Interview with DANGER OF DEATH
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about DANGER OF DEATH (Members, Starting Year etc).
Saitam: Danger of Death officially started in 2021. We had been playing some stuff before that and were also in a band together way before that. The band was basically a culmination of long desire to play together and a frustration of somewhat stale metal scene that we perceived at the time. We wanted to bring back some of that "Danger" that initially drawed us to metal. Fast and heavy music, long hair, leather jackets, radical shaped guitars, Rack amplifiers, shitloads of pedals, effects and the works. Well played and thought out music still kept barebones without any synths or implications of artistry. At the moment the band is a collaboration of Saitam and J.J. with support from some local maniacs like mr. Puukko-Tolonen who lended his helping hand slapping the bass as a session member.
You have recently released your EP ''False Dawn''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Saitam: We released False Dawn completely our own devices. Everything is done by us, from music to mastering. We are lucky to have a rehearsal space and a studio at Castle Master where we could do all of this stuff "inhouse". When thinking about the humble DIY beginnings of the band the reception has been great! We have mainly spread the music online and through our own contacts. Although we do this music completely to fill a void within ourselves we still greatly appreciate every listener who sees the trouble to check us out.
Label or DIY and why?
Saitam: I for one am completely for the DIY ethic. I feel that the bands get more out of themselves when they are forced to bring out the best they can with the resources they have. I for one would not compromise anything in out music or our image just for the sake of approachability. But then again, there are great labels out there and they can help to spread the word so of course if a suitable label would be found we would co-operate but still keep the decisions with us.
J.J.: DIY works best for small act like us atm. We've been planning in the near future to release mainly three song ep's instead of full length which works best for us for the time beign.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Saitam: We fucking use analog 80´s preamps for guitars and while the feelings and the sounds we get from them are unreal, so sometimes are the troubles... We scrapped several sessions just because of weird suddenly appearing noises or weak sounds that just appeared with out any explanation, in the end of the day it pays off but man what a fuckin hussle. Also we have so many cables broken during the sessions that it seems unreal. I have a habit of tying the broken cables up in nooses around our rehearsal space and the place looks now like a massive gallows. We have not been able to play live yet but that is definitely coming in the future. We want our live show to evoke that same sense of danger that drawed us to metal in the first place. So everything maxed out. Fast and heavy music that evokes the feeling that you are sitting in a car speeding 100mph straight to a concrete wall! (100mph here is a tribute to Cirith Ungol, one of greatest there ever will be).
J.J.: Our fucking mixing process was a joke... We waited our mixes for almost a year (don't ask...) and then decided to take care of the mixing by ourselves..
Saitam
J.J.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Saitam: I used to collect a lot of vinyl (and cd before that) and have a quite a vast collection of mostly metal and punk. Nowadays for some reason I lean towards tape though. Maybe getting lazy of changing the records! Actually I would like to use this occasion and offer to the reader a limited promotional offer of our first release on tape. Release is strictly limited to a point where I run out of second generations tapes to dub the music into. So dubbed tape and printed covers (I will be numbering them though). I only ask the price of the postage so no price for the actual tape. So no guarantees on the tapes either, these are dubbed personally on second generation tapes and when the music stops there might be some random shit playing depending on the tape you get. I get these tapes out of flea markets so could be children's songs or Finnish folk music. If you are interested hook us up on dodmetalhq@gmail.com for details.
J.J.: Physical copy for sure. There's just that feeling when you got the record on your player and open the booklet. Still remember vividly when I got "Ride the Lightning" album on my hands for the first time. Fuck, this looks so cool!
Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Saitam: Sooooooo many to mention. For D.O.D. it all abought the eighties Ozzy, Exodus (Baloff!!!), Overkill, Racer-X, Cacophony, Razor, Vio-Lence, Dark Angel, Celtic Frost / Hellhammer, Running Wild, Demolition Hammer, Rigor Mortis, Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, Poison (West Germany), Amebix etc etc.
