Deadlock
Date: 16 July 2013
MM - Hi John, great to meet you.
John - HeyHo – thank you for the interview!
MM - Deadlock’s new album is out soon, what can we expect from the your soon to be released work , and do you have any personal favorites?
John - The main focus of the album was to deliver more to our fans – more content, more images, more details. This is why the “The Arsonist” might took one or two rotations more than the previous albums. We chose a deeper guitar tuning and mixolydian keys to transport melancholy and tension within the songs. In our opinion it delivers epic metal combined with pop elements, but it unfolds best by using headphones.
MM - Do the band all put in a input to the writing process, and what inspires Deadlocks lyrics?
John - When it comes to the writing process our lead guitarist Sebastian is responsible for the whole sound of DEADLOCK since the very beginning of the band. This time Benny Richter (e.g. CALIBAN, MOONSPELL) took his place behind the mixing console besides Sebastian.
We worked in 4 different studios at the same time – beside the main recordings in our own Slaughter’s Palace studio we produced the drums at the Chemical Burn Studios with Alexander Dietz (HEAVEN SHALL BURN). Eike Fresse (e.g. CALLEJON, OOMPH!, GAMMA RAY) mixed the new songs at the Hammer Studios in Hamburg. Finishing and mastering touches were provided by Olman Viper (CALIBAN, EMIL BULLS, ZSK) at the Hertzwerk Studios.
Every person, who was involved, gave it’s very own tiny influence on the sound of the album. The aim of the DEADLOCK lyrics on “The Arsonist” is to be catchy and easy to grasp on the one hand and heavy with meaning on the other hand side. We like the vision of a first view meaning combined with a hard-to-find second meaning, which depends on individual interpretation of the songs, so nearly everything inspires us in what we do.
MM - Favorite tracks to play live?
John - We’re about to try out all songs throughout the festival summer, but I guess all songs are suitable. My personal favorites are: Dead City Sleepers and The Great Pretender.
MM - Plans for the rest of the year, will you be heading to the UK in support of the new album?
John - UK tour would be awesome – we only did some single shows in the past and would love to come back. As I mentioned will start with some festivals in summer and have our third headlining tour throughout Germany in late autumn. There are also some plans for heading over to Japan and Russia again by the end of the year and hopefully a longer European tour at the beginning of 2014.
MM - What would say has been the highlight for Deadlock so far?
John - For us every single show is a highlight - to perform your own songs in front of an audience is the most gorgeous feeling for every musician. That is why we try to create songs that are catchy, aggressive, intense and easy to grasp on the one side and that unfold to the listener with each rotation on the other hand. We’ve been at many great places during the last years, so it’s really hard to figure out a single highlight – but to give you a short answer … our trips to Japan and Wacken Open Air…
MM - Which bands influenced you growing up and would be your ultimate three bands to share a stage with?
John - In this case I cannot speak for the rest of the band…my 3 favorites would be Iron Maiden, Katatonia and Boysetsfire.
MM - What do you listen to on tour?
John - Haha – you don’t want to know. In most cases mix tapes – Slayer meets Disco meets Audiobooks meets Metallica meets Killswitch meets Obituary meets Disco again. All kinds of music sharp in the mix – we have the rule, that the driver always chooses the music and the volume in our van.
MM - Best and worst things about being on the road?
John - Best: Being on the road and spend time with friends. Worst: Sitting in cars without air condition.
MM - Four words to describe Deadlock?
John - Soft shell, hard core.
MM - Anything you would like to say to your fans and our readers?
John - Keep up the good work – support our local scene, visit concerts – if you like music...do a tape copy for your best friend. Thank you very much for your support! Watch your back – we’ll meet again ;-)
Interview by: Seb Di Gatto