Hard rockin trio DARK SERENITY have an all new album underway with their current debut album "Memento Mori" out and about. The band goes into talks about this release and further plans ahead.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Our band was formed when we were in high school. We all bonded over music and our respective instruments, and started playing together. We started playing gigs about two years ago, but had each been playing solo for several years prior to forming the group.
Zach Barnes (Bass) had been the founding member. Zach began playing bass as an early teen and is greatly influenced by Geezer Butler and Geddy lee. He grew up listening to classic rock and enjoys studying music theory and music history. Attended college studying ethnomusicology to enhance his knowledge of music. Currently enjoys traveling and discovering new things and places. Plans on collecting vintage basses and bass gear in the near future.
Kate Emrich (guitar/vocals) grew up listening to a lot of classic progressive rock (Rush, Kansas, Yes, to name a few) with the influence of her dad. She started playing guitar at six years old and pursuing vocal coaching at age eleven. As she delved further into her music discovery journey, she found a lot of inspiration as a middle schooler from musicians such as Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore, which helped her solidify her personal music tastes and decide how she wanted to develop as a musician.
Mike Bergamo (Drums)-Grew up with the rock of the 60’s, 70’s, and 90’s (Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters. Mike received his first kit at 12, but didn’t take it seriously until about 15 years old.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
The band’s name was created by the band’s founding member, Zach Barnes, with this idea: “The driving force for life is death”. This idea is what we based our name as well as a few of our songs around. You can find serenity in dark, in this case a purpose in the one inevitable truth: all life comes to an end, so you must live life fearlessly.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Our band is based out of the Ann Arbor area in Michigan, which means that most of our scene is actually 30-50 minutes away from us in the Metro Detroit area. That’s where we play a great deal of our shows, with exceptions. The scene here is very much based around either that classic ‘Detroit Rock’ style, or heavier ‘core’ bands. It’s more of a rarity to find bands in the in between genres in the area. As for local bands to keep an eye on, we’d like to point you in the direction of Strange Flavors, Black Heiron and Midas.
4. How would you describe your style?
Our music is head banging, driven, and loud as hell. Our sound is unique in the sense that as a three piece, every instrument shines, and we all stand out playing lead parts. Just like many other bands, when we're asked what we sound like genre-wise, we're not sure how to respond. Because honestly, we feel as if we have a sound unique to ourselves.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
So far we’ve released our debut album ‘Memento Mori’. We’re currently working on the tracks for our next album, which listeners can expect to be a much more refined and powerful approach to our sound. We’re experimenting more with different song structures and lyrical themes. Definitely keep an ear out.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes, the new album that we’re working on. We’re planning on its release in 2020.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
This summer we’ll be touring some major cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, Nashville, Sacramento, and more.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We plan on recording some singles off of our next album for release once we return from our summer shows, then working towards the release of our album. We then plan on organizing our next tour to promote its release. There won’t be a dull moment in our future.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can find our music anywhere music is streamed/purchased online, including major platforms Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, etc.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
When hearing our album for the first time, know that almost the entirety of it is live tracked, meaning we recorded each instrument track simultaneously. If one of us messed up a take, we would start the song over entirely. Our idea behind this was to create an album that emulates a live concert.
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