the fans give it right back, it is amazing. Each member puts on their own individual show so collectively it is just a sonic and visual juggernaut. We pride ourselves on killing it every night, we make sure everyone gets their monies worth. If it is an age restricted show, we will find a way to sneak in the underage kids! We do it all the time. We also make sure to come out post show to hang with the fans, shoot the shit and just have a great time doing autographs and group photos. No fucking egos here!
What are your opinions on the industrial metal scene in North America?
It is moving back underground, which could be a good thing while the music industry as a whole slits its throat. I don't think it is as popular as it was say in the late 90's early 2000's. But it is still very alive and there are some fucking great bands continuing to carry the torch! Hell, we are busting our ass to help carry the torch! We were fortunate to play the Triton Festival in NY this year with some amazing industrial bands and everyone was super cool, it was great to hang with our peers and put on an amazing show for the crowd. Three days of electronic industrial based music and thousands of fans each night., it was proof that this type of music is still very much alive and well.
What can we expect of Deadstar Assembly in the second half of 2010? Are you planning to record a video for one of the 'Coat Of Arms' songs?
We just released a new video for "The Darkest Star" which you can check out on the official Deadstar Assembly YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/deadstarassembly. We hope to lens another video for "We Fade Forever" over the holidays with an early 2011 release We are also toying with the idea of putting out a new single in early 2011 on the heels of the new video to really keep the fans engaged and continue to spread the DSA Gospel! Get them ready and aware of a new release.
Thanks a lot for your time answering my questions. If you have any final words, please share them with us.
Thanks for having us, I really enjoyed the interview, some great questions! We will be overseas soon enough... Now I know why all the bands we have toured with stateside brag about how amazing the experience is touring Europe! DSA want to come back... pick up a copy of "Coat Of Arms" you won't be disappointed!
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