Punk hardcore rockers Damaged have been hard at work writing, recording, playing showcases, while also dealing with some drama based problems as well. Band mates Luc Sweetman vocalist and Luke Green on drums talked of the band's debut full-length release "The Flood" and how it compares to their previous work among other upcoming plans and even more music!
1. So what can you tell me about this new album?
Luc: The new album is named "The Floods" The name and idea came around on our way to a gig in Kings Lynn.
Tweek: It was great fun writing this album, the lyrics are in depth to the overall theme and story behind the album.
2. Is there any story or concept behind the The Floods title?
Luc: I came up with the name and story behind this album whilst seeing a DAMN under construction, Just thinking about how it holds back so much pressure and potential chaos if it was to break down.
Tweek: Why do we have damns? To hold back floods, the alubm is based around this concept.
Luc: The Story of the album, is an analogy of the chaos of floods. In this sense, showing how the people with responsibility and power will refuse to combat real problems and instead cover them up, or block them out. avoiding dealing with the real problems, letting them build out of control.
3. Who produced The Floods and what was it like working with them?
Tweek: An absolute laugh! As it was the same producer who we recorded our first EP with. He knows the band well and the sound we want! And epic guy to work with!!!!
Luc: Bruce Macdonald! - Such a Lad!
4. Who did the cover art for The Floods and how much input did you have on it?
Tweek: The Cover art was made by a close friend who is actually in college studying art. We wanted an album cover a little diffrent, to stand out. The art is based around three men in suits, these men being the people in power, sipping back fine liqures and enjoying there riches. Before turning around to see the the windows of the buildings they contain theirselves in starting to crack, infront of there eyes, literally!!!!
5. Where are you in the recording process of the new album?
Luc: The album is currently being masterd as we speak and will be released very soon!!!!
6. Who is producing the album? How has the producer aided the recording process?
Tweek: Luckily enough we had Bruice for this too!!!!
7. Where did you record the album?
Luc: As Bruice lives very far away we managed to clear out an old shead at the back of my old mans house, we set up the gear in there and got straight to work!!!!
8. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?
Luc: Yeah we have always been extreemly passionate about what we do and sing about!! No matter how small or how many people at a gig, we always give it all the thought of being able to inspire or change someones life with our music, in the same way our heros have for us, gave us the drive from the word go!
Tweek: Its all I've ever dreamed of, making music with great friends and musicians. If we have a slight chance of inspiering someone through what we do, then we'll never give up!!!!
9. Are you using any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?
Tweek: The only real diffrence in that would be the title track having an orchestral intro, other then that, we have experimented with new themes and idea throughout the songs.
10. When did you start writing for this album?
Luc: We started writing for this album in February, with so many new ideas we decided to get to work as soon as possible!!!!
11. What is your favorite song off it?
Tweek: Deadstock, as the drumming has to keep me well on my toes!!!!
Luc: System, the lyrics and agression put through in the vocals made this track for me!!!!
12. Can you go into one or two tracks on the new album? If so, can you give us the track title and brief description of how the track sounds and how it came about?
Luc: Well system came about shortly after our former bassist Dan Kenny Tait moved away, after listining to alot of bands who influenced us, Ie, Gallows, Minor threat, Black flag and Sick Of It All. We had a riff that spoke to me, the lyrics came out and fit perfect to the song!
Tweek: It sounds oldschool hardcore punk, fast paced riffs and gang vocals give a real oldschool vibe to the track!!!!
13. How did the vibe in the studio go?
Luc: Fantastic, we worked solidly throughout with only 3 or so hours sleep each night!!!!
14. When can we expect the new album to be released?
Tweek: We are releasing the album on the 15th of May, a few days after debuting a couple of the songs at Cambridge.
15. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Luc: We are releasing three more EPs this year, but taking a more oldschool punk route on them, after releasing this.
16. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Tweek: They cover the topic on how dissarster can breakthrough and cause downfall on us all. If its not delt with.
Luc: The songs being about the common people, trapped in this shelterd land with big walls bordering them in, without being able to see or go outside of them. The flood gates are holding back the pressure which has been built overtime through people in power avoiding problems and covering it up.
17. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Tweek: We have been writing our own songs from the get-go! And always throwing in a few covers of bands which have inspired us and got us to where we are today!!!!
Luc: We are strong belivers in writing songs with meaning and being able to express how we feel through doing this, theres not much to say about the process, we would sit together one evening come up with some riffs as soon as something stuck, we would work through it intensley as a band, writing lyrics which feel to me fit the overall sound of the songs can take time, especially when writing about something we feel strongly against, or in other cases, support and want to raise awarness too.
18. Who are your musical influences?
Band: Some of the main influences on us would be, mainly from hardcore punk bands, such as, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, NOFX, Pennywise, Dead Kennedies, GBH, Minor Threat, and musically alot from such bands as Sick Of it All, Gallows and Rise Against.
19. How did the band get it's name?Tweek: The name came about from me and Luc being huge fans of Black Flag, their first official album "Damaged".
Luc: Tweek and I had always coverd a few Black Flag songs whilst jamming, and when the band became a whole, we used the name from one of our albums which meant alot to us.
20. What type of band are you guys?
Tweek: Really we are a mixture of old school hardcore punk, and skater punk.
21. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Luc: We have our current album "Dissorder" for sale on Spotify, Bandcamp, and iTunes, The Floods will be avalible on the 15th of May and our new material following along very soon! Many thanks!!!!
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