J.J.: Metallica, Ozzy, Megadeth and all 80's metal etc. Finnish metal scene definitely had a big impact on me. As a guitar player guys like Alexi Laiho, Paul Gilbert, Nuno Bettencourt, Marty Friedman, Mateus Asato are the biggest inspirations for me.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Saitam: A lot and lot of time. We have dedicated as much time for the band as we can in our situation, so it is our hobby and our passion. On the other hand I do not necessary think one needs to necessary sacrifice anything. To me its more of a question of priority - I don't have time for everything I would like to do, what do I prioritize? Needless to say band rates high on that list.
J.J.: For band I don't think we haven't need to sacrifice anything else than time. Music is and has been so important part of my life for over two decades, that it doesn't feel like I'm "sacrificing" anything for it. Of course more hours in a day would be a nice and welcomed.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
Saitam: Not yet, but it is the most logical next step! Ideal show would be one that people leave from feeling something powerful. The worst thing for me would be to play an "ok" gig that no one remembers. I would rather have people leaving fucking pissed off than indifferent. Metal needs to evoke some feeling and same goes for live performances!
J.J.: No live shows yet but definitely a goal! Our dream is to play live show with permanent band members, not with just a session guys.
What attributes do you think that a new Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Saitam: I do not necessarily think every band always needs to unique in order to create great music. There are many bands that ended way too soon and I would be more than happy to have stuff in the same vein. But in general I think it is nowadays very difficult to make yourself noticeable from the huge amount of bands that come out. For me killer artwork and aesthetics maybe work the best and make me pick up those records just based on covers, song titles etc.
J.J.: To have a great songs and attitude I believe. Nothing happens if nobody likes your music.. And play killer live shows.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Saitam: Absolutely! Just discussed this within the band the other day how much more difficult it would have been to spread this music around when we were having our first band together way back. I am old school (meaning I don't have any social media for example), so I would like say ideal way to promote is live shows, play a great (or terrible, see question 8!) show and the word is gonna spread. Also shirts, patches etc helps, or at least I am always interested when I see a cool shirt or patch. Answering interviews hopefully helps too!!
J.J.: Of course! But the other side is that I think the music scene in overall is over saturated. New bands come everyday and all digital platforms are full of new music. It's easy to get music out there but hard to stick out in the end.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Helsinki, Finland (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
Saitam: I think live scene has picked up a bit lately after the pandemic (or maybe I just got the danger back in me again...) . There are couple of small places around that play underground shows mainly Lepakkomies and Boothill bar and a couple of bigger ones. I have great respect to bands like Ranger and Terror Cross for keeping the Helsinki scene alive and kicking via their tireless playing live. Oh, and gotta mention Bar Loose since Master / Death Strike played there last year. A dream come true for me.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Saitam: Hell yessssssss... Old Hellenic black metal scenes is one of my absolute favourites. Actually Old Coffin Spirit (Rotting Christ) and Unholy Funeral (Varathron) were some of the earliest song I learned to play on guitar. Also in my book Ade's Winds by Rotting Christ is one of the best recordings ever made. The perfect sonic equivalent of Dante's description of inferno, wont you agree? Some other Hellenic bands I absolutely worship are Necromantia, Thou Art Lord, Zemial, Agatus, old Septicflesh, old Nightfall, Horrified, Vorphalack, Medieval Demon, Dead Conregation, Yoth Iria, Nergal, Nordor, Ravencult, Nocternity etc etc.
J.J.: I'm not that familiar with it. I need to check that out!
In the last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange, and new situations in our everyday lives (covid, lockdown, etc.). Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Saitam: I gotta say that the end result especially from musical perspective must be positive. As I said the live scene here seems to be picking up, or at least I have become more actively involved again. The band was basically started during the pandemic and most of our music is done during then.
What are your future plans?
Saitam: Make more music and find a line up that can present this stuff on stage live like it should be done. Our next EP "Carrion" is almost done (2/3 song ready) and I can already say that it is going to be out next year.
J.J.: Yes! Make more music definitely! To get permanent band members and to play live shows.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Saitam: Thank you for this opportunity to share our thoughts. Remember, if you taste metal, you are in danger of death....
J.J.: Thanks for checking us out and be sure to follow us on our journey thru whatever socialnetworks we have! Our next EP Carrion is planned to release early next year.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
DANGER OF DEATH CONTACT:
https://dangerofdeath.bandcamp.com/album/false-dawn