Danish groove-metallers Diretone are about to released their eponymous riff-fest of a debut-album, which will hit the stores on November 25, 2011 - released on Gateway Music. We had a chat with guitarist and groove-meister Peter Kondrup who discusses the importance of groove and riffage and also gives us some insights into the Diretone songwriting procress. In addition some of the future plans and future musical direction of Diretone will be revealed in the interview.
First of all, congratulations on your upcoming debut
album http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/diretone--diretone.aspx" rel="nofollow - Diretone , which is a solid and very enjoyable album, I think. How do you
feel about the album?
Thanks a lot! We feel great and proud. At the same
it's a burden finally lifted from our shoulders. The album's been a long time
coming - the recording process started two years ago - so it's good to get it
out of the system and be able to look forward. This is where the fun starts now
that we can get back to being creative musically.
How would you, in your own words, describe the music
on the album?
Groovy, punchy metal with down-tuned guitars and clean
vocals, and with nods to the big names and pioneers of the metal genre. The
song structures are very much to the point and not too complex so the music is
immediately accessible to the listener.
Who, do you think, will the Diretone album appeal to?
Übertrue metalheads are rarely crazy about our music.
Because of its relative simplicity, we probably appeal more to the casual rock
and metal fan.
There is a lot of emphasis on groove on the album and
especially the riffage seems central. How do you approach the writing proces in
Diretone? Does the songwriting evolve around guitar riffs or do you take a
different approach?
The riffs are definitely central, they are the primary
building stones. Usually we have a song skeleton (verse + chorus for example)
to work from, and vocals aren't added until the end.
You are obviously very experienced and talented
musicians capable of very technical playing (which, I think, does manifest
itself in some of the guitar solos), but you have deliberately opted for a more
groove- and feel-oriented approach. Why?
That's a result of four guys with very different taste
in music. Making music for a band is always a compromise so we kind of meet in
the middle. We never really sat down and decided, 'This is what we want to
play'. It comes very naturally and if one of us comes up with a riff usually we
can tell more or less immediately whether or not it will ever fit in a Diretone
song.
Speaking of guitar solos, how do you guys approach
them? Do you improvise them on the spot or do you spend some time on actually
writing guitar solos?
I write my solos in advance. I'm not that
skilled theoretically so I need time to test and think about which notes fit
the rhythm guitars. If the rhythm track is straightforward I'll do a lot of
improv takes and pick out the best parts.
I understand that you, Peter, went to guitar camp with http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/freak-kitchen.aspx" rel="nofollow - Freak
Kitchen 's Mattias Eklundh recently. How important is continual musical
education and training to you guys as musicians and songwriters?
I took part in the guitar camp to get another
view on making music and learn to solo out of the box instead of just shredding
away in pentatonic minor. I don't think any of us are fanatical about practice.
The other guys are in their 30's and have reached a point where they're
comfortable with their playing, I think.
Groove metal became really big with the success of
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/pantera.aspx" rel="nofollow - Pantera in the 90s, and groove has been a part of the metal genre ever since.
Since groove is a central part of Diretone's sound, do you have any theories
about what it is about groove that is so appealing?
There's just a headbanging quality to bass and guitars
playing a heavy riff in unison over a straightforward drum rhythm at about 115
bpm. You'd be in coma not to clench your fist and bang your head to a song like
Pantera's 'Walk' for example.
Turning to Diretone the band, your upcoming album
might be your debut full-length, but the band itself has been around for some
time now. Can you sketch out the history of the band for us?
The band was formed as Threadfin in 2004. Lars
(vocals, bass) and Henrik (drums) are the only original members. I joined
the band in 2007 and Jacob came along in early 2010. We've had a lot of
problems with continuity in the guitar department so when we felt we had a
solid lineup with Jacob joining, we decided to relaunch the band as Diretone.
Good thing, as Danes couldn't pronounce "Threadfin". We're not the most productive band but now that we're
more of a unit hopefully that'll change.
Which bands and artists do you guys find inspiration
in, and is that reflected in the music of Diretone?
It's very much reflected in the music, especially
regarding the musical inspirations we can agree on, i.e. bands like Pantera,
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/metallica.aspx" rel="nofollow - Metallica , and http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/down.aspx" rel="nofollow - Down . That's very evident in our songs and we're not really
afraid to show that.
So, you guys have been part of the Danish metal scene
for a long time - both in Diretone and in other bands - what is the Danish
metal scene like? Is it very underground, and do you feel the Danish metal
musicians get the support and respect that they deserve?
Yeah, it's fairly underground and it's very
interdependent, i.e. we need to support each other to make it work. Unless you're
one of the few big names on the scene it's all deficits, especially in these
times where clubs and venues are really struggling. But we all know each other
in some way or another so there's an intimate atmosphere to it. Whether or not you get the respect you deserve is difficult to say. There's so
much music out there so it's totally understandable that your basic music
listener can't grasp it all. Sadly, that means we all have to try to jam our
music down people's throats and nothing good will ever come from that.
As far as I understand, the most recently written
tracks in the history of Diretone which are features on the upcoming album are 'Nerve', 'Drawn to Life' and ' http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/diretone--mp3.aspx?id=2682" rel="nofollow - Road '. These tracks seem, while still groovy, to
be slightly more technical than the other tracks on the album, and there is
also more emphasis on melody - especially in 'Road'. Are these three tracks
indicative of Diretone's future musical direction?
They definitely are. ' http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/diretone--mp3.aspx?id=2683" rel="nofollow - Eyes Wide Shut ' is a newer song as
well, the remaining six were on our demo http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/diretone--carpet-crawler%28demo%29.aspx" rel="nofollow - Carpet Crawler . The songs we write at
the moment are a mix of it all - some are quite technical and some slow and
groovy. We're going in a more aggressive direction riff-wise - contrary to the
more southern-style feel of the older songs.
In relation to the above-mentioned Mattias Eklundh
guitar camp, you have stated on your Facebook page that the solos on the next
Diretone album are going to be crazy. Does that mean that there is already a
sophomore album in the works?
We have six songs that are more or less done and just
need vocals and perhaps slight changes in the arrangements. So yeah, it's in
the works, and it won't be another six or seven years before we release album
no. 2.
Apart from another album, what does the future have in
store for Diretone?
Hopefully touring if we can get some interest from the
public. We'd like to break through on the German scene which is also why we've
hired a German promoter for the release.
If you are going on tour to support your upcoming
debut album, where can metal fans go to experience Diretone live?
You can usually catch us playing around Copenhagen.
There are no plans of touring in support of the album at the moment. Though our
following is growing, the costs of extensive touring for a band of our status
just doesn't add up. We are playing two dates in December, on the 15th
and 16th, though. Both in the Copenhagen-area. Info will be
announced shortly.
Where can those who are interested in learning more
about Diretone go for further information?
Our Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/diretone.dk" rel="nofollow - facebook.com/diretone.dk ) is the
best bet. That's where we interact with friends and you can get in touch with
us. We'll answer anything on there so drop us a 'like' and don't be shy. Our website - http://diretone.dk/" rel="nofollow - diretone.dk - is under construction at
the moment but a revised version will be up shortly.
Finally, where can the Diretone album be purchased and
which formats will it be released in?
Starting Nov 25th you'll be able to buy the
album physically in select stores. You can order it various places online if
you wish as well, for example at imusic.dk. Digitally, you can get it off
iTunes and the Gateway webshop - http://gateway.dmf.dk/shop.html" rel="nofollow - gateway.dmf.dk/shop.html
Once again, congratulations on a great and groovy
album, and thank you for doing this interview.
Thank you and keep kicking ass at MMA!
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