EMQ’s With Opium Death
EMQ’s With Opium Death
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Progressive Extreme Metal band, Opium Death. Huge thanks to their Guitarist, Irvin, 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?
My name is Irvin and I play guitar for the band Opium Death. I am the longest active member of the band since its inception when it was under another name, Cazador, back in 2012. It started off as an idea between a friend and me to simply cover our favourite Heavy Metal songs back in the day. Performing live and writing original songs did cross our minds but we never thought it would go anywhere. We were just learning our instruments at the time, and it wasn’t until a few years later down the road and meeting different people that suddenly the drive to wanting to do more than just covering songs from our favourite bands started to grow. It had to be around 2015 when the band changed its name to Opium Death and the line-up was stable enough to then create a consistent sound that felt authentic to all of us.
How did you come up with your band name?
It came up during a brainstorming session that happened during a bonfire that the bassist at the time hosted, because we ended up not liking the name Cazador that much. We needed a name that offered something better and caught people’s attention when we mentioned the band name. We knew we wanted a two-word phrase with death being the second word for example Napalm Death. After some time, someone shouted out opium and while it wasn’t automatically solidified that night, it grew on us and eventually stuck around as the official name for the band.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I am from the United States of America based in the Chicagoland area in the state of Illinois. The Metal scene here is very supportive and filled with a bunch of talented musicians. So much that you would not be surprised to come across one who is involved in multiple projects, whether in an original or tribute band. It is a thriving environment as bands in the area are starting to get recognized for their work and labels have been contacting them to getting a deal. We are fortunate enough to be in this environment that helps build confidence and drive for newer bands as the passion for metal is overwhelmingly strong and apparent.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release right now is the second single from our debut album titled “The Condemned”. The Condemned is the oldest song in our debut album because it was written way back in the day when we first started writing our own songs after some time of covering songs from our favourite bands.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Our greatest influences that made their mark on our debut album would have to be Death, Cannibal Corpse, Cattle Decapitation, and Dying Fetus just to name a few. I believe this is a great blend of brutality and musicianship that conjures up a sound that resonates with fans who love extreme music and musical skills to pull off sophisticated riffs and rhythmic flows.
What first got you into music?
What first got me into exploring Heavy Metal music was Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band. Those games have the best playlists I have ever heard that can grab anyone’s attention to dive into a world that is filled with fantastic bands and songs in rock and metal. If it weren’t for that, I don’t think I would have started learning to play the guitar.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I would love to collaborate with Luc Lemay from Gorguts. How he expresses his musical ideas is so unique and unconventional that I would love to dig into his creative process and learn about finding certain melodies or harmonies that deliver a dense and unapologetic brutality of metal.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
It would have to be the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. It has so much history since its inception and its role in keeping metal alive by bringing both old and new bands to the stage is very inspiring. It would be such an honor to be a part of it when we get the chance to join the line-up.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
As of right now, we haven’t received anything strange or out of the ordinary yet from a fan. Maybe when we go on tour sometime within the next couple of years, we may come across one. You just never know.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
It is best to keep an open mind and respect the differences we each have in the Metal community. Life is too short to criticize and insert drama in areas that don’t need it and instead we should share our passion and excitement for new music and discovering new bands that have something to say about the world we live in because at the end of the day, we are living in it together.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
I would say Chuck Schuldiner because of how much he has influenced my songwriting and guitar skills as I grew up listening to his music. Not only that, but I would love to have an insightful conversation with him due to his perspective on life and the elements we are surrounded with that makes us who we are.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I just love the freedom of expression that music conveys to the ears of strangers. Of course, no one knows who you are as you are starting out, but I believe that our musical ideas bring a sense of familiarity once they hear the first few notes. It’s a very rewarding feeling when someone comes up to you after your set and comments that your music has made a big impression on them and could possibly shape their life into something meaningful. It is therapeutic on both sides. What I don’t like is the expenses part of it and how the industry is set up in a way where decisions must be made to a point where creating music becomes an actual job and the joy of creating something new becomes stressful or inauthentic.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
We have not gained enough experience to know what the pros and cons are in the music industry apart from the live gigs and recording/mixing component of it which in itself is a whole other discussion. But for now, from what we have heard and seen, it is the relationship between labels and bands. We’ve always heard that labels would want more control of the band for their material, but it really comes down to what is said on paper. We just want labels to be more respectful and understand that the process of it all was started by the music of the band that reached to the ears of a representative. So, in other words, bands should be getting more say of a deal/contract before then logistics are brought into discussion. It is this and venues asking for a cut of the merch which I think is completely ridiculous since that is the lifeline of the band’s financial success.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?”
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I would say vinyl because it offers a detailed scope and dynamic that no other medium delivers even with the best speakers. Play every format with the same system and one can notice the difference amongst them and vinyl being the richest in quality of sound.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
As of right now, it would have to be when we played at Reggie’s Music Joint with the bands we knew in the local metal scene in 2022. It was basically a local show with people we were friends with for a long time at a venue that is popular for local and touring acts to play in. It was nothing but a fantastic time there the whole night and would love to do it again.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I would see myself getting into an accounting or medical career. I like to keep my mind busy, and I am always seeking to learn new things and take on new challenges that would be practical to my life and hopefully get to share it with others. If I had to choose something that was artistic, I would say filmmaking or becoming an actor.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Luc Lemay, George Fisher, Paul Masvidal, James Murphy, and Dave Davidson.
What’s next for the band?
We will be continuing to write new material since we are filled with ideas that I believe would help evolve the band’s sound. It would be that and planning to tour across the country to expose the band to different locations and create new merch for fans to help support us in our goals.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
We use Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Instagram for announcements ranging from new music and merch to future shows that we will be playing.
https://opiumdeath.bandcamp.com/album/genocidal-nemesis
https://opiumdeathofficial.com
https://www.facebook.com/OpiumDeathOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/opiumdeathofficial/
https://www.youtube.com/@opiumdeathofficial/featured
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
I would say Bap because that is such a funny word for a round piece of bread but Tea Cake may not be that far from the actual truth of eating a sandwich with tea on the side.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Yes, we have our debut album coming out on April 19, 2024 and this album has something that everyone will enjoy. It is mixed with influences ranging from Black Metal to Death Metal to Hardcore that I believe with each listen you will get a different experience each time. It delivers a concoction of brutality that I think everyone will appreciate and stands out as a sign for more things to come.
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