Nephelium, Canadian Death Metal band. Dubai may be known as a city rich in history, a business hub and the home of the tallest structure in the world, but it’s also the birthplace of one of the first death metal bands to come out of the Middle East, Nephelium. Now residing and re-establishing themselves in Toronto, Canada over the last 10 years.
Nephelium is : Devlin Anderson – vocals, Alex Zubair – guitars, James Sawyer – guitars, Flo Ravet – bass, Alan Madhavan – drums
Nephelium Interview
1. How is 2012 starting for Nephelium?
2012 has started with a huge bang (reminiscent of THE big bang) for Nephelium. We are really pushing the promotion for our debut album Coils of Entropy due on February 7th, and have received awesome reviews so far. People are talking about us, which is great and has us ecstatic.
2. Could you tell me about the process behind the recording the latest Nephelium album Coils of Entropy?
It has been a long and tumultuous process. Since we are picky and knew exactly what we wanted, we cooperated with the best team money could buy, as far as studio, producer, and mastering. There is a whole theme and a real driving force behind this concept album, and we are more than satisfied with the finished product. We learned some lessons along the way and got better musicians altogether during the recording process, a very empowering experience all in all.
3. Can you tell me about the artwork for Coils of Entropy album?
We used the services of artist Juanjo Castellano from Spain. We gave him a few guidelines and left him with some artistic freedom, and with our music, theme and concept to work with. He’s created a masterpiece! His artwork represents the world as seen by “the watcher” (hence the eye), an entity passively observing the world and the fall of humanity through different eras. You can see the reflection from the top to the bottom section which depicts different times. This watcher is taking in all the info, somewhat “downloading” it. Look at the bottom left of the artwork – you’ll see what I mean.
4. What are your current endorsements?
Currently not much, but a lot lined up. We just want to make sure we make the right choices and have everything in place. So far, our guitar player James got a sweet deal with Dean and is rocking their 8 Strings Dean RC 8 (Rusty Colley Signature). It looks and sounds SICKKKKK !
5. How is the Current Music scene in general in Canada?
We see a lot of bands coming out of the woodwork from coast to coast, some real potential out there and hoping to see these bands push forward, never give up and get known. I can’t say for “music” in general, but I sure can tell you about the METAL scene : The metal community inCanadais very tight, meaning that everybody knows everybody in a sense. Doesn’t matter how big a city you live in or how far apart across the Country: this is like a big family. Sometimes dysfunctional, with the friendly competition and all, but in general we all find our place in it, fans, promoters, bands, labels, etc… There are of course some hotspots, such as Montréal, which have a scene more impactful than other cities. However every Canadian metalhead can raise their horns high and proud (but keep those mittens on, though, because it’s freezing here, eh?).
6. What’s your vision on the Internet as a tool to promote and market your Music?
In today’s world, there’s no getting around it : The Internet, social media and digital downloads are mandatory tools for a successful band. You have to use it, there is no other choice. It gives instant availability, abundance (sometimes over-abundance) and connectivity within the music community. It brings bands, fans, promoters, labels and more together in a faster and more efficient way than the old archaic ways of “physical” promotion. Good thing live shows are still a pillar for music marketing, because with an extensive “friends” list online, you still have to go out there and perform in front of people to see what it’s like not being behind a screen. And that’s a good thing.
7. With all the bands coming out today. Do you keep somehow updated with what comes out online, etc?
We try. Just like you hinted, there are A LOT of new things coming out, and finding the time to make a selection is tough. You got to separate the “crap” from the good, but there are some serious gems of bands to be found out there. I mentioned overabundance in my previous answer, this can be a blessing in disguise. A band can get exposure, but not done the right way it just gets lost out there.
8. What would be your main influences?
Our influences range from some old school death metal –that we grew up with and will always have a place for in our metal hearts- to more progressive and technical stuff. To name some artist that inspire us as musicians : Suffocation, Decapitated, Morbid Angel, Death, Kronos, Aeon, Dream Theatre, Nile, … the list goes on. We do what we love and what we want to hear more of in this scene, before being metal performers we are metalheads first, and we take our shit seriously !
9. Where do you find your inspirations to write music?
Musically : See answer to question just above.
As far as lyrics and philosophy, it revolves around one main theme, which is the name of our band : Nephelium. The Nephelium were –according to the King James’ version of the Bible- a superior race of giants being the result of cross breeding between fallen angels and human females. Other religions mentioned similar accounts of beings from the skies mating with our babes and creating a new species. One can even speculate about extraterrestrials fucking up with our DNA ages ago. The band Nephelium mixes religion, history and science, in a Brutal Death Metal Package, delivered it to your brain by forcing its way through your ears.
10. Are there any other products or projects we can see from you in 2012 and in the future?
No side projects really, Nephelium’s members are 100.666% dedicated. As far as Nephelium related projects, we are working on videos, and a couple of other surprises we can’t talk about just yet as we haven’t finalized all the details. Cue your next question …
11. Will there be any tours lined-up soon for Nephelium in Canada or the rest of the world?
Yes, we are working on that, one step at a time, but it will be done the right way, and you can expect to hear and see more about Nephelium going to a place near you in 2012 and beyond.