EMQ’s with CTHULU DREAMT
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA/UK Djent/ Doom/ Death/ Prog project, Cthulu Dreamt. Huge thanks to their guitarist/vocalist, Reed Reimer, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
I’m Reed Reimer, and I play guitar and vocals (as well as other stuff) for Cthulhu Dreamt. I started the band with some friends in mid-2020 as a project to work on in Covid lockdown, and more importantly as concept to help me process my experience at having lost a child and dealing with loss, grief, and depression.
How did you come up with your band name?
I knew when it began that there would be a backstory to the project that was rooted in a science fiction and the Cthulhu mythos, so we tossed stuff around that’d make for a good metal band name, and also related to the story. Eventually, using the quote, ‘In His House at R’lyeh Dead Cthulhu waits dreaming, yet He shall rise and His kingdom shall cover the Earth,’ we took Cthulhu Dreamt as it was apropos to the thesis.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We’re from all over. I met a few of my friends who contribute to Cthulhu Dreamt through social media, so Jake is in Utah, Chris is in the UK, and the rest of us are in Minnesota, USA. The scene here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota is fantastic. There are so many bands here creating killer music, and because of the size of our city, we get most tours coming through here, so there’s always something new to listen to, or awesome bands to watch.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We’ve got a new single “TRACE Amounts of Death” releasing on August 5 from our upcoming EP: https://ampl.ink/CDTraceAmounts
The track is among our heaviest, though it still takes a journey and mixes genres, which is kinda what someone should expect when listening to Cthulhu Dreamt.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Musically, influences are so varied, but generally, anything that makes me feel something: Gojira, Mastodon, Deftones, Opeth, Imogen Heap, Igoorrr, Muse, John Powell, Animals As Leaders, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Regina Spector, Bad Religion, Lagwagon… so much stuff.
What first got you into music?
To be honest, the first instrument I ever played was the saxophone, and that’s because Lisa on the TV show The Simpsons played. But before that, my parents always had music playing, whether it was my mom’s 50’s bubblegum music, or dad’s classic rock: Zeppelin, Floyd, Rainbow, or Black Sabbath.
I think my love of music blew up when I first laid my ears on “Rust In Peace” by Megadeth, and “…And Justice For All” by Metallica. From there, I descended the rabbit hole to glory.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
I think Igorrr would be a trip to collaborate with. Their style is so rad to me, and I think we’d work well together. And if Igorrr isn’t available, Hans Zimmer could shoot us a call, LOL.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
In 2022 it’d be ArcTanGent… this way when we weren’t playing, I could go and watch some of my favorites!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I haven’t gotten anything weird… yet. At least nothing I would consider weird.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
The message would be that I’m so grateful our music is meaningful to them, and I thank them for their support.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Dimebag Darrell.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love creating. Whether it’s music, words, videos, or projects with other people, the act of making things is my lifeblood.
On the flip side, I don’t really hate anything about being a musician per se, but it does become a slog sometimes. I love starting stuff, but working on them and bringing them across the finish line doesn’t have the same dopamine rush.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
If I could change one thing, it might be having the creatives get a larger share of the pie. I don’t know if it’d take much, but at fractions of a penny per stream, maybe a slightly bigger fraction would be okay?
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
There’s a few, but one that consistently is in my tops is “The Shape of Punk to Come” by Refused. It just slays so hard, is a beautiful mix of sounds, and makes me feel good.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
For practicality, downloads/streaming. For best experience: vinyl. CD for sound quality 100%.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Cthulhu Dreamt, being a concept studio project, hasn’t played any shows yet, but creating the music video for ‘Change of Scenery’ was an awesome experience.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Urban planning, or working on the railroad in some capacity.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
After friends and family, my backup dinner would be Dave Grohl, John Powell, Edgar Wright, John Scalzi, and Keanu Reeves. This would be predicated on the assumption that we would all be friends and stay in regular touch afterwards.
What’s next for the band?
We’ve got an EP releasing this fall, which will begin the momentum into the announcement and launch of the Cthulhu Dreamt TTRPG that we’re creating in collaboration with game studio Action Fiction. Combining an original game, novel, and sprawling original soundtrack, this is a massive project in the universe of Cthulhu Dreamt.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://cthulhudreamt.com
IG – @cthulhu.dreamt
FB – @CthulhuDreamt
TW – @CthulhuDreamt
https://cthulhudreamt.bandcamp.com
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Because I’m from the US, I had to look these up. From the picture, they look like a mini cake biscuit hybrid… but I’m going to side on cake based on how I imagine the texture.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for supporting the Cthulhu Dreamt project! We look forward to bringing you so much good stuff in the near future!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.