Interview with RUSTY DIAMONDS
!!!HEAVY METAL FROM AUSTRIA!!!
We had a conversation with Flo (Drums) and Andi (Guitars). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about RUSTY DIAMONDS (Members, Starting Year etc).
Flo: The roots of Rüsty Diamönds go back to 2018, when the former band of Andi (guitars) and me (drums) ended. We thought about the style we want to play and started to work on some first rough ideas until the band got finally completed with Yosh (vocals and guitars) and Alex (bass) in 2020, which we see as the official founding year of the band. We then completed the first songs, slowly started to find our style and went to the studio with producer Lukas Haidinger in early 2021 for recording our debut EP including four songs.
You have recently released your EP ''Stormbringer''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Flo: The feedback so far is amazing – we really didn’t see that coming! We have already received orders from Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and even the USA! To get the feedback from our listeners all over the world really makes us proud about what we have now created. Some people also tell us how much they like our stuff at the merch booth after our gigs. It’s just great to get so much positive and honest response! Also, the first press reviews were really positive and supportive.
Andi: It’s much more than I have ever expected. Special thanks for everyone at this point. I am very surprised about that great feedback, orders and the comments from countries all around the world. Especially because we don’t do any paid advertising and still reach all those people.
Label or DIY and why?
Flo: 100% DIY! The band is an important thing for us, but more of less it is just a hobby. Due to our families and full-time jobs, we would not have enough time to start a big, serious career with a label, booking agency and so on. And this is absolutely OK for us! We have fun writing new songs, playing gigs and having some beers - and this is what it's all about!
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Flo: There are always some funny stories, especially when we are in the studio. But I guess that most of them are only really funny for us and not for the rest of the world, haha! We and our producer Lukas Haidinger are real geniuses in “misheard lyrics” of our own songs. There are one or two parts in nearly every of our songs that will never be the same for me since then. But since I don’t want to destroy any of our songs for you guys, those misheard lyrics will stay a hidden secret for everybody outside the band, haha!
Andi: I think our humor is nothing that we can show in the public – ask our wives/girlfriends, they would confirm that, haha!
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Flo: I’m a big music addict and own a big record collection. Sometimes I still buy CDs, if there is no other physical release existing. I also collect tapes, but my big passion is vinyl – in the meantime I have a collection of about 4000+ releases. To see the big and detailed cover in your hands and reading lyrics, artist notes etc. is a great thing. It’s just a different feeling compared to CDs or tapes, or even a digital release. This is also why we wanted to release our new EP on vinyl (including the debut EP as bonus). This is a dream we were now able to fulfill.
Andi: I also have a little vinyl collection – not as large as Flo‘s – but I prefer vinyl records too. So, it was also a little dream for me to get our own record pressed.
Your music style is Heavy Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Flo: I listen to more of less any musical genre. From Black and Death Metal, to Heavy Metal, to Stoner/Doom, to Punk, to Blues and even Electronic and some Jazz. But when it comes to drumming, I like to play hard and fast, but more straight stuff with some little twists. Big influences musically (or in terms of drumming) are probably Metallica (Lars is great!), Slayer (with Dave Lombardo), Dark Angel, Darkthrone, Queen and Rush.
Andi: We all have extremely different influences – and I think that is one of the best things in our band. I think all the different influences turned us in our own style that you cannot compare with any other bands one by one. That's a really important thing 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?
Flo: As already mentioned, the band always comes second or even third. Of course, we want to be successful in some ways, but we are all on the same line that we don’t have to sacrifice anything for getting bigger or more famous or something. The only thing we may have sacrificed so far was a shitload of money, for recording, getting the cover artwork painted, press CDs and LPs and so on. But that’s OK, since we are super happy with the results and the feedback from our listeners.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
Flo: Since we have only played five gigs so far in this band, we haven’t experienced that yet, haha! For me it’s important to play a good show and have fun on stage. If the audience likes what they see and hear, I am happy and satisfied with it.
