Interview with Deodium
Have any of you played in other bands?
For all of the members “Deodium” was the first band, and mostly they have stayed loyal.
Our drumer plays in “Darrva” (Death/Black/Pagan metal), as well as “Morāles Inkvizīcija” (DeathPunk)- our bass player’s project.
Thus, it seems that the rhythm section are the wanderers J
How is it that you started playing music?
The idea about music and band came from the first vocalist- Kārlis. He told the idea to his classmate Atis, who told it to his brother Jānis, who told it to his neighbour, who told it…. well… you understand…
Somehow everyone divided the needed instruments among themselves and started to train on them from scratch.
That’s how “Deodium” was born.
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?
We are all in our twenties:
Mārtiņš Vanags- lead vocals
Jānis Tiltiņš- rhythm guitar and back vocals
Atis Tiltiņš- lead and rhythm guitar
Mārtiņš Skuja- bass
Brūss Kalniņš- drums
Have you had other previous members? In the beginning (when current vocal- Vanags- was playing bass) Kārlis Arājs was the original founder and vocalist. When he left the band, Vanags put down the bass, picked up the microphone and gave place for Mārtiņš Skuja in the rhythm section.
Did you make music even when you were young? We would like to think that we are still young.
Where are you from? We are from Riga, Latvia.
What year did the band form? In 2008 the idea about a band was born and the members picked up their instruments. For couple of years everyone was mastering their trade in solitude. Joint rehearsals started in 2011 which is now considered the official founding year.
What's your style of genre? There are different metal styles accumulated in Deodium’s repertoire. We like to say that it’s metal with pagan influences.
What inspires you? Beer, music, literature, fun, friends... Basically, whatever gives us strong emotions in everyday life. For example, lyrics often contain different references from literature and movies. “Burve” (“Sorceress”) has been inspired by “The Master and Margarita” from Mikhail Bulgakov, “Atriebe” (“Vengeance”) was written under influence of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”, etc.
How often do you rehearse? When we do active touring, then it’s once or twice per week. In “quieter” periods it might be less.
Do you have other interests outside the band? Everyone has their own interest. For bass it’s metal-crafting, for guitars- it’s photography and graphic design, the manager loves to paint, lead vocal is obsessed with chemistry, and the drums seems to be under a bet of how many bands he can join before he flunks out of the university J.
What made you decide to make this music? “If you ams not metal, you ams dildos” (Metalocalypse)
What are your songs about? We mainly speak of modern society's degradation through the lens of mythical creatures and epic events in our native language.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? Every member writes their own pieces for their respective instruments.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? We start with beer!
Do you compose in a certain environment? For each person it’s different. Instruments usually compose at home during jamming sessions or while doing technical exercises. Vocalist likes to write in forest (fresh air is good for you).
Have you done any covers live?
Skyforger- “Tīreļa purvā” (“In the Tirelis swap”)
Slayer- “Bloodline”
Psychostick - “The Beer Song” (translated to Latvian language)
What language do you sing in? Latvian
What ages are most of your concert attendants? They are never “too” young!
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We vary. Some might be played more often, but we try to shake it up per each and every concert.
What was your first gig like? It was like sex for the first time- you know where to “put it”, but it’s still awkward.
What was your latest gig? Lithuania, Vilnius- “Metro Club”
Where have you played live this year? We participated in Wacken Open Air Metal Battle in Latvia, played with Russian folk metal grands “Arkona” on “Melnā Piektdiena” stage, and had a mini-tour with crazy Finnish guys from “Re-Armed”.
Where do you plan to gig the upcoming year? Mostly Baltics.
Where can people buy your merchandise? At concerts/gigs; http://deodium.bandcamp.com; Via personal message in Facebook.
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records nowadays? Hell, yeah! Can’t stop it now… Gives more possibilities for musicians to introduce people with their work.
Do you have any role models or idols? Billy Idol, Amon Amarth, Dave Grohl, etc.
What have been your biggest obstacles? Music gears are rather expensive and it takes time. Metal does not give back money as much as one would like.
What advice would you give other bands or artists?
1. Drink more beer;
2. Don’t be a pussy;
3. Don’t give shit about people’s bullshit.
How do you get psyched for a gig? We do rehearsals before the concerts, and everyone snuggles with Brūss (drummer) while Vanags (vocals) listens to industrial music alone in the corner.
Do you have any new material? We recently released our second album “Grēks. Važas. Brīve.” ("Sin. Shackles. Freedom.") which is full-length with 10 songs included.
What are your web sites?
www.youtube.com/user/deodiumband
How can people reach you?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DeodiumBand
Email: [email protected]
What are your plans for the future? New albums, further touring, more foreign countries… expand metal \m/