O Dave D.R. των Καναδών IMMORTALIZER μιλάει στο Pyramis News
For how long has IMMORTALIZER been active and what is your current discography?
Immortalizer got started in 2015. My first release was “Unleashed” a two song EP which came out in 2016.
Born For Metal is the title of your upcoming album. When will it be released? Have you signed with a label yet?
The debut album will be released this month! At the moment I’m still independent and use my own label (Brain Lab Records) for everything, but I am on the lookout for the right label which can help take Immortalizer to new heights!
Is the album’s title a personal reference and if so when did you realize you are born for metal?
The title is partly autobiographical but I also had the worlds entire Metal nation in mind as well. Which is also why I wrote “We Were Born For Metal”. I wanted a song that every Metalhead could relate to.
My journey to Metal began when I was 7 years old and I heard Black Sabbath’s Paranoid on vinyl for the first time. My dad gave me access to his record collection and Paranoid completely blew my mind. After that I knew I wanted to be a musician and play heavy music. Metal has been the soundtrack to my whole life!
Do you consider IMMORTALIZER a project or a band? Any plans to go live?
I’ve always wanted Immortalizer to become a full touring band. When I began Immortalizer I had recently gone solo and had become more of a recording artist. However I hope to find permanent bandmates in the near future to take Immortalizer on the road and around the world!
You collaborated for Born For Metal with Ralf Scheepers of PRIMAL FEAR. Please tell us more about this collaboration.
Shortly after Ralf began mixing, mastering and engineering the “Born For Metal” album I showed him a track I was working on called “We Were Born For Metal”. He really enjoyed it and offered to sing some of it with me. I was beyond thrilled! Being such a huge fan of his it was quite literally a dream come true for me. Ralf’s vocals on the choruses add so much to the song and our vocals mesh super well together too! He’s been amazing to work with and a huge inspiration!
Which are your all-time favorite albums in metal?
I have so many favourites but among the top picks would be British Steel & Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest. Nuclear Fire & Jaws Of Death by Primal Fear. Overkill & Bastards by Motörhead. Holy Diver by Dio. Denim and Leather & Solid Ball Of Rock by Saxon, Keeper Of The Seven Keys: The Legacy & The Dark Ride by Helloween, The Number of The Beast & Powerslave by Iron Maiden, Rust In Peace & Countdown To Extinction by Megadeth. Ride The Lightning & Master Of Puppets by Metallica. The Scarecrow by Avantasia. Van Halen 1 by Van Halen. Blizzard Of Ozz & Diary Of A Madman by Ozzy. (To name only a few haha).
You are a multi-instrumentalist. Which instrument do you enjoy more to listen and which to play? Please justify the answers.
That’s a tough one. I love each instrument, but I think my favourite to play is guitar. I love listening to guitar parts when listening to music as well, but it really depends on the song. Often the vocals or drums are my focus. Mostly I like to listen to music as a collective rather than isolate one instrument. Certain bits get highlighted like drums during a drum fill or guitar during guitar solos for example, but I like to soak it all in!
Born For Metal has a great artwork. Who’s behind it?
The incredibly talented Jobert Mello of SledgehammerGraphix did the artwork for the album and the EP’s as well! He’s also the creator of Immortalizer’s mascot (Deimos)! Jobert also took my rough sketches for the band logo’s and transformed them into incredible works of art!
Is Born For Metal concept album? What are your lyrics about?
“Born For Metal” isn’t a concept album but it does have some recurring themes, mainly humanity’s eