EMQs With Demidead
EMQs With Demidead
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Italian Thrash/ Groove Metallers, Demidead. Huge thanks to their Vocalist/ Bassist, Danilo Mazzei, 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 Danilo Mazzei, the leader, singer and bass player of the band Demidead. The band has been around for many years and had to face many changes in terms of style and members. Our first work, the self-titled EP, came out in 2019 after the line-up became stable. It features a raw sound and is the seed of our consecutive work, published on April 2024, our debut album “War Against Ourselves”, in which we developed further both the sound and the themes.
How did you come up with your band name?
It all started more than a decade ago. The name itself means “half dead”. I was thinking of a name for the band that could reflect the condition and the daily struggle of those who are facing depression and suicidal thoughts, as I was back then.
I thought about apathy, a psychological state that makes you feel like you’re not alive at all because it shuts down your emotions. I thought how close to death depression could bring people, but the fact that Demidead could also mean “not dead yet”, represents the will to endure too.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from Italy, better know for the sun, the food, and the shitty pop and trap music that my fellow citizens are able to puke out every damn year! Despite this, the Metal scene is really alive, dynamic and full of great bands, both from an underground perspective and a more mainstream one. Unfortunately, some major prejudices still remain nowadays, preventing the genre from becoming widely accepted by the population, but we’re all here nonetheless.
What is your latest release?
Our latest release is our debut album “War Against Ourselves”, published in April 2024. This album features a heavier sound than the previous EP, with Nu, Thrash, and Groove influences upon a Death Metal core. This album is all about mental illnesses and the constant fight that people who suffer from them must face in order not to be devoured and destroyed. It is overall considered that these conditions make people weak while they need, in fact, to build more mental strength than an “average” person to keep going with a life that many take for granted.
Who have been your greatest influences?
We have a lot of influences from various metal sub-genres artists, like Gojira, Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Korn, Trivium, Children of Bodom, Testament, Machine Head, and many more.
What first got you into music?
Me personally? A friend. He started playing a Stratocaster and wanted to start a band, dreaming of legends like Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple, but he needed a bass player, so… he asked me to join, and after a week of home study and playing, I nailed it.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Actually, I would love to collaborate with Lacuna Coil or Destrage, some of the major Italian Metal bands on the scene, but I would personally like to make music with Salmo or Nitro. These guys are two of the best Italian rappers in my opinion, and they both came from Metal, so they understand what we’re talking about, and I think their unique style could mix well with our future sound.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Surely Wacken and Bloodstock: they’re the best!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Well, an 8-years-old fan once made a drawing of us in the style of Matt Groening. I think it will be hard to beat that in terms of kindness and uniqueness.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Even if now everything seems dark, suffocating, and without a way out, forgive yourself, fight and endure, because the reward you’ll obtain is far more valuable than what you can believe now. You are wonderful.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Of course, Cliff Burton. He inspired me a lot personally in terms of sound and technique. He was a genius, and I sometimes wonder what Metallica would have created if he had not passed away.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The best part is the link that is possible to create with the people in front of you during a live show. It is incredible how this exchange of energy could make you feel. It’s addictive.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Maybe the lack of scouting. In these decades, the industry has invested less and less in new projects and ideas, and when the big ones retire, they will leave a huge hole behind, with a big economic loss.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Surely “The Nothing” – Korn, “Bleed” – Meshuggah, “Are you fucking kiddin me?… No” – Destrage, “Iconoclast” – Symphony X, and “The Sky, The Earth & All Between” – Architects: I can’t stop listening to them.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Vinyl has the best quality, but nothing can match the ease of digital.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Last year, we played in a small club in Vienna. The crowd was awesome and really connected to us, with random people passing by and getting in while listening to us for the first time. Sometimes you have the best time in small events, and that has been, in my opinion, the most satisfying show yet.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I can’t imagine myself without music in my life, so I’m not sure how to answer.
What’s next for the band?
We’ve just announced a new drummer, Lorenzo Corioni, so we are going to review our stage outfits and our visual presence, AND we are about to announce a new show in an important European festival, so stay tuned!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
We mainly use Instagram and YouTube. You can find all the links here: https://linktr.ee/Demidead
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 don’t know, a cob? LOL. I’d violently prefer a pizza, but only ‘cause I’m Italian.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for this interview and your time. See you on stage!
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