Hey! First of all, for those who may not be familiar with your band - what is Dead Sleep all about?
Dead Sleep is a three piece power trio hailing from Malmö in the south of Sweden. We have been around for a decade and play some kind of crossover thrash metal, with influences from first wave black metal, hardcore punk and british heavy metal. So far we have released two albums and a couple of eps, and we will be releasing our new ep Repulsion in June.
What can you tell us about Dead Sleep’s forthcoming new EP, Repulsion?
The ep has 5 tracks, alternating between three more progressive “center piece” tracks that are musically a little heavier and mix in the thrash with a heavier style of metal, together with two tracks that are shorter blasts of pure punk metal. There is a lyrical theme of “evil women” running through the ep, exploring themes of interpersonal power struggles between the sexes and the rejection of motherhood.
When can your fans expect to hear new music after Repulsion? Is there any info on a new album in the works?
We are presently working on material for our coming album and in our opinion the songs feel both good and exciting. We are still evolving as a power trio and finding new ways of writing music, so we still have room for improvement!
Have you received enough positive feedback on your music so far?
We have received great feedback, people really seem to get the new Dead Sleep sound! Our only wish now is that the music will find its way to the broader masses of metal fans who we know will be able to appreciate our raw and expressive thrash. The biggest challenge nowadays is really to get your music heard in the big noise of digital media.
You’ve been active for nearly 10 years - what keeps you motivated to continue making music?
We still feel we are a very dynamic unit of individuals in the band, we have the ability of writing interesting songs and together we still create a pure power keg of energy when we play together live. So, as long as we feel that we have a unique style of music to offer and can provide a good live experience, we will keep going.
How easy (or difficult) is it to play metal and maintain a stable lineup in Malmö? Is it possible to make a living from album sales?
For us it is easy to play metal in Malmö, it is a good scene here, with plenty of rehearsal studios and live clubs. Making a living through album sales is definitely not an option presently, we have released all the albums on a small label without a gigantic budget. Needless to say, we all have day jobs. I think the same can be said for many other bands that aren’t the festival headlining kind of acts, even those that sell a lot more records than we do.
How did you manage to establish a solid and permanent lineup?
I think we just like each other as people and realise that all our different energies contribute to the entity of Dead Sleep. We have the crazy genius on guitar that keeps spouting out new music, we have an introverted lyricist that obsesses over every word like life depended on it, we have a solid drummer who apart from serious chops also exudes optimism and conviction. All parts are needed in order to keep the band spirit going.
If you had to introduce a new listener to Dead Sleep, which song from Repulsion would you choose and why?
I think I would play the title track, it feels like the most representative of the new incarnation of Dead Sleep: heavy, moody, brooding, hard as nails, but also with some beauty in there somewhere.
Was there a specific band that made you say, “That’s it - I’m starting a metal band!”?
Haha, I think that would have to be Slayer. Back when I was a punk and didn’t think I liked any metal bands, I heard Seasons in the Abyss and that was that. I realised that metal could have the same amount of energy as punk and that music could be both well played AND ferocious. Years later when Marcus and I decided to form this band, Slayer was one of the bands we instantly could agree on having been influenced by, plus that we strongly felt that the dormant thrash metal scene needed a revival!
Any final words for the readers of Iron Backstage?
Keep on rocking, stay true to yourself and always support the underground!
