EMQs with Deliria
(03-04) EMQ’s With Deliria
Hello again! Welcome to another EMQ interview, this time with Californian Post-Black Metal band Deliria. Huge thanks to their guitarist, David Scanlon, 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?
David Scanlon, I’m ordinarily a bassist, but I play guitar in Deliria and do the song writing. The band began as my solo writing project. I knew Adam and Brent from playing in Kill the Messenger back in 2011. I asked Adam to do vocals for Deliria and we hired Jared from Rivers of Nihil to do the drums on the Nausea album. Once it came out, we were asked to play a show with Ion and Black Fucking Cancer in SF, so we brought in Brent and Jade, and our engineer Nick played drums to get us a live line-up. That’s when we became a band instead of a project. Andrew from Fallujah was with us for a bit and last year we asked Billy to join. He is one of the best humans.
How did you come up with your band name?
It fit the music perfectly and I liked how it sounded. Having all sorts of elements, combining heavy and dreamy and never knowing what’s next.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
San Francisco, CA, USA. It’s alright here. Oakland is a little better. The Bay is still a lot of tech and slam.
What is your latest release?
Our second full length album, “Phantasm”, comes out on May 3, 2024.
Who have been your greatest influences?
In this band, the biggest influences are Katatonia, Fields of the Nephilim, and Blue Oyster Cult. We like a specific type of arpeggiated riff. Simple guitar patterns, and introspective dark atmospheres.
What first got you into music?
Michael Jackson. I was mesmerized watching his concerts as a kid. I didn’t know anything about anything, but I knew I wanted to do music. He’s the greatest performer of all time. When I was 10, the first Rob Zombie album got me into darkness and evil imagery. Then when I heard Slayer, I became obsessed.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Anders Nystrom from Katatonia. We could make some fun material combining Katatonia and Diabolical Masquerade.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Prophecy Fest. It’s the most unique location with consistently amazing line-ups. But I would like to hear the sound there in person. Fire in the Mountains as well, where we can get away from cell phones and Wi-Fi for a bit.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Mushrooms in the tip jar at a show was pretty cool.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Gratitude. Our biggest motivation is to do something unique.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Peter Steele.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The best thing is being able to create something new to the world, that’s part of you and can never leave. The worst is deadlines, travel, and wishing you could change things you already recorded and released.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Social media. I never knew bands actually used Instagram until a couple years ago.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“Fallout” by Slumber. It’s one of the best bass albums, and unfortunately it never got a proper sequel.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Live. Nothing competes. But vinyl. It will last if well taken care of and doesn’t need an internet connection. The worst is streaming.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
We opened for Tyr in 2019 at the Oakland Metro. It was a great show in a venue I have seen a ton of bands. We all had an amazing night.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I’m in real estate, and used to be a window cleaner. I also managed the local Spirit Halloween store, that was a pretty fun one.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Well, I might end up throwing my own invite in the trash and pretend I never got it. I’m not coming, ha ha!
What’s next for the band?
Right now, we are doing a lot of promo leading to the album release. Once “Phantasm” is out, we are gearing up to play some shows outside the Bay Area.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Deliria.com is our official page, and we are on Instagram (@deliriabandofficial), YouTube, and Facebook. You can listen to our albums and buy our merch on Bandcamp.
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Never had one. Save us a couple when we come out there. For the dinner party, you’re invited.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for having me, see you next time. Look for the “Phantasm” album coming soon. Cheers!
