All These Great Answers to all These Great Questions – Dead Flesh and The X
DEAD FLESH:
What’re your highlights of the year so far?
Richard Stevenson – Vocals
Honestly our last show at the six six bar in Cambridge was one of the best shows we’ve ever played, the energy was insane, everyone was having a blast!
What are your goals for the rest of the year?
Rs -Releasing this EP we’ve been sitting on for a while now, we’re really excited to finally be able to share it with everyone. That and grabbing a slot at Bloodstock this year would be a real achivement.
Which new bands/artists are you into right now?
RS – I’ve just discovered Desert Storm whilst looking for bands to check out at Bloodstock, really interesting stuff, was pleasantly surprised!
What was the band or artist that got you into music or inspired you to be a musician?
RS – cop out answer for me is slipknot, hearing that kind of insane music for the first time really blew my teenage mind.
AI has become a bone of contention among creators. What’s your view of it?
RS- Our bassist AJ made me think properly about this after I suggested we use some AI stuff for a music video. I hadn’t really thought about it, but 30 seconds after remembering that I myself am an ‘artist’ in a creative field, it clicked that I’d rather pay an actual person with actual artistic talent to make actual art rather than half ass it with something generated from data trained on other people’s art. We’re all poor as fuck making niche art out of a passion that only a small handful of people are interested in so we should support each other as best we can, and that means paying real people to make real art.
How best do you write; in a jam room or a studio?
RS – the rest of the guys usually come up with ideas in the practice rooms and work on demos around that then I’ll write lyrics to tracks later on. Sometimes I’ll come up with a riff or two and see if anyone likes it.
What was your wildest show so far, and why?
RS – Our metal 2 the masses heat where we pulled off the first wall of death was insane, absolute rock star moment that was
What inspired the lyrical themes behind your new record?
RS- Lots of themes of personal struggle, mental health, depression that kind of thing. The world is a bleak fucking place at the moment and the lyrics really reflect that. We’ve got some personal stuff about depression, an animal rights track, something I believe strongly in, and a protest track aimed directly at our shitty government.
What’s the story behind the artwork?
RS – To go with the themes of the EP, I gave the ideas to @an_aesthetic_design and he came up with this cool idea of having a guy watching a bunch of TV screens with various imagery being blasted to him. Stuff like riot police, dead animals, something similar to that one scene from A Clockwork Orange. I thought it came out really cool.
Where is the furthest across the globe you’ve played so far?
RS -Myself and the guys have played around the world with other bands, but Dead Flesh is pretty new so we’ve only played the UK so far!
THE X (Photo courtesy of Black Magic Tea)
You’ve recently released your new single, WTF, what was the inspiration behind the track?
Yacko (Guitarist_: WTF is a satire on contemporary society and its abstract ideals of perfection and advancement. Many aspects of our societal norms are, in reality, nonsensical and misleading. The most ludicrous aspect of it all is that people instinctively recognize the emptiness of our world but feel powerless to resist it. In the end, the song is a stark observation of a society spiraling out of control.
What inspired the lyrical themes behind “The World Is Burning, Let’s Dance”?
Y:Pure anger, we are witnessing the world’s economic decline, the deterioration of human consciousness, and the destruction of our planet, leaving us with a profound sense of powerlessness. The songs speak directly to these issues; they are simultaneously angry and emotionally detached observations. Some may find the lyrics redundant, but that’s simply how the EP turned out. We used the element of fire as a metaphor, drawing on its deep-rooted symbolism in society to depict our view of the current state of the world. The title is somewhat a cynical conclusion: after everything is said and done, all we can do is dance.
Yacko, your background is heavy metal. What inspired you to move into electronica?
Coming from the metal scene, I was hesitant to release my other music. However, with the changing landscape of music where genres blend seamlessly, I finally decided to release this part of my catalogue. The X is somewhat the culmination of all the influences in my musical career.
AI is a bone of contention, with bands using it to create artwork and lyrics. Have you considered dabbling with it yourself, or does it not feel right to you?
Sarah vocals: We did use AI for visual inspiration, but it didn’t make its way into our songwriting. The feeling of composing a good piece of music is irreplaceable, and I believe using AI takes away from this experience. In the end, we think it’s a bit like cheating unless you fully disclose the fact that you are using it.
We live in an era where almost no musical skills are necessary to write a potential hit, and AI is not going to change this.
You have a launch show coming at Kulturfabrik in mid-April. What can people expect from your show on the night?
S: It’s going to be a very intense night. We only play new songs, so half the setlist isn’t even on the second EP. We decided to put stickers on the cameras of people’s phones so they can’t share anything online. If you want to know what The X is about, you’ll have to move your ass to the show. We also want the people to be in the moment; it’s going to be very dark wild and sweaty.
Talk to us about your studio experience. Do you both take responsibility for lyrics and music?
Y:We spent endless hours writing the songs and conducting sound research at our home studio. Later, we collaborated with a local producer who excels at adding the finishing touches and vocal arrangements, essentially putting the icing on the cake. Additionally, we delved into extensive research with another producer named “Taipan” to refine our sonic identity.
There is a cyberpunk aesthetic to the band, what about this style spoke to yo both?
S: We love sci-fi movies and anime. This futuristic, dark, and dystopian universe resonates deeply with both of us, and we felt that this direction was the right path to take.
Y: I went on tour with a band to Tokyo and immediately fell in love with the city. I guess I soaked up its distinct energy, and sure, that plays a role too.
You only released your first EP digitally and on cassette. What was the response to this from your fans?
S:With music being available basically for free, it’s not very economical to press vinyl or CDs (besides, who still buys CDs?) if you’re not a band with a larger fanbase already.
We thought that the cassette is a medium that represents our universe quite well and is also a merch item that fans want to buy.
You will be playing select shows across Europe throughout the year. Will we be seeing you in the UK?
Y: Yes, we are definitely looking to play in the UK. I’ve toured in the UK before and played shows at venues like The Underworld. I absolutely love Camden and London. I believe our genre can resonate with the audiences here, and I definitely want to go back to having drinks at the Black Heart, haha.