Interview withDmitry I. (vocals, music) of Suicidal Romance
This spring Estonian three-piece electronic formation SUICIDAL ROMANCE produced the new album entitled ‘Shattered Heart Reflections’ which seems to be a fair advance for the band. Of course, in the light of this event, I’ve got chance to interview mastermind Dmitry I. and below you will find the result of our discussion of musical and near-musical issues.
Reflections of Darkness (RoD): Congratulations of the new release! It’s a rather nice progression for the band in line with your previous album so what kind of hopes did you have for the record? And now when it’s already out what are looking forward to with ‘Shattered Heart Reflections’?
Dmitry: Thank you for kind words. First of all I would like to say that with this release we wanted to start a new SUICIDAL ROMANCE. We wanted to put an end to our so called gothic era and to go on with more modern and mature sound. I think that we have succeeded with what we were aiming for with this release. We can confirm this especially now when CD is out and judging by all reviews and comments we are more than few steps ahead of our old works... hope that ‘Shattered Heart Reflections’ will not stop conquering listeners’ hearts.
RoD: I think to better understand your music it will be good to know what sense hides behind the title. Could you tell why you called the new CD in this way?
Dmitry: Well... as you might know I and Maarja K. used to be a couple even before the born of SUICIDAL ROMANCE and we have stayed so right until ‘Shattered Heart Reflections’... I think that working on this CD we both knew that this will be our last work together as a couple... so in some kind of way this album is a reflection of our shattered hearts. It’s not an autobiographical CD... it is just an end of something beautiful and a beginning of something undiscovered to say so.
RoD: What memories do you have about the process of recording of your previous album? This time was the work easier or quite the contrary? Are you satisfied with the result?
Dmitry: I'm a pretty honest person and I have nothing to hide... so that's why
maybe all of you already know that I had pretty hard times with drugs and alcohol overuse. That all happened right few months prior I started working on ‘Shattered Heart Reflections’... I remember that those times I really wanted to do something new and that I had lots of ideas in my head but I could not realize them... it was like my hands stopped listening to me... so I have taking antidepressants and spending hours on understanding myself and what I want to get from this life. I was feeling like having a block in my head that was against letting me to work on new music... I was really desperate until one day when I woke up and felt myself like a new person. I would lie if I would say that working on ‘SHR’ was easier than on my previous albums... hell, no. It is the hardest recording process I ever had, but I think that only to those health problems I was able to finish it. I mean... don't know what would happen if I would be still the same guy I was 2 years ago... but then again, I was so addicted to recording process and music creation that right after finishing SR's album I have started to work on my side-project FREAKANGEL. I know that drugs are bad and I can confirm that I'm a drug-free now, but I think that only thanks to drugs and my problems I was able to become a new person... a real me.RoD: What is your favourite song on the new album and why?
Dmitry: I really like the silence between tracks... it thrills me and makes me wait for something to happen. To be true I just can't choose any separate track as I remember working very hard on all of them and choosing one that is favourite and by this showing that other tracks are less important to me is not fair not only to myself, but to all listeners. I mean... I would better let them decide what they like and what not... but again... we have as many opinions as many listeners are out there. Let me just cut it straight and say that ‘Shattered Heart Reflections’ is the best album I have produced so far and here comes a big thanks to Vasi Vallis (REAPER, FROZEN PLASMA, NAMNAMBULU...) who have helped me to produce it!
RoD: Are your songs autobiographical?
Dmitry: I've tried to be autobiographical on my first release ‘Love beyond Reach’, but in the end I was not happy with the results. Well, to be true I'm not happy at all with two first releases from SUICIDAL ROMANCE... but it is just me and as time moves on I always find something new for myself, but actually I can't deny that without ‘LBR’ and ‘A Kiss To Resist’ there won't be ‘SHR’ as they are all connected via my experiences and my knowledge of the music world.
RoD: Your lyrics are in English but don’t you have an idea to write something in your native language?
Dmitry: Never thought about it, but I think that this is a good idea. Maybe one day we will be able to try something out, but for this we need to have really good and pure lyrics right from the heart as incorrect chosen words in Russian can sound pretty strange to listener ears... that's why I normally do not listen to bands singing in Russian as they make me laugh pretty often.