What attributes do you think that a new Heavy Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Flo: I think this is something you cannot say in general. For me, it doesn’t matter how special, unique or “true” you are, if you have long hair or not, if you wear spikes and leather or not. For me, it is all about the passion of music. If you are passionate and honest about what you do, people will notice and respect you. You quickly notice the reasons why a band makes music. If they are for the wrong reasons, these bands will quickly be forgotten and disappear in the depths. We always try to be just us, bring a lot of our personal musical influences in our music and play just whatever we want as long as it kind of fits in our scheme.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Heavy Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Flo: This is a tough one. On the one hand, today it is really super easy for bands to release and spread their music to a worldwide audience. It is also super easy for the listeners to find new bands from all over the globe and listen to their music and also buy their merch. But on the other hand, it gets harder and harder to find the real good bands in that huge pool of music. This often requires a big amount of time. Many bands are really good and talented, but sound just the same. This is not a bad thing in general, but it can get boring very quick. I don’t think that there is an ideal way for a band to promote its work. I also have no idea what is the ideal way for us. For me, I just don't want to be intrusive. I am glad that we are able to share our music, but everybody who listens to it should do this because he really wants to. I don’t want to use misleading headlines, paid ads, click-bait and all that stuff. It should just be the honest way, and if the people like what they hear, it’s a good thing.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Austria (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
Flo: There is a very healthy scene in the region around Linz, Enns and Wels (Upper Austria), which is not too far away from us. There are cool bands like Death Racer, Ludgar, Zepter, Prediction, Kringa, Eisenhand and Atömic Seasön that keep the fires burning. Steel City Sorcery is a cool association organizing great events in KAPU (Linz). Also Torpedo Promotion are worth mentioning, organizing events around Linz and Enns. There is really a lot going on! But there are many more bands to mention that are spread all over the country: Hellrazors, Distaste, Pryne, Auszaat, Endonomos, Diamond Falcon, Bum Shelter, Guyod, Transilvania, Circle Of Shadows, Deathstorm, Daeth Daemon, Dead Knowledge, Lichtblick, … just to name a few. I have surely missed some very important ones, but the list would be endless. Then there are also some recommendable festivals, like Celebrare Noctem, Sick Midsummer and House Of The Holy … and many other local organizers who continue to put on good concerts with great bands from Austria and abroad.
Andi: … don‘t forget Venator – for me they are one of the best bands in Austria and a good example to see that the Austrian Heavy Metal scene is still alive.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Flo: I know some great Black and Heavy Metal bands from Greece, older and also newer ones. But to be honest, I don’t know too much about the scene itself. Since I am always open to find new bands and releases, I would be happy about some suggestions and information from you – just let me know!
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?
Flo: To be honest, I don’t really want to talk too much about that period of time anymore. We have already put so much energy, time and anger in that topic – for me it is way more important to look into the future. We have released our debut EP in 2021, so we were not really able to promote it and play the songs live. Now, with the second EP, we will catch up with all the stuff we have missed before. This feels great and makes you forget that period of time very quickly.
What are your future plans?
Flo: Right now, we are planning our next steps for 2025. We want to play some more shows and maybe be part of the festival season with one or two shows at some local festivals. And we want to sell some merch to get all that invested money back, haha! We also have started working on some new songs, so maybe we will record the next EP in two years or something, but we will see. We really have some down-to-earth plans, don’t want to rush anything or put too much pressure on us. We have big fun right now and are super happy how things are going at the moment, and this should stay the same in the future.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Flo: Big thanks to Stavros and Filthy Dogs Of Metal Webzine for taking time and the great support. Also thanks to all people who listen to our music, buy our stuff and keep supporting us – you are amazing!
Andi: Also big thanks to everyone!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
RUSTY DIAMONDS CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/rustydiamondsmetal/
https://www.instagram.com/rustydiamondsmetal/
https://rustydiamondsmetal.bandcamp.com/album/stormbringer
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7DTDY9jIl0DEV7LRiJjzE6
https://www.deezer.com/de/artist/152176442