"Ghost Songs" was a pretext for one of the most interesting interviews, which Metal Imperium gave. Death On Fire talked about the recording process, meaning, musical influences and more.
Let us enter their world!
M.I. - What can you tell us about this band, historically and musically speaking?
It all started in 2016 when Tim released some music as a studio project. From there, he found the rest of the band members and hit the road. Since then, we started writing as a group and finding our footing in the scene as an Old School Death Metal/ Melodeath band. We have a ton of shows under our belt and four releases. Needless to say, we stay busy and are proud of our DIY work ethic.
M.I. - The band’s first name was LazerWulf. Why did you decide to change it?
Turns out there was another band named LazerWulf, from Atlanta. They let us know and since we hadn’t really built any equity in the name, it was decided to switch to Death on Fire. This was all early days, I think it happened just after Tim released his demos.
M.I. - “Ghost Songs” was released on the 20th March of this year and the cover is absolutely amazing. What’s the story for choosing it?
We were looking for an artist and a good friend, Matt Bacon, turned us on to @zienz_, on Instagram. Tim spoke with her and explained our love of the macabre and gothic art work. Kyle has an awesome eye for visual composition and got us all excited for gothic art. We had an idea for a Succubus or demon goddess, that drew men to their death. It was a nice way to flip the power dynamic and show that the system is leading us to our doom. Maybe a bit of the Mother Earth fighting back thing. It really ticked every box for what we were singing about and it looks metal as fuck. So…
M.I. - How would you describe this album, in terms of writing, mixing and recording? Can we say that your sound and lyrics are more mature than in your previous album “Witch Hunter”?
It is absolutely more mature. One plus is, it is more than Tim writing the music. Kyle has a great sense of what a song needs and his playing adds a dynamic to the music, that was missing previously. Sam as always is a beast. We worked with a good friend Ryan Newman, on the mixing and he helped produce a bit too. We had a lot more attention to the little details, thanks to him and he got the right amount of raw energy and clean lines in it. So, we are very happy with that. Topics are similar as far as being personal and about what Tim faces in his life. That being said, he is writing with more of a band focus in that a lot of ideas and lines are bounced off of the other members, to make sure they are more universally relatable. It is nice to see him growing lyrically in that sense. We are excited and humbled by the reception we have received for this album and are enjoying writing for our next one during quarantine.
M.I. - We can hear more powerful guitar riffs and the lyrics and vocals are very well structured. Do you start with a lyric and develop the songs from there or the other way?
Other way around. We are all musicians first and Tim writes lyrics, separate from riffs. Then we go back and listen for vocal cadences, that match lyrics he has written. Sometimes we fit the lyrics to a song, but more often than not we just wait for the right ones to come along that fit the music.
M.I. - Does this album have a very personal meaning for you as musicians and people? How come?
We are all very proud of it. It has meanings for each one of us on different levels. A lot of it, is about the loss we experience in life and the fear and anger we have from the damage others cause for us or we cause for ourselves. In that sense, it is very personal for Tim. Several songs were about his wife being sick and facing the concerns about her mortality, the friction in their relationship when things get rough, things like that. Tim definitely wears his heart on his sleeve, more than people realize.
M.I. - This album is Melodic/Death Metal at its finest. What influenced you?
We all have eclectic tastes. Kyle is a singer songwriter guy that loves swampy jazz and blues. Sam is a British New Wave Heavy Metal guy, but digs on The Doors and The Beatles. Tim is probably the most pure metalhead. He is a Megadeth and Carcass fan, which is well documented. He also loves Death and Dream Theatre. What is really interesting to us though, is that it feels like Old School Death Metal. Melody makes a song great. It gives more power to the percussive sections, and more movement and emotion to the song on the whole. I think we all love metal but appreciate music in general and that has us writing from a different angle than some of our peers. We are just humbled that people enjoy what we are doing.
M.I. - Let’s talk about some tracks. “The Lies We Eat” is an accumulation of metallic flavour but it also has a dark tone to it. It seems we believe in everything we hear but don’t focus in the reality in front our eyes. Is that true? In your opinion, what should we believe in?
I would agree with that statement. It is hard to get through the noise and get to the truth. I say believe in yourself. Make sure you are educated and fact check. Ignorance is a weapon for the elite. It allows others to control your narrative. I would also say that this song is about living a lie and selling your hope and dreams away one compromise at a time. Don’t give up on your dreams. Sometimes life makes us pivot. Pivoting doesn’t mean we should give up though.
M.I. - “Architects” shows footage of war, kids in school and the development of science. Can we say that this song is anti-war? Are you trying to catch the attention of what’s happening in the world at this time?
This song is antiwar and anti-climate change. It is anticorporate control. Wars are fought for economic interests and controlling resource distribution. It is often glorified to the young as noble and god vs evil. It is about the rich staying rich. So, yeah, anti-war. That said though, the reason we have most of our issues, is greed steering mankind. It is too expensive and not equitable to be green from a corporate standpoint. It is easier to kill people and take what you want than it is to negotiate a compromise. We are all selling convenience and gadgets at low prices for our morals. It is a song about a lot of dark shit in the human experience.
M.I. - You covered Kiss’ track “Love Gun”. How and why did you decide for this song?
Kyle mentioned it. It is an awesome song and when we put our spin on it, it got really dark and creepy so we felt like it was a solid fit. That and they are the fathers of black metal like it or not so we have them a nod.
M.I. - Will this album have a tour to introduce it to the fans? What more surprises can we expect?
We had on set for March and that fell through. We are looking at our options and hoping to have something together in November. That is assuming everything is back to some level of normal by then. The album feels kind of timely ironically and we hope to get out and share it as an outlet for fans. We have been rehearsing and we’re in our final week of preparation for stage show. So, we have a few tricks up our sleeve. In the meantime, we will probably release a few b-sides and another video this year just to keep content flowing.
M.I. - Thanks for your time. Any final words?
Thank you. Support your local scene. Take care of each other because no one else will. Stay brutal and see you guys soon hopefully.
For Portuguese version, click here
Questions by Raquel Miranda