RoD: If you weren’t SUICIDAL ROMANCE or never started a music carrier, what do
you think you’d want to be doing now?Dmitry: I'm a pretty easy going person... I have always liked movies, music and video games. So I think that I would connect my life somehow in some way with one or another thing that I like... but then again I do not think that I would ever stop trying to write music...
RoD: What bands influenced you or helped to shape you musical taste?
Dmitry: Well, I think I was 14-15 when I have received two MARILYN MANSON albums that have changed my life and I remember clearly that the day I got them I decided to give my life to music... Oh, I think that in the previous question you needed to ask “What would happen if I had not got those MM CDs”... I am writing electronic music, but I still think that my only true influences are ALICE COOPER and MARILYN MANSON...
RoD: Do you have a music education?
Dmitry: Yes and no... I never had a professional music education, but I have never missed a chance to get musical lessons. I know how to play many musical instruments and there is only me working on demo tracks in the studio, but for example, I still can't play Beethoven or Bach on my piano.
RoD: SUICIDAL ROMANCE is a bit long but interesting name so how did you come up with it?
Dmitry: This name came from combining good and evil... black and white... We all know the feeling of love and I think that some of us may also know the tragic behind death. I wanted to put together two feelings that are different, but sharp and at the same time co existing in the human nature.
RoD: What do you do with your downtime when you’re just hanging out, not making music or touring?
Dmitry: As I said before I really like video games... so normally I spend my time playing them. I have a big collection of games and consoles (PS2, PS3, XBOX360, PSP, DS...). I'm a home person and normally it is hard to see me hanging out in pubs, bars or concerts unless I'm a part of something. I'm a boring nerd :)
RoD: Did you face such problem as creative crisis and if so what did you do in such moments?
Dmitry: Yes, sure... like every normal artist I'm 75% of time in a creative crisis. The funny thing that when I'm facing such problem it counts only forward my songs... I still can easily work on remixes and that is what I normally do to climb out my problems and to get some kind of inspiration... or I just play video games.
RoD: Could you think about the influence you music exerts on the people listening to it? For you is it just a way of self-expressing or do you want to change something in the society with your songs?
Dmitry: Of course, I see lots of problems in our society and in our world overall, but SUICIDAL ROMANCE is not a right band to change something... I have FREAKANGEL
that is somehow a small protest that got out of me screaming after waiting for too long. But as we are talking about SR here then I would like to say that it is more of my self-expressing as I'm also a human sometimes and I need to express my feelings.RoD: Well, the album has been released and now what are your plans for the future? Maybe you plan to shoot a video or release some other material, whatever…
Dmitry: First of all, we are aiming for live shows, but it looks like right now we have pretty harsh times... everyone want to see only big bands like VNV NATION or COMBICHRIST and same goes for promoters... they are afraid of losing money on booking smaller acts... Big bands get bigger and small bands... well... they stay small. Looks like a rule for today's situations.
RoD: In general what music do you personally listen to? Have you discovered some interesting formations lately? What’s the last CD you bought?
Dmitry: Actually I'm pretty open-minded and I literally can listen and more to it can find something interesting almost in every music style. I grew up of being true to only one music style or only one band... Speaking about new interesting formations I would like to mention a new project of Amanda Palmer - EVELYN EVELYN and solo project of William Francis of AIDEN - WILLIAM CONTROL. And for the last CD - MÖTLEY CRÜE ‘Saints of Los Angeles’.
RoD: You played many shows but are you still nervous before a gig? Does the band have any pre-concert ritual?
Dmitry: Sure, I'm always a bit nervous. But this is not a stage fright... I'm just always very excited of being on stage and that's why I get nervous easily... It’s just all about excitement. As for a pre-concert ritual... sure, a bottle of a nice wine :)
RoD: Can you give some reasons why people should buy your new CD? And if people don’t know much about your band in your opinion with what songs, maybe from the previous album as well they may start their introduction to your music?
Dmitry: I'm not forcing anyone to buy this CD. In our time we have lots of possibilities to check out music from an artist via internet. If you find it suitable for your ears and you would like to support an artist behind this music then go and get it... we will be thankful. I believe that everyone will be able to find their own reasons for picking or not picking up this album. I think that new listeners need to skip old tracks by SUICIDAL ROMANCE as they are not what I would like SR to be... but then again I want it right now and for about 3 years ago I wanted to be SR as it was... so actually it is all up to you, darling listener.
RoD: Finally please tell something to our readers.
Dmitry: All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
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