Derelict Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?
Eric: Hi! We're working pretty hard to promote our new EP, getting it out there, getting people to respond to it. Meanwhile we're writing the rest of our next album, which we're finishing in studio this Fall. In between we're playing lots of shows, and dealing with our van that seems to break down every 3 days, haha.


2. How would you describe the musical sound of the ep and how does it differ from previous releases?
Eric: We've kept the core of our sound, which is technical death metal with a lot of melody, some progressive parts, and fast tempos. What we're concentrating a lot on is focusing our ideas into more concise packages. In the past we experimented a lot with throwing in vastly different influences within a song and I think it showed. We're trying to make things flow more easily for the listener, while pushing our boundaries all the time.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new release explores?
Eric: Generally, I try to point out and criticize things in our culture and society that don't make sense to me. Perpetuation deals with capitalism and money-obsession, this unending drive to accumulate and have more but without knowing why. Expiry deals with environmental destruction, mostly done in the name of the "economy". Yours to Surpass is about sticking to your guns in life, doing what makes you happy, rather than being enslaved for notions of security and stability.


4. What is the meaning and inspration behind the bands name?
Eric: 'Derelict' was originally the name of the song 'Flames of the Righteous', off our 2006 underground release Ideological Prey. The song was a metaphor for society, talking about a derelict vessel adrift at sea with no one guiding it. At the time we were called 'Foreshadow', which was a carry-over from some of our members' previous band, but we decided the name didn't represent the new band anymore so we took the song title as our name, and renamed the song.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
Eric: We try to bring the most possible energy to the stage, while also performing our music as precisely as possible. For me personally, the stage is a place to fully let out a side of my personality that doesn't have a place in the rest of my life. I think a lot of artists and athletes can relate to that notion of release while performing. It comes down to having fun and expressing myself. Some of the most intense crowds we've ever seen have been in places like Willams Lake BC, Sherbrooke QC, and Prince Albert SK. Those are small towns that don't get a ton of huge tours coming through, so they really appreciate and celebrate the bands that do bother to play there. Bigger cities are fun, but the fans are more blazé generally, because they have sweet shows happening every week.


6. Do you have any touring plans for the upcoming future?
Eric: With our next album, we're hoping to get out of Canada and go either to the US or Europe. The only real challenge is money. Time off from jobs, repairing vehicles, paying for touring visas... Those are the obstacles. They're not insurmountable, but they require time to prepare for. Rising gas prices and declining in-store CD sales really don't help. We'll also be touring Canada again at some point. Right now though the main focus is the next album.


7. When can we expect the next full length?
Eric: We very much hope to have it out before the end of 2011. If all goes well there will be a string of release shows in Canada in Fall 2011. It all depends on some business details but that's really the goal.


8. On a worldwide level, how has your music been recieved by extreme metal fans?
Eric: Surprisingly well! We've only toured inside Canada, but on our facebook page, our #3 country for fans is Indonesia. We had a guy from India write us last year saying our 2009 album 'Unspoken Words' was his album of the year. That was really heart-warming, and amazing that our music can reach so far. I think it has a lot to do with the power of the Internet and the generous time donated by metal fans like you, running blogs, radio stations, etc.


9. What direction do you see the music heading into during the future?
Eric: We're always toying with the balance between melody and brutality. Some of our newer songs are more of one than the other, but I think the best ones have equal doses of both. Hopefully we'll just get better at harnessing that balance. As listeners who have streamed our new EP tracks (you can do so anywhere, like www.derelictmetal.com) will know, we've also stepped it up in the lead guitar department. That wasn't a conscious choice but it's a welcome development.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music, and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Eric: That's funny, we were just talking about this recently at practice. We all listen to some different styles of metal and music in general, and we all have our own preferences. I think that strengthens us because it prevents us from emulating any one thing too closely. Personally, I'm a death metal guy. I love tech. I'm also into the best and brightest from most metal genres, as well as some folk, hip hop, and anything that breaks the mold of its genre. Today I listened to Cephalic Carnage, Carcass, and Nile.


11. Outside of music, what are some of your interests?
Eric: I'm really interested in finding ways of living that don't damage the planet and that offer a long-term survival for our species. I'm talking about political philosophies but also just everyday living. Some of my personal projects this year are to learn a bit about urban agriculture to grow some of my own food, to learn to fix my bicycle myself and use it to get around instead of a car, and reduce my consumption of bullshit wasteful products to concentrate on things that actually mean something to me.


12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Eric: First of all thank you very much for helping to get us some exposure. We appreciate it! I also invite people to check us out on our official website, as well as on facebook, twitter, and whatever else you like to use. See you in the pit!