Crematorium Interview

Los Angeles may not be generally known for death metal bands, but Crematorium is certainly making a bid to become the biggest one that's happening in 2005, with their devastating tome, "The Process Of Endtime" grinding and blasting a jolt of modern sounding wall-of-death that will have fans of the genre assuredly enthused. Recently, The Gauntlet caught up with Daniel Dismal, the band's vocalist, who was more than gracious enough to provide us with insight as to the band's hyper-kinetic new age assault of death.

The Gauntlet: First of all, I would like to thank you for lending us your time. How's life been in Cali lately?

Daniel Dismal: No problem with the time! We love taking a moment out to speak with anyone who would like to get to know a little bit more about Crematorium. Life in California has been pretty good minus the whole gas price issue and our lovely Hollywood-esque Governor.


The Gauntlet: Speaking of California, how does it make you feel to wear spikes and leather amidst spandex and leopard-skin pants? Does Glam still rule L.A.? Are some clubs Hair Metal only?

Daniel Dismal: Well, to tell you the truth we're not a leather and spikes kind of band. We're more like cut-off shorts and skate shoes! I wouldn't say that Glam still rules Los Angeles but the whole ideology that fueled Glam still does. Glam was about individual achievements and pushing your goals in front of the common good of the collective scene. Los Angeles is just a breeding ground for bands and artists that will do anything to anyone at anytime to take one step closer to fame. Clubs out here have gone away from being Hair Metal only because that's not where the money is but most of them shut out anything they don't understand or will not make them copious amounts of cash at the end of the night. I guess you can say that the music, the look and the bands have changed but the attitudes and the corrupt nature of the Los Angeles scene remains the same.


The Gauntlet: What's the extreme music scene like in Southern California?

Daniel Dismal: Pretty underground as well as overly competitive. As I stated above, metal as well as hardcore and punk is the bastard children out here in Southern California so there's not much to go around in the ways of quality clubs and shows which showcase the extreme music scene. What this does is create an extreme amount of competition between the bands and the fans that support them. There are groups that band together to create a collective support group but they pretty much only support the bands they know. It's been a long time since there has been a collective effort that included all bands and all genres in the extreme music underground out here in Los Angeles. The sad thing about this is that from all the touring we've done we've seen that this is not a plague that affects Los Angeles alone; it's something that's found within every city across the US as well as the world.


Daniel Dismal: What was your favorite show as an opener? What was your favorite performance as a headliner?

Crematorium: I would have to say that my personal favorite show as an opener is tied between the time that we opened for Suffocation on their Despise The Sun tour out here in Los Angeles or the last date of the Immolation, Grave and Goatwhore tour in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Both shows were surrealistic to me. On one hand we were sharing the stage with a band that helped fueled the genre we were a part of and the crowd responded to us with such intensity that we didn't feel like a small local band and on the other hand we were opening the last show on a tour that made us feel like we had gone where no other band of our kind had gone from Los Angeles. Two different shows, two different times in Crematorium's history but both shows took us to another level in our minds as they made us feel at one with the scene, the music and the fans that were supporting us. As for a favorite show as a headliner I have to say that was our recent headlining performance at the Backroom in Austin Texas. We were part of a tour that fell apart and we tried to go on as long as we could but physically we just could not. Our last show was at the Backroom and the amount of fans that came out to support us as well as the other bands was staggering. We had played this venue two times before and it was awe inspiring to see just how many people took to our band and were now supporting us as a headliner so far away from our home town of Los Angeles. I guess this show fits right in with the two mentioned above, they just stick in your mind as events that shape the kind of band you are.


Daniel Dismal: Crematorium was created in 1991. Since that time, you've gone through many lineup changes. Is Crematorium at it highest point of stability right now?

Crematorium: At this point I would say that we're pretty stable. The position that we've had to most problems with has always been our drummer and we believe that the drummer we have playing with us right now is pretty dedicated for the long haul. The thing is that we've already gone through 2 drummers since the release of The Process Of Endtime so there's already been a lot of line-up reshaping within the ranks. We're pretty much a band that never let's line-up changes dictate our future so if there's more changes in our immediate future then we'll do as we've always done, which is fill the vacant slot of keep pushing forward.


Daniel Dismal: Speaking of stability, how does it feel to be on a reputable label (Prosthetic Records) now? Are they treating you fairly?

Crematorium: It feels pretty good in the sense that we have a lot more clout when it comes to getting on tours and gathering support from certain facets of the music industry. I can say that when we were an independent band that we put a lot of time and money into this band so that's never really ceased. Whatever Prosthetic doesn't handle we handle ourselves. The bottom line is that no band should expect a label to handle everything for them. Rather then just sit here and say what Prosthetic doesn't do for this band we just pick up the slack and go with the flow. As for how Prosthetic is treating us, we feel that they could dedicate a little more time and effort towards us but what band doesn't feel that about their label? EJ and Dan put their faith in us and that will always get them respect from Crematorium, whatever they come up short on we're going to handle ourselves. I think they have always seen that from us and in some ways I think that's why they respect us the way that they do.


