– Greetings Slaves of Dissonance from Brisbane, Australia. Welcome to Metal Health and thanks for being here.
Thanks for thinking of us for the interview. privilege to be here
– Congratulations on your new single ‘Involuntary Lobotomy’ from the forthcoming E.P. ‘Toxoplasmosis’ due for release on 12th August 2022. For me it’s beautifully harsh and in your face. Great performance and production. The preview track ‘Failure’ also rocks. The drumming and vocals stand out immediately as forces of nature. Strong supportive bass lines with solid guitar that also has a real fluid feel, kind of effortless, weaving through the music.
Thanks a lot! They are both very fun to play. keen to share our whole EP to the viewers and the metal community.
– What does good mental health mean to you?
Good mental health can be challenging to maintain due to all the variables that are affecting our mental state. I think it’s near impossible to live day by day having “good” mental health. I think it’s all about being aware of how you are feeling and knowing your triggers. A good diet and exercise gets overlooked and also doing things that make you happy/healthy at the same time. If you’re after a fast dopamine kick in substance abuse, gambling or whatever it may be, it’ll decline your mental health in time. So, to sum it all up its to be aware of the healthy and unhealthy decisions you make and being aware of how they affect you before your mental state declines drastically.
– This is a question i would usually ask pre – pandemic, but gigs are back in most cities. How is life for you off the road or when you’re not gigging? Especially after a tour or a big gig. Is it difficult to adjust back into life at home after time on the road? Or after an inspiring recording session? If so, how do you adjust/cope?
We haven’t played any shows yet as “Slaves of Dissonance” but we are just starting to book shows this year. hopefully see us on the road soon. With recording it can certainly humble you, after playing the parts so often you think you can go to the studio and bang out the songs very easily, but the variables like the pressure of doing your parts to a professional standard that makes you start to second guess yourself. It’s all about the preparation of the mindset before you walk into studio and being aware that things might not go your way on the day.
-What motivates you? What keeps you going?
What motivates us is being able to write songs we enjoy and to show the people what we can create. Always a lot of hard work behind the scenes but it all makes it worthwhile
– Have you experienced any tough times personally that you’d be okay talking about? If so, how are you/did you get through this?
We’ve all been through some very tough times whether it be losing a loved one, suffering with depression/anxiety or bad health. These tough times circulate in and out of our lives and when you’re consciously aware of a struggle you’re going through at the time, its about speaking up to your friends and loved ones with how you’re feeling to get that social support. I think it backfires on us if we try “weather the storm”. Can’t expect to engage in all of the self care and hobbies that make you happy when you feel this way, just have to give yourself time to heal during the tough times.
-Well said. Tough times do circulate in and out of our lives, but nothing’s permanent, especially if we ask for support. What does making music mean to you? Why do you do it?
Means a lot to all of us. Just busting our backs to write a good product and then sitting together as a group and listening to what we created is just the most amazing feeling. We do it to prove to ourselves what we can do with time and effort and showcase our skills on our instrument that we’ve spent years and years trying to master.
-Very cool. You can hear all that hard work in the songs. When did you start making music? Was it like finding some buried treasure that you didn’t know you had, and how did making music fit in with the rest of your life?
John (guitar), Dylan (Bass/backing vox) and Alik (drums) have spent time time in our teens and early adult years in some bands. Alik has spent the most time out of all of us dedicating his time to music with his project in Europe where is also a multi-instrumentalist and other bands he played for in Spain etc.. Andrew our vocalist is new to playing in a band but he’s got so much knowledge with music that his contribution is as impactful as all of us. Finding a buried treasure for sure with Andrew, as he has been a close friend to a one of the members for a long time and he came from no where when he asked to join the project. Music is definitely an important puzzle of all of our lives.
-How did you put the lyrics and vocal lines together for the E.P? Do you have a whole lot of thoughts or ideas written down to draw upon, or do you wait to hear the music to get vocal ideas? I suppose it’s not difficult to find plenty to write about currently in Australia. What are some areas of life that are important to the band?
Andrew came up with all the vocal lines and lyrics. Some of us had some subjects for Andrew to touch on in the songs and he worded it all to suit the songs etc..
It was easy for Andrew and us to come with ideas especially with 2 of us working in social services (youth, family services,mental health/NDIS).
the lyrical content range from mental health disorders, government conspiracies, brainwashing media organisations and misleading and exploitative faith groups
-How important is it for the bass guitar and drums to be tight, and where do you see guitar and voice fitting in the groove?
Very important for the bass and drums to be tight. Luckily Dylan and Alik have great chemistry and noodle around and have good jams together at practice. Usually guitars and drums laid out first and bass connects the drums and guitars together afterwards. And comes in naturally at the end. pretty straight forward process, it’s all about challenging ourselves to make the best product.
-How was the recording process for ‘Toxoplasmosis’? Did you record it live, or record an instrument at a time etc?
We recorded at Pulpitation Studios with Chris Ross in Browns Plains Brisbane. Chris made the process really relaxed, he is very knowledgable and professional. Chris exceeded all expectations with the finished product, we are all very happy. We did one instrument at a time, Drums first, guitar second, bass third and vocals last.
-Agree re Chris. The sound quality is excellent. What are your plans? I know the E.P. is set for release soon. Some more touring, or any dates you can mention? Is the live scene back to full strength in Brisbane?
Because we were recording and writing the last few months we missed booking a lot of shows, we have only just started looking. We have one date booked at New years at the Backroom in Brisbane under Brewhouse productions. Hopefully we pick up a few more before then but. We are keen and ready to play shows.
-Ok, last question. What would you say to fans who are struggling with their mental health, or finding life difficult at the moment?
Reach out to your family and loved ones. If it exceeds the level where you think your family and friends can help you, please go see a professional. Also, to focus on healthy hobbies and healthy routines in your life. Don’t neglect your health and diet.
-Agreed. It’s important to keep connected. Thanks Slaves of Dissonance for taking the time to talk with us.
Greg \MH/.
Band Music links:
https://linktr.ee/slavesofdissonance
Tags: anxiety, depression, drug abuse, good mental health, heavy metal interview, heavy metal music, mental health blog, mental health conversations, music interview, schizophrenia, stigma, stress
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