Metal band DEM have had three album's released so far with some current work on newer material in the form of demo's for now. Some shows are coming up for the next year as well. The band talks about themselves, music, and much more below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Hello there. The band has been around since 2004 and we’ve been through several line up changes, with the last being in 2018. The band has released 3 albums and 1 demo EP since then. Currently we have Herman Raza Ali on Guitars, Vivek Govind on Vocals, Jussi Ahokas on Bass and Neil Halliday on Drums. I myself, Ryan, am on guitars. One unique thing about us is the nationality of the band. Being from Singapore, who would have thought we’d have a Finn and a Scotsman in the band.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
We needed a name for the band as we had been offered a gig. It was a toss up between Alkemist and some random names. The Drummer of the first release, Gene came up with this and it just fit.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We hail from Singapore. The scene here is healthy but small. Being in a moderately conservative country, metal is basically frowned upon. It’s associated with drugs, evil and being trash in the eyes of society. We do have our own gigs and have had some great bands come through and play, except for Watain. You should google what happened haha.
For local bands , there are quite a few such ads Rudra, Impiety, Oshiego, The Wreckage, Wormrot, Amyr Abadawn, Chugga Ritual. Truth be Known and MeltgSnow - everything from Death Metal to Djent and Grind.
4. How would you describe your style?
That’s always a tough one. We’re basically a metal band with a bunch of background influences - from old school rock to tech death. We’re basically melodic death metal, heavily influenced by thrash and progressive rock.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We have 3 albums released. The War Inside had 7 vocalists as we didn’t have a permanent one, but wanted to try something with each vocalist.
I, Human was the release in 2009 based in Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot. It was a more thrashy album, but still with prod and melo-death styles. It’s a concept album.
III was released in Aug 2022, and is our latest album available on platforms, limited vinyl and cd formats. It’s a deviation from I, Human and had more carefully considered approach in the song writing by playing to each person’s strength.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
I’ve started to work on some new demo’s for the next album, but do head to our spotify. deezer, apple music or YouTube channels to check out the 3 releases.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Yes we do and will have an announcement in February once the dates are confirmed. We’ll be doing a mini tour and playing 2 shows in 2 countries we’ve never played in within Asia. We’re also keeping an eye out for shows in Europe.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Keep it together, write, tour, write more and record the new release.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We can be contacted over on Facebook.com/demsg or IG @dem_sg if you would like to purchase a cd or vinyl. We will have more shirts soon. Bandcamp is another place to place your orders. Music-wise , Spotify, Deezer, YouTube, and all main music platforms have our catalogue.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
The amalgamation of metal genres, and that an Asian band can be as heavy and melodic. Thanks for checking us out and if you do like the music, drop us a line! Cheers!
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