The Gauntlet: Has being on this label changed the band in any way? How does this label help support you?

Daniel Dismal: It's pretty much put us in the faces of a lot of people that may have not heard about us before. We landed our first major tours after we signed our deal and the distribution we've gained from being signed is a goldmine in itself. Mentally it hasn't changed the band because we work just as hard as ever because we're always trying to push the envelope of what this band can be. Prosthetic supports us mostly with the monetary side of recording, manufacturing and distributing our music. Before it was all on us and even though we put it all into this band we could never do for Crematorium what Prosthetic has done for Crematorium. When it comes to touring and merchandise we're still 100% responsible for that financially but that's also on our own accord, as we don't like owing anyone. We still market our band as much as before because most labels aren't as tied into the underground scene as much as a band can be just for the simple fact that there's an underground support group that's still active today. We learned the importance of staying active in these ways at an early stage in our history and that's why we still push our name so heavily in areas that most signed bands consider a thing of the past.


The Gauntlet: What bands are influential to your sound? Factoring in these influences, how would you define your sound?

Daniel Dismal: Well, it's seriously a broad base and it depends on the member. We're pretty much a band of people that come from a bunch of different scenes but we come together in this band to offer something that's pretty much new in all respects. I can say that Napalm Death, Carcass, Obituary, Biohazard, Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front and various bands from the respected genres had a huge influence on the bands earlier works but as time went on and members changed we had an influx of new influences ranging from Metallica, Testament, Black Flag, DRI, Hatebreed, In Flames, Dead Kennedys, Dark Tranquility, Hypocrisy, Amorphis, At The Gates and many many more. Vocally it's easy to decipher the influences but when speaking about patterns there's an underlying influence that's been discussed a few times. The way hip-hop and rap vocalists express themselves has been a huge influence in the way the vocals flow. There's never a real repeating tone or count to the vocal patterns and that's a direct influence from the way the artists in the urban music scene flow in between patterns on top of beats and structures that tend to repeat. It's really gained us some credit to be one of the only bands that use this method but don't incorporate it into becoming a rap-core band.


The Gauntlet: How has the new album been perceived by critics and fans?

Daniel Dismal: Everyone thus far has agreed that this new album is a step up both musically and vocally for the band. The main criticism that we've seen thus far is that the vocals are not "brutal" enough or that the drums seem a little stale. The vocals for Crematorium were never supposed to be of the brutal nature but rather an offering of various styles. The drums are more of a backbone to the music on this album as we were trying to offer a more solid form of music with these songs. We don't expect everyone to like this album and the one thing that we wanted to achieve has been accomplished because the reoccurring tone in all the reviews has been that we have upped the ante with this new album. I can't wait until the people hear what we're doing with the new music; it's going to blow everyone away for sure.


The Gauntlet: Are you satisfied with the album?

Daniel Dismal: Yes, we are. As with all bands we listen to the music now and say the typical things like "we could have done that better" or "I wish we would have played this riff instead" but the bottom line is that we can all listen to the album and truly hear something that we're proud of. That's a hard thing to achieve in music, no matter what kind of band you are.


The Gauntlet: "Drowning as One" is a great track. Can you tell your readers about the theme of this song?

Daniel Dismal: It's pretty much based around the theme of Atlantis and the flooding of the world in the story of Noah and his arc. There's a lot of imagery within this song that has to deal with this world being swallowed up by the sea and laid to rest. In a way it's as if the Earth is waking up and saying "no more!" Anyone following the news can see the scary reality of this sort of end to the world in our day-to-day lives. Storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters are killing off the populace of this planet in record numbers. Sure we have some pretty ridiculous wars going on right now but there's a true backlash coming from planet earth right now and anyone who can't see this is just not opening their eyes to these facts. Within 2005 alone the death toll due to natural disasters is astonishing, this could truly be the onset of the end of our existence on this planet.


The Gauntlet: Are you writing these lyrics from a third person point of view or is this from your own personal beliefs?

Daniel Dismal: It's a combination of personal experiences, observations and almost a fortuneteller's mindset on the world. The lyrics are basically an offering of all types of mindsets, backgrounds and belief structures boiled down into one formula that's meant to be digested by anyone reading the lyrics. The main focus has always been to speak to people as a whole and not to a small group of people that can relate to a lyrical theme that's based within one set ideology or spiritual guideline.
It's actually a pretty tough way to write because there's no real one way to see the lyrics and every listener or reader can gather an opinion that can be considered neither wrong nor right.


