Since its inception in 2004, Dead Rites has been making waves in the underground and tearing up stages across the world. Formed by Radu in Atlanta, Dead Rites was to be the ultimate fusion of his favorite genres. Combining the energy and intensity of punk and old-school heavy metal with his brooding, gothic vocal melodies, the band has created a sound that is both fresh and unique. This being coupled with blistering and passionate live performances, Dead Rites has won over many a stubborn crowd and secured a die-hard fan base.
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Welcome ! Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions from our end. How are things in the Band camp ?
Radu : Oh man so things are busy. Very fucking busy. So we were just signed to Soman Records and we were slated to head to Japan in the summer and our bass player couldn’t make the tour and we had a hired bassist to come with us and then we lost the bass player because of schedules. So we scrambled to get a bass player but its looking like Soman Records needs an album sooner than later so we may just move Japan one more year again and then head into the studio while we tour for Bereavement.
How long has the band been together ?
Radu : I started Dead Rites in late 2004/early 2005 and we were punkier at that time. We have been rambling and doing shows ever since.
Is there a particular story behind the band name?
Radu : When my previous band broke up we had named the band from a Danzig song on an airport on our way to the United States from Puerto Rico. We just started reading song lyrics and found the name of that band. When I sat down to name this band I wanted it to be a band that came from the lyrics of the other band and thus Dead Rites was born . Dead Rites comes from the stand against the old guard and now doing things our way. Whether it be religion, politics or music.
What’s the most memorable show you guys have played and where are you scheduled to hit the stage in the near future ?
Radu : Most memorable? Wow that is a lot I would say that we played an amazing show for Pathfinder Promotions last year that was killer, I booked a festival with my friends called Sweet Radu’s carnival of darkness that was pretty awesome we are doing that again this year, opening for Moonspell and Prong was amazing and the night we opened for IL NINO was awesome also great fucking crowd. The first Japan tour was also unbelievable. We are doing some shows in March we are headed to Athens, GA and Alabama and then we are working on finally doing a west coast tour this Summer and then it looks like Japan will be moved to next year so we will do an east coast tour pretty soon too.
Outside your own releases, what have you been listening to lately and what’s coming out soon you are looking forward to ?
Radu : Well I listen to a lot of different things that is not metal so for example I am listening to the new AFI album and the I am still listening to Ghost-Meliora and the EP that came out after that. On the progressive front I am listening to Voyager’s I am the revolution and V pretty much daily to get in the writing mood they have become one of my favorite bands. Iron maiden’s seventh son has come back into my playlist again and the new one and the new testament album is amazing. I have been listening to the new Metallica and one of the old Circus Maximus albums.
Back to the beginning What led to the creation of Dead Rites and this particular type of sound over any other style of music ?
Radu : When we were touring with my previous band we were playing with a lot of rap metal acts and it was super difficult for us to get anyone to pay attention to us and we really wanted to get people’s attention. We wanted to be liked. When that band broke up
and Dead Rites came through I had a chip on my shoulder I was pretty angry and I just wanted to make whatever the fuck I wanted to do and I did not give three shits of what was popular. It was a bit angry. When I have to describe our band I say we are Danzig meets maiden. I do not by any chance think that I am as talented of any of those two singers and as a band we wish we were as fantastic as they are but we always reach to be as close to the best as possible.
and Dead Rites came through I had a chip on my shoulder I was pretty angry and I just wanted to make whatever the fuck I wanted to do and I did not give three shits of what was popular. It was a bit angry. When I have to describe our band I say we are Danzig meets maiden. I do not by any chance think that I am as talented of any of those two singers and as a band we wish we were as fantastic as they are but we always reach to be as close to the best as possible.
Please tell us about your latest release ”Bereavement ” ?
Radu : ”Bereavement” was released last year finally and it was the culmination of over 3 years of trying to get the album done. It is based on a lot of loss, the lyrics are kind of like a cleansing for me and I feel like after doing this album I can go back to the evil, angels, demons and possessions and all things horror that I love to sing about. It is our third album and we are looking forward to getting out on the road and playing these songs.
How important are lyrics for the band ? Who writes them? What kinds of themes inspire you guys to write about ?
Radu : I write all of the lyrics and sometimes some of the music I try to stay away from the music writing because the beauty of making music is coming together to make something out of all of the things that we bring so being a dictator about what we write is not healthy for a band in my opinion. Paul writes most of the music and we keep each other on point when we are writing he used to play in a death metal band so he sometimes brings the funniest riffs that I look at him like eh no. And I sometimes send him notes for songs and he looks at me and says: “How the hell am I supposed to make that note and This note work in this song? ” It is beautiful. I like horror movies and murder and angels and demons and devils and all of the things that are there that we don’t know about and then I also like to tear pages from my own life and make it a song its therapeutic. I think bereavement is the first time that I have been able to write something that includes both evil dark personal themes.
How do you think your music will progress in the future?
Radu : We are already writing the new album for Soman so we are already hearing a heavier shorter version of what is in bereavement so we will see how that will progress in the future. But I think it will be heavy and hooky because I love hooks.
What are the next steps for your band ?
Radu : We are starting a weekly online show like a video diary on our YouTube page where we will discuss the band and wrestling and I will be doing interviews with some of my friends where we talk about shit so that should be fun. I don’t expect it to go too far but it will be fun and that is all that matters. We are writing the new album and still touring for bereavement and then a west coast tour finally and Japan next year fucking finally and maybe a video or two in the meantime.
Thanks for your time answering my questions. I wish you the best of luck ! Please close the interview in any way you like…
Radu : Thank you so much for having us thanks to Dark Water PR and thanks to Acier Doux for the interview and thanks Eric at Soman Records for believing in us and most of all thanks to all of our fans for singing along and coming to see us without you we couldn’t do what we love and we love you for that with all of our hearts ………See you on the road
Interviewer Med Manef Slama
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