Darkened modern metal band Downcast Collision came to this life through a whole another dimension of time and space. By it's chance the members were cast down to collide with this universe. Here the laws of nature work differently, which makes the band feel misplaced and angry at times. Stuck in this world all they can really do and hope for now, is to find a way to fuse together both worlds into just one. How this will end, no one really knows just yet.... This being said, the band has been hard at work upon their newest and latest album "Rise Up". Bassist/vocalist Demonica also a traveler of sorts, took some time to discus the "Rise Up" release, as well as some insight such as backstory to the band as a whole.
1. What role do you play in the band?
Demonica: I am Demonica, traveler, singer and bass player within Downcast Collision.
2. Downcast Collision is your namesake, but why is that? Does the name represent a meaning or is it just a name?
Demonica: It means to be cast down and to collide at the same time. We believe we are colliding with the universe all the time. It feels like falling. But at the same time, falling feels like flying. A free fall into the unknown, so to speak.
3. What has influenced your sound and style?
Demonica: Darkness versus light and energy in its true form. In some ways, extreme music is capable of conducting and harnessing the energy found in places where light is absorbed and where space is bent. Yet, without this darkness, there would be no light. It is what happens to your body when you fall; fast beating heart, sweaty palms and exciting as hell. And it is what happens in the mind when you experience true excitement. That is what we want our music to be like. A force of nature. We are inspired by the flow we feel when we write music. You just know when a riff feels right. When you are on stage and you can feel the excitement in the room. It is like opening doors to another universe made entirely of energy. At such a moment, you don’t consciously think. You become as one with everything around you.
4.What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Demonica: The songs all have different themes, but they deal with the dark sides of humanity. They are reflections of the universe we live in and echoes of what it could be like. They are mainly dealing with traumatic experiences and vivid nightmares.
5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Demonica: Yes, we write our own material. Usually one of the guitar players comes up out of the blue with either the backbone riffing to a song, or just a bunch of killer riffs. Then they put it in our shared space in the cloud, where it can rest from its journey through space. At some point in time, one of us (mostly me) joins up with Casper and we start creating song structures. It’s a highly risky and chemical process, which involves shouting at test tubes, smoke and mirrors and safety goggles. Obviously, we have to adjust some of the riffs to the frequencies of this universe. I than add melody, or an idea for a riff, or idea’s for singing. Peter than starts to feel the songs and adds thunder with his drums and drum breaks with violent force. All of this sometimes happens in an entirely different order though: Geoffrey is struck by an idea, jams together with Casper, magic happens, we add to it, more magic happens. And there you have it: A brand-new song.
6. How do you describe your music to people?
Demonica: Heavy, killer riffing without much subtlety. Bold and angry songs and dark vocals with groove and melody.
7. What image do you think your music conveys?
Demonica: Downcast Collision is like a lover you know is wrong for you. It feels both dangerous and attractive. It is about energy. Feeling part of something greater. Overcoming your fears and standing up for yourself, just like the album title says.
8. You will soon be releasing your debut album "RISE UP", can you tell me a little bit about it?
Demonica: Rise up has 9 heavy, groovy, merciless tracks on it. The album title refers to one of the tracks about an army of soulless zombielike creatures coming to life.
9. What is the concept behind the album and how did the idea come about?
Demonica: The songs deal with different themes such as: violence, plagues of the undead, the visions of Lucifer, the killing of teenaged bullies and even travelling through another dimension to find clairvoyance. In every song, someone is rising up out of his, her of their misery, finding strength within to overcome a fear, a loss, an aggressor, or a prison of some sort. In each song another dimension of human existence is described. The darkness in our minds, that drives us to great, but also horrifying accomplishments. The soul is a powerful thing to be both admired and feared.10. What is your favorite song on the record and why?
Demonica: I don’t have one particular favorite … but if I really must choose than it would be between the songs ‘Overthrown’, ‘The Seventh Day’, ‘Rise Up’ and ‘Photonic’. The lyrics on ‘Photonic’ are particularly special for me, because I believe the story it tells, is one more people can relate to and is also very much in line with the artwork of the album.
11. What can fans expect from the new Downcast Collision album?
Demonica: They can expect to be blown away completely by its sound, the songs and the sheer heaviness of it. They will find themselves on the edge of a railing, looking down into a mirror of existence. Seeing the blinding light at the end of the tunnel and praying on their knees that the roller coaster isn’t going to hit them in the head too hard.
12. What was the writing and recording process like for the album?
Demonica: It was an adventure on which we first embarked a little too soon. Peter, Casper and I were the first to arrive in this space and time. We were utterly shocked! We wanted to express these feelings in our music and wrote the first few songs that we wanted to give that same unique feel, for it to have the right impact on others. We contacted our wing man Serge Naberman, to engineer the perfect sound to convey our message. This, we feel, he did extremely well. After trying to get in tune with some guitar players born in this dimension, we realized it could never work, because they couldn’t understand our bearing. In the outskirts of space, we found our brother Geoffrey, who had been facing the same problems as he was trying to make earthly connections with other musicians, whereas Downcast Collision is an inter-dimensional band. With Geoffrey along for the ride, things really started to take shape and we could finally conceive brutal new songs inspired by all our experiences. That is when we contacted Serge again. It was a struggle sometimes, because Serge leads more than one life at a time, as do all of us. So sometimes another one of those lives got in the way and we lost track of time again. That is when we decided that, to give the songs what they needed, we would handle them with care. If we had rushed things, the sheer energy in the music would have made them implode and take us into another black hole. So we took our time to get it right.
13. Why do you think people should check out your new album once released?
Demonica: The music on our album will blast a careful listener throughout several dimensions. ‘Rise Up´ contains 9 songs build from quantum dynamics, grooving energy and overwhelming sound waves. The lyrics are eerily familiar and, at the same time, uncover disturbingly grotesque stories to be told and passed on to others.
14. How would you say you differ from other bands and artists on the scene?
Demonica: The dimension we have originated from is a dark place. We found that in this day and age humanity is slowly turning towards darkness as well. Through our music, we intend to find connections with the lifeforms within this conception of space and time. We are aiming to create a home in the here and now and find a way to belong in this new environment. Music is something which alters our reality into something bearable, something we have found we have in common with the human species. It makes life here bearable. It is like dancing with the dead. A myth says that as long as one is dancing, one can imagine the ones who are dancing along with you are very much alive and space and time become irrelevant. All you are aware of is right there and then; the here and now. You become the ruler of your entire universe. It is frightening once you realize a law of nature is broken, but liberating once you manage to disconnect from those very rules. It allows for energy to unleash that breaks all barriers. It becomes passion multiplied by passion! It is a transcending energy, which tells you, where and with whom you belong, without prejudice or fear. We are not here to entertain, but to guide ourselves and anyone who has experienced this darkness in one or another way towards the light of our own existence.
Demonica: To Rise Up and explore deeper into the darkness, until we belong to ourselves and fear no other and none will fear us.
16. What does next year hold for Downcast Collision?
Demonica: We will join universes and collide with others. We will sweep through this world and bring upon a plague of heaviness. We will touch down, and then again, we will spread our wings and take off!
17. Describe Downcast Collision in three words.
Demonica: Plague of Heaviness!
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