I’ve been heavily influenced by European Metal, there’s no doubt about that, but I’ve learned a lot from North American Metal as well. I think Immortalizer is a direct result of my love of both those Metal styles. My cultural heritage is no doubt present in my music, but I’ve definitely absorbed a lot of elements from all over the world.
Your upcoming album will be out soon. Where did you choose to record and mix this? After listening to your great new single “I'm Gone” seems that you selected some analog way, right? Emotional or technical choices?
That’s right, I’m currently writing and recording the full length album. I’m recording in my home studio for the time being. I’ve been building up my studio for many years now and I’ve tried to gather the best gear I could afford to make the music sound as professional as possible. I’m extremely fortunate to have Ralf Scheepers helping me craft a new vocal sound as well as mixing and mastering the singles and the album. His help and expertise has been absolutely invaluable! I’m glad you enjoyed “I’m Gone”! I don’t really analyze the process of song writing all that much. Things just come together naturally. I’ll get an idea and I just run with it and try to craft the best song I can out of it. Mostly I just try to write engaging music that I enjoy and hope others will enjoy it as well.
Speaking about heavy metal, this is easy to fall in many clichés. In your opinion, are you bringing something new in the scene?
That’s a good question. I suppose the fans will be able to gauge that more easily, but I like to think I’m bringing some new elements to a style of Metal we all know and love. I try to be as original as possible and though there are some Metal cliche’s that are hard to avoid, my main focus is to make the best music I possibly can.
Well any change in a band can become a real challenge for both the band and the audience. Especially when you remove a singer with a very distinctive voice and replace them with someone with a totally different style. So I think changing vocalists is one of the hardest things to overcome. Changing guitar players can also be very tricky for the same reasons. Same goes for drummers and bass players too. Could you imagine Iron Maiden without bass legend Steve Harris? I’m sure it would drastically change the bands sound and I’m sure a lot of fans would be very upset. So I think the fewer changes the better, but sometimes it’s simply unavoidable. Sometimes personnel changes can even benefit the band, so it comes down to finding the best replacement possible to try to keep the bands distinct style intact.
The artwork of the album is really important. Can you tell us something about it? In which measure the band has the final word about the artwork?
Absolutely! Great artwork is key in my opinion. I’m extremely lucky to work with Jobert Mello of SledgehammerGraphix for my covers. He’s an absolutely incredible artist who really knows his craft and how to transform your ideas into something fantastic. He also created the Immortalizer Monster which I’ve nicknamed “Deimos” named after the personification of terror in Greek mythology.
As an indie artist I have full control over what the final artwork looks like, which I like a lot.
Speaking of the creative process: can you tell us something about the "birth" of a new song?
Well, it can start as randomly as singing improvised lines and adding a melody to it as I go to jamming and searching for great riffs on my guitar and writing the core elements of the song. As I play I start to think of ideas for the full orchestration and lyrics and from there record a rough demo as a guide to hammer out the edges, then I start to record the final takes of each instrument and complete the song!
Which famous musicians have you learned from?
The full list would be far too long, but the top musicians that have influenced me the most are Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead, Rob Halford and Judas Priest, Biff Byford and Saxon, Ralf Scheepers and Primal Fear, Steve Harris and Iron Maiden, Dio, Kai Hansen and Helloween, Michael Schenker and Michael Romeo and Symphony X.
How has your work changed since you began?
I think the main difference from the early days to now is that I’m more motivated than ever to succeed and dedicate all my energy to Immortalizer. After releasing my debut EP on the internet, I started getting fans from all over the world and their requests for more was a real boost for me. Most of all, once Ralf Scheepers and I started working together I became even more driven. I started pushing myself even harder to become a better vocalist and to make my music sound as professional as possible.
What plans do you have to promote the album? Maybe a release label will help you this time?
Absolutely, once the album is finished, I’ll be searching for the best way to release it. I’m fortunate to have a great promotion company as well which will help a lot.
Do you want to say something to our readers?
As always, I’d like to thank Immortalizer fans everywhere for their continued support. You Metal Monsters are the best! \m/
Thank you very much for the interview.
It was my pleasure! Take good care & stay safe out there!
Cheers
Dave D.R.
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