Lawrence Mackrory, Swedish vocalist for Melodic Death Metal band Darkane. Darkane Interview June 24, 2013
1. How was it working on the latest Darkane album The Sinister Supremacy?
For me, not having worked with Darkane for 13 years, it was absolutely awesome. Everyone composes at home and then we share our ideas with everyone else and we try to tweak the songs in the best possible way. I had total freedom when it came to the vocals patterns, melodies and lyrics and that was great. We all recorded pretty much seperately as well, especially me who did the vocals in Uppsala instead of Helsingborg, where the rest of the band lives. Maybe we’ll do things differently the next time, who knows. But all in all it was a very valuable experience.
2. Where did the influences come from for this album?
Just the will to prove that we were very much still alive and ready to pick up the pace. It has been 5 years since the last album so we wanted people to know that we were back more vital than ever. Lyrically my inspiration was the dark part of our minds, that voice that tells us it’s ok to do bad and selfish things. So the lyrical content is very dark but also somewhat hopeful.
3. Will there be any touring soon for this album?
There will. We are working with our booking agencies to secure something soon. We want to take our music to as many places possible this time. Touring has become more important than ever. Internet is fine and all that, but touring is still the best way to gain new fans.
4. What do you think of promo videos nowadays with everything going on YouTube?
Great! YouTube is pretty much the only way to get your video seen nowadays. It’s great, everyone can see it whenever they want to. YouTube is a great promotional tool for bands. If you’re active and put a lot of stuff there, like we do, some behind the scenes stuff, the fans really like that.
5. What equipment are you currently endorsing, etc.
Peter is endorsed by Tama drums, Meinl cymbals, Evans drum heads and Pro Mark sticks. Christofer is endorsed by Ibanez guitars, D’Addario strings and Clayton picks. Apart from that, the band is endorsed by Milab microphones which helps us out a lot when recording because their mics are just amazing.
6. Without Social Media could bands today manage to survive?
I don’t think that would be a good idea. Social media presence is very important. Fans expect to be able to communicate with their favourite bands directly. And you have to accommodate that as much as possible. We try to be very visible online.
7. What were your earliest influences in life?
Until I discovered music I didn’t really have anything solid to grab on to. I started listening to music very early and as soon as I discovered rock and the harder bands and saw videos and live performances on TV and pictures in magazines I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It still totally encapsules my whole life. There’s not a second when I don’t think about my own music in one way or another. So my love and fascination for creating, playing and working with music will probably be with me until I die. It’s had an enormous impact on my choices in life.
8. What would be some of your main influences today?
Life in general. Things that happen to you, good or bad. Things you see going on in the world. Whatever images and thoughs that stick in your mind after watching a great movie, for instance. Basically anything that gets the creative juices flowing. Lyrically I’m switching between fiction and emotion and sometimes they intertwine. With a band like Darkane there’s really no way to tell what will happen next. When it comes to progression we’ve never been afraid of that. So if something new and fresh inspires us to do something different we’ll just go for it and see where it lands.
9. What could we find interesting in your music collection at home?
Nothing shocking I suppose. In my teens I listened to different genres periodically. So there’s a bunch of Death Metal there and also some Nu Metal. Very contrasting stuff. The most odd thing might be my Busta Rhymes, Wu-Tang Clan and Bone Thugz-N-Harmony albums. But hey, who doesn’t enjoy some Hip Hop once in a while?
10. Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?
There’s a lot of waiting going on and trying to make that time interesting is the big challenge. Luckily all of us like to take long walks and check out the cities. So it’s a great way to see the world. On a good day you get to experience a new city for a few hours, have some good food, a great show, a warm shower, talk to some fans afterwards. End the day with a couple of beers and a sandwich and go to bed. On a bad day you’re stuck in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere while it’s raining and there’s nothing to eat, the venue sucks and there are only 40 people in the audience. We all have those bad days once in a while, luckily they are few.
11. Where do you see Music in 100 years from now?
100 years! I think the apocalypse will have arrived by then, haha. But if we look more towards the next 5-10 years I see albums not being the main product for a band anymore. There’s not a lot of money to be made from selling music so I think artists will sell experiences instead. They will need to make their shows a lot more special and the “new show” will be the new product. Merchandising and licensing the bands name for products will be the most important source of revenue. We can see that already. I realise that I’m only talking from a business standpoint, musically I have no idea. But one thing is for sure, there will always be a need for music. It is, after all, the soundtrack to our lives.
Extra Darkane Interview questions with Lawrence Mackrory
Life without music would be: Numb and emotionless.
Favorite movie: Fight Club
Favorite sport: I don’t follow sports
Favorite food: Burgers
Favorite drink: A cup of tea
Favorite saying: If you want something done right, do it yourself
Favorite car: Aston Martin
Favorite book: World War Z
Favorite band: Iron Maiden
Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Wars
PC or Mac: Mac