Dead Inside Talks of Recent Release, New Music, and What's Next!

Up and coming metal band DEAD INSIDE have only been around for a short while, but have since released a music video, EP, with more music underway and coming soon! For the mean time though, the band has taken the time to talk about their recent work's and what they have planned ahead.


1. So tell me about Dead Inside. Why did you decide to name the band with such a title? What kind of ideas did you explore before your final decision?

The band name came several months after we'd already written songs for the band. We initially formed as a hardcore band, and after several demos, we'd become partial to the heavier and more melodic songs that we'd written and decided we needed a "metal-sounding" band name. After about 9 months of brainstorming, we just kind of settled on "Dead Inside" because all of our other ideas were already taken by more established bands.

 2. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Dave Miller, Rob Emmons, and I met in late 2017 while bowling in a punk rock bowling league. Not long after, Dave saw videos I was posting online of me playing guitar, and asked me if I wanted to start a hardcore band with him on guitar and Rob on bass. I accepted and asked if they'd played in bands before, which was when I learned that Dave used to play guitar in the screamo band Senses Fail and Rob used to play in the alternative rock band Halifax. I hadn't really listened to either band much before that point, but I figured they were serious and I got cracking with the songwriting. Meanwhile, Dave went through his Facebook friends list for vocalists and drummers. That's when he reached out to Joe Brown, the vocalist of A Static Lullaby, and Brian Fowler, the drummer from The New Pacific. By the time we all got into a room for the first time, it was January of 2018, and we had a bunch of hardcore songs ready to go.

That lineup lasted for a little bit, until we decided we wanted to be in a metal band instead of a hardcore band, which led to several lineup changes. By early 2019, we had Joe Brown on vocals, me on guitar and vocals, Josh Chastain on bass, Ryan Villa on guitar, and Lorenzo Perez on drums. We released our first single, Now Fear Begins, through a record label called We Are Triumphant. Our record release show was a headlining spot at Emo Nite LA in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Immediately after that, we started writing new music with that lineup, which led to the creation of our new single, Shadows.

Since then, Ryan and Lorenzo have left the band. Dave is back on guitar, and our new drummer is Brian Perry, who - like Brian Fowler - used to play drums in The New Pacific.

3. What are your songs about? Do they cover any specific themes?

Joe writes all the lyrics for the band. There's no one specific subject he writes about, but they're usually charged with negative emotions such as despair, fear, or despondence.

4. Who are your musical influences and why?

There are a few bands that Dave, Joe, and I were listening to a lot when we wrote the first few Dead Inside songs. They include Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, In Flames, and As I Lay Dying, among others. Naturally, they had a big influence on our sound back then, and we still look to those bands today to ensure that our new material doesn't sound like a different band altogether. But everyone in the band has their preferences and favors certain subgenres of metal over others, and those differences are starting to show in our new songs. Josh, Brian, and I love modern djent and progressive metal bands such as Monuments and Polaris. Joe and Dave like those bands too, but the music they write definitely has more of an early 2000's sound, which is understandable given their previous bands. Josh and I also really like industrial and nu metal bands, so we're trying to incorporate more synths into the newer songs. Dave wants to add some new wave bits to the songs. As long as it sounds good and it all fits together in a way that isn't jarring, we're kind of open to whatever.

5. Tell us something more about your debut EP release "Now Fear Begins".

We're a very DIY band. Guitar parts were written over several months of Dave coming over to my place twice a week. We recorded them on my computer. I wrote basic drum parts on my computer, slapped the whole thing together as an instrumental demo, and gave the songs to Lorenzo and Joe to write and record their parts. Then we sent everything off to our friend Chris Collier to mix. We submitted the songs to We Are Triumphant as a demo, but Chris had done such a good job on mixing it that the label just ended up releasing the demo as-is.

The response to the record has been pretty positive. A Static Lullaby fans seem to really like it, which kind of surprises me, given how different our style is. At the end of the day, we're a new band, and the metal scene is uncharted territory for all of us. All we want to do is write music that we're passionate about and hope that people enjoy it.

6. Whereabouts are you in the process of the follow-up EP? You released a new single titled
"Shadows" - will that track be included on this upcoming release?

We've written the instrumental versions for about five or six songs for the second EP. We want to iron out a few kinks before Joe starts writing lyrics. Then we'll track vocals, and this time, I'll mix and master the whole thing. Shadows will probably not be included on this upcoming release. Our style has changed so much since we wrote that song almost a year ago that it would feel a little out of place in this new record.

7. Where can fans find out more about you?

Look us up on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Our handle on every website is @deadinsidehq. Leave us comments on our posts and videos. Shoot us a message. We love interacting with fans!

8. How would you say you differ from other bands and artists on the scene?

I can't speak for the rest of the band. Personally, I see other bands on the scene to be in one of two camps. The first type of band chases the most current and relevant sound, and in the process, ends up sounding like everybody else. The other type of band does everything they can to sound different, but this often comes at the expense of catchiness. For us, our primary goal is to write catchy and memorable songs. As far as relevance and individuality goes, we draw inspiration from so many modern and old bands alike that it just kind of happens naturally. Our songs might have "Lamb of God parts" or "Periphery parts", but when tied together as a full package with Joe's unique screams, they're just "Dead Inside songs".

9. What does this next year hold for Dead Inside?

This COVID-19 quarantine is kind of a strange but interesting time to be in a band. There won't be any shows in the foreseeable future, with Los Angeles concert venues likely being closed for at least another year. We're just writing songs and hope to release a new one every month or two. Maybe to keep things interesting and stay engaged with the audience, we'll do some live streams or make some video content.

10. Are you Dead Inside?

Nope. These are tough times, but life's okay, all considered!