The Gauntlet: The next track "Infinitesimal Acculturation" is like throwing dirt onto the grave that was once your hope. For instance you scream, "there is no hope/everything grows old." Where do you find the inspiration to pen a song so filled with anguish?

Daniel Dismal: Pretty much from the world around us. The meaning behind a lyric such as this is not meant to portray an overly bleak landscape but a message that paints a picture that no matter who we are we're all tied into this world together. Infinitesimal Acculturation means simply the incumbent demise of mankind or society. The sideline thought also ties in the fact that no matter whom you are you will pass on from this plain of existence just like everyone and everything else. There's no society or class separations in death and we all find the same things when we die. As with all our songs though there's a lot of sub-meanings within this song but again, that's meant simply to make people that take an interest into finding out more about the lyrics see things that are beneath the immediate surface. Writing structures that can be considered to be like a buried treasure method of lyric writing so to speak.


Daniel Dismal: Your album has some fantastic artwork. It seems to fit in with the album's overall tone and motif. How did you acquire this artist's services? How did you know this particular piece would adorn the front cover of "The Process of Endtime"?

Crematorium: The artist Anthony Clarkson is a personal friend of mine and we've spoken a few times about working together on an album. I basically sent him a few demo tracks of the new songs as well as some lyrics and he began creating. The art that's on the album is a compilation of a few ideas that he had offered to the band. He gave us about 8 cover ideas, I pointed out which ones I thought were strong and which parts of those should be combined. We agreed on a color motif and he went from there. He basically took our music and the lyrics and put them into the visual medium. We couldn't be happier with his work and we plan on keeping this working relationship going on for many albums to come.


Daniel Dismal: "Turn a Blind Eye" at the end, is quite moving. How did you decide that an acoustic part would work here?

Crematorium: Our lead guitarist had a few acoustic pieces that he recorded while tracking the guitars for the album. We had all the songs recorded and we were piecing the album together in the studio with DD Ehrlich and it just seemed like the end section of Turn A Blind Eye would be a perfect moment for the album to go into an intermission. The way it all came together seemed to flow perfectly into Born Of The Deadtide so we felt that we made a good choice with putting the acoustic section in this particular part of the CD.


The Gauntlet: How did you achieve such a smooth, clear sound here?

Daniel Dismal: DD just knows how to do his stuff I guess. I am still amazed at what he can do with recording a band. He was able to take our sound, put clarity to it while keeping the tones heavy. Some people say that we needed to add a little more beef to the overall tones but the lack of beef really is the reason why you can hear everything on this album in such a clear and cohesive way. Again, DD is amazing and anyone who doesn't see or hear that really needs to take another look or listen to this album.


The Gauntlet: Does Daniel perform all the vocals on this album?

Daniel Dismal: Yes. There originally was going to be some vocal guests but those never panned out so it's all Daniel.


The Gauntlet: Can you tell your readers about your current touring plans?

Daniel Dismal: Right now we're just doing mini-tours in and around California until the spring of 2006. Once the spring hits we're going to be out doing some amazing tours of the US! We're also planning on finally hitting Canada as well as Europe in 2006 but nothing is set in stone as of yet.


The Gauntlet: There is one festival, Open Grave Extreme Metal Festival, and one which sounds like a festival, Metal Devastation II coming up for you. Do you like playing festivals? What bands are playing these shows?

Daniel Dismal: We love playing festivals! Not only do we get to perform live but we get to play with a bunch of killer bands that we all love to watch perform. The Open Grave fest was us, Intronaut, Abysmal Dawn, Cerberus, To The Pain, The Faceless and The Human Abstract. It wasn't a fest so to speak but rather a show that was based around the mission of reclaiming the vacant presence of metal in the Hollywood clubs out here in California. Metal Devastation II is actually a record store and that show has been moved to a place called Neckbeards. Thus far Winds Of Plague is the only band confirmed on this show. There's rumors floating about that we will be invited to play the Los Angeles Murderfest on February 18th and 19th out here in Southern California which is going to be an amazing time to say the least!


The Gauntlet Do you have any touring plans after this mini-tour? Are there any label mates you would like to tour with? What is your touring focus at this time?

Daniel Dismal: We're just planning more mini-tours that will be taking us into Northern California as well as the surrounding areas. We might do a week and a half long tour in December but nothing has been solidified as of yet. We'd love to tour with All That Remains again; those guys are like family to us. Other then that we'd love to tour with any of our label mates because there would already be a common bond between our band and the other bands making it a family affair right from the get go! As for the focus of our tours, we just really want to keep playing for our fans and keep the Crematorium name on the tips of everyone's tongues until we're able to get back out there on some extended tours in 2006.


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Tags:  Crematorium  , Daniel Dismal - Vocals, interviews

Darren Cowan    October 24, 2005