(Answers by: Charlie)
1. Deliberate Miscarriage is a new death metal band based in South Wales. What was the driving force behind giving birth to this band?
- I've played other people's music for a few years now, so it was time I put my own compositions out there. Plus, with old school death metal having a bit of a resurgence right now, it's a fortunate time to do so.
2. Could you tell us about your personal musical background? At what age did you start listening to extreme metal and which were the bands that inspired you to pick up an instrument?
- I learnt the trombone when I was in school, and played in orchestras and jazz groups. From there, I had an interest in the bass guitar after getting into heavier music at around 15-16, so by the time I left for university at 18 it was pretty obvious what I was going to spend my savings on! I've picked up a regular guitar not so long ago, and I'm slowly working my way around that too.
3. The production on your album is really crushing. What can you tell me about the recording process and what kind of sound you were going for? Are you satisfied with final results?
- Thank you very much! I'll make sure Nico our engineer hears your praise - it's thanks to his talents that the songs really shine. I'm a big Cannibal Corpse fan, and being a bassist I'm biased towards really clear bass in the mix. This lead me to point Nico at albums such as "Skeletal Domain" for the inspiration - crushing weight behind the riffs but all the instruments easily heard. Adam and I recorded guitars, bass, and vocals separately at home, then sent the stems through to Nico and Lyn in Mallorca. From there, Lyn programmed some drum ideas for each song, then used them as a framework to build his patterns - most of which he nailed right away, though there was one or two sections that we asked him to have another go at to get the right feel. Very happy with the final product, and should there be enough interest in us recording album 2, we'll certainly go back to Nico's expertise.
4. Lyn Jeffs was involved in the drumming of the album. How did it work out with such a talented drummer of the UK scene?
- I first met Lyn and the Ingested lads at a festival we both played at in Scotland in 2016, and we just hit it off. I've been a fan of theirs for years, so getting to hang out with them cemented it in my head that they were a band to support. My wife and I try to get out to see them as often as we can when they play near us. Lyn does the occasional bit of session work, so we consider ourselves very lucky that he had the time and was willing to help us out while we search for a permanent drummer in the band.
5. Is it hard for you to create new riffs and ideas for yourselves in death metal, since so much of the genre was established before?
- Really tricky actually, you start writing something and someone else overhears it and says "hey that's X song by Y, right?", then you've gotta commit and change it up enough so it's your own thing, or bin it and start again. I try and write down good sounding riffs when I'm just noodling about at home practicing, then piece those riffs together into a basic frame using Guitar Pro. It's a great way to get the skeleton of the song written, but you have to jam it out to get the spice on top. The great thing about Death Metal is the genre is so vast, you can draw inspiration from a lot of different places too.
6. What do you consider the strengths of Deliberate Miscarriage as far as musicians and your death metal craft?
- I'd like to think what we've written is catchy, bouncy, full of energy. I got bored with a previous band trying to be overly brutal and forgetting about the live experience people who go to shows want, so I intentionally tried to write songs that I'd want to jump around to - hopefully that comes across! I also think we're treading a fine line between being corny and being crass with the song titles - trying to be tongue in cheek while still capturing the essence of the scene.
7. These days people are more and more getting their music digitally (whether downloading or streaming). How important was it for the band to release the album on CD rather than just on digitally?
- Digital is a fantastic way to get a song or two in front of people to spread awareness of the band, and for the casual listener it's a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, because digital distribution is so cheap, it's difficult to recoup the costs of recording the album through online alone. That's why physical media and merch plays such a huge part in supporting small bands. We were also asked by a number of people to made CDs as they don't like digital for other reasons, as well as the aforementioned, so it made sense. On a personal note, I like to hold a CD in my hand and really look at the cover in a way you just can't with a screen too.
8. The artwork for your album is very striking and you seem to have fixed on a recognisable visual style. What’s the story behind the latest cover art?
- It just kinda came to us as we were talking about the album name - I knocked up a crude drawing in MS Paint and sent it to the artist, who did a far superior version and really elevated the idea to the spectacular piece it is now. With most of the songs concerned with gore and other nasty stuff, we thought trying to hide a few easter eggs from the songs in the art would be cool too.
9. Although your albums are self-released, are you fishing around for any major label support?
- We'd love to have some support for album 2, but I imagine we'd need to get a full line-up before anyone will take us seriously on that front.
10. Talking a bit more in general, what do you find most appealing about death metal and the underground? What can the genre perhaps express more so than other types of music?
- It's hard to describe really - the tonality, the energy, the thematics. The goosebumps you get when you listen to your favourite vocalist, or your top guitarist shredding etc. Death Metal just hits differently to other music, and it's definitely my go-to. Not just the music, but the people tend to be excellent to each other on the scene. Sure there's a few dickheads, but they're usually lost in a sea of likeminded winners who you'd want to spend time with anyway.
11. Did the death metal come with time as a natural choice for expression of your ideas or you were straight forward right from the start and decisive that you want to play death metal definitely?
- I started the project with death metal in mind, learning from the highs and lows of previous bands I've been in as well as sage advice from friends I've made in other bands. I don't think the lyrical content lends itself to clean singing (not that I can do that anyway!), so going down a funk route was out of the question!
12. What is your favourite part of writing and performing music? What are some of the challenges you face as a musician?
- There's no feeling like watching someone else enjoy what you've created. It's great to write something you can be proud of, but the elation you feel when you see someone else's face light up with joy, or give you the stinkface for a disgusting riff, is just unparalleled. My wife is pretty discerning, so I know if she thinks something is decent I'm onto something.
13. Do you have a special “dream” to achieve in music? Like playing a special show, doing a special recording or playing with a special musician?
- I guess the ultimate dream is to quit the office job and have music pay the bills, but that might stay a dream for me. I'd love to share the stage with my favourite bands, maybe collab with them on a project together.
14. That's all the questions I have for you man. I'll let you have the final words by saying whatever you'd like to our readers and your fans out there.
- Thank you again for having us, and thank you to the reader for reaching this far! Please give us a listen, and if you like it show a friend who you think will also enjoy the music! We hope to get out there soon.
Cheers.
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