1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
I’m great - somewhere in a small town in New York - think less city, and more farmlands…Most of the United States outside of major cities is very rural - not what one might think.
2. What was your personal journey like in discovering heavy metal – can you tell us about some of the early bands that captivated you and then provided the impetus to pick up an instrument and play?
Started off with hard rock in the late 80s - sometime in the mid 90s started getting into heavier stuff, by the end of the 90s found black metal and death metal and the rest is history. Early influences include Amorphis, Sentenced, Edge of Sanity, At The Gates, etc. but not limited to those - however those are the ones that are probably the biggest influence on Dissenchant’s current style.
3. As a “band” from New York, how has your local music scene influenced your development and growth as musician?
I no longer consider myself really part of the scene around me - unfortunately it’s not great. Roughly 10 years ago was better, but it has since faltered. Not a lot of motivated or original bands - seems like a lack of vision. Bands seem to be doing it just to do it. Not indicative of the scene as a whole but yeah - I’m not super involved with it at this point. I wish it would improve but I remain unattached. I consider myself an outsider at this point.
4. Having been active as a musician member in previous bands (Herod and Seplophile) since 2000 year. What do you think is the pre-eminent challenge facing underground Metal acts these days? Does this differ to how it has been in the past?
It’s easier and harder than ever to be a musician. Easier to have access to quality instruments and easier than ever to make a record - however, it's easier for everyone now so there’s more noise. Not saying it should be hard to make a record, but it just creates a very wide pool to wade through. Harder to find quality but it’s still possible.
5. As the sole member of Dissenchant, how do you handle the songwriting, recording, and live performance aspects? What challenges and advantages do you experience as a one-man band?
Recording music alone is easy - no one to have any kind of disagreement with. I work on it at my own pace. But it is time consuming to do everything. We haven’t played live yet. If the right opportunity came along it would be a consideration. But I have no plans to do a live band as of right now. I have in mind a perfect scenario to play live someday but we’ll see. It’s a long way off.
6. It feel that your music is more related with the sound of melodic Finnish bands. So it’s quite a surprise for me to see a melodic death metal originating from The States. Do you think such label may affect your potential for wider appeal over the years?
Possibly. It’s just how I’ve always written. The two songs I’ve released thus far have old roots - parts of them were written 15, 20 years ago. My associates have said as much - it sounds “non-American” - I was drawn to the Finnish bands pretty early on so I think the influence is obvious. I’d love to establish a fan base over there - I think it would do well.
7. In May 2023, you have released your debut demo “The Embers Of Autumn”, Tell me a bit more about the ambiance, the mood, the recording condition of your both songs.
I’ve been working on a full length album for a long time but wanted something else to introduce the band to the world. I worked on two songs as a demo to say “here we are”. The two songs are not far removed from the coming album - if maybe more straight ahead - the album will be a bit more progressive and varied. The mood is obviously a bit morose and intended to summon images of autumn itself - I was planning on releasing it a bit later to coincide with the change of the seasons but didn’t want to delay it any further so I released it in early May. The vinyl finally came out in early November so just in time for the rainy season - real mood music.
8. Did you have a ‘mission’ and goal ready when you first started out, or did the music and direction first take shape as you crafted songs and so forth?
The mission has always been getting the music inside of me out - I have a back catalog of songs around and finally after years of doing other bands / projects, I decided I wanted to focus on this music that has been closest to my heart for the longest. Music usually comes first but not always. I have a document of random lyrics and sometimes it’ll start from one of the wild lines that pops into my head.
9. Your songs feature guest vocals from Colin Winkelman . How did this collaboration come about, and what was the experience like working with him?
We were in Seplophile together in the early 2010s so it was natural; he’s got a great voice. Often when I work on vocal parts I have him in mind the whole time. He’s super professional as well, comes in and does his parts flawlessly. He’s a great vocalist and glad to have him aboard.
10. How do you manage to incorporate melodic elements into your music while maintaining the aggression and brutality of death metal?
It’s almost the opposite for me - I feel like it's harder to incorporate the more brutal elements of death metal in the music than the melodic parts. I’m a very melodic writer by nature. The interesting thing is if we changed the vocals from growls to something else, the genre might be totally different. I’d like to get even heavier eventually though - and it will.
11. There’s a real trick to doing melodic death metal right, and clearly, you’ve done it. To you, what makes a good melo-death song?
Good melodies, decent heavy production, and maybe a little magic / atmosphere / vision. Try to be unique! Don’t be afraid to be catchy - most good death metal is, even the brutal shit. Write songs, not just riffs. Have a vision and follow it!
12. As a musician, how mandatory is the process of coming up with new ideas or incorporating new influences as opposed to staying within the style you are known for or that you are most familiar with?
I think if it’s natural you should go with it. I don’t plan on sticking to the same formula here either - my plans for my next releases are more progressive, have heavier influences, etc. So long as you write from the heart, it works. I think people will understand that as well. If you believe in what you’re doing and not doing it for some secondary reason, it will shine through. So stylistic changes are fine so long as they’re genuine and for the right reasons.
13. To see the EP Mastered on one of the finest underground Finnish Studios (Finnvox - Helsinki Finland) must have been a joy. How did that happen and how has the experience been? Can you discuss how the final result came about and what it means for your future as an artist?
When thinking of places to get it mastered I decided to just look up everyone who I’d love to touch the final product and of course the legendary Finnvox was high on my list. Their prices are very reasonable and I think the final product turned out punchy and loud, which is what I wanted. Easy to work with, even had a little back and forth with a few things to get settled and it was painless. I will probably work with them again in the future.
14. Today, given the tendency of collectors to prefer vinyl; many consider CD a redundant format. Do you agree with such sentiment? At least, you´ve released your EP in this format, isn´t?
The EP was released on 7” vinyl so far - I might eventually do a CD release. I dont think it’s redundant at all - I collect both vinyl and CDs. I love both. If I do some more singles in the future I’ll probably do a CD compilation of them or something similar. The next album will be digital, vinyl, and CD.
15. Are there any plans for collaboration with other artists or musicians in the future, and if so, what excites you about the potential of those collaborations?
I have a few other projects in the works - I’m very excited to be working on a ton of music right now. The time feels right and I’m still playing pretty well so I’ll keep it going. As far as the potential - it’s always to create the best music I can, music that I want to hear that I don’t think exists, and contribute what I can to heavy metal music and culture as a whole. This is art!
16. As an multi-instrumentalist, how do you balance the creative aspects of music-making with the more business-oriented side of promoting your project?
The business side is more work than one expects - I don’t love it and I’m starting from ground zero here, but I have complete control which is very important for me as well. I do enjoy the freedom it affords me - to control how things are done. It has its trade offs as I’m sure you well know. It is hard to be an independent artist but ultimately I do this for me. If I sell 100 copies or a million, it’s all the same.
17. How do you define “underground” and where do you see yourself and your band in it?
As I alluded to before - the underground is bigger than ever. More varied than ever before - and more easily accessible - but littered with more garbage. It has its advantages and disadvantages - harder to get noticed but easier to make art. I think it’s a good trade off. We fit in as a niche band for sure - it’s a bit of an outsider's mentality. I’d love to get my music to as many people as possible but forgo the modern hustle of videos / paid promotion / etc - I want a fan base to grow as organically as possible and for the right reasons. I’m a bit old school.
18. On an international level, how has your music been received? Do you try to promote your music on a large scale?
It’s had a decent slice of people from around the world check it out - as mentioned previously I think the material in general appeals to those who appreciate those European sentiments and flair - but music is truly universal. I’d love to do more promotion in not only Canada and Europe but South America as well - places that I think have historically very strong scenes and appreciation for this type of music. The passion of the South American fans is known throughout the world. We love the support.
19. Finally, is there anything else you would like to share with your fans and the readers of this interview?
We are hard at work on a full length record - no time table yet but I want to get it out sooner rather than later. If you like what you’ve heard so far, you’ll enjoy this as well - it is worth the wait. I am very proud of what we’ve been working on. It’s more of the same from the demo but turned up to the max - heavier AND more progressive. I’ve been working on it for a very long time and can’t wait for people to hear it. Death metal prevails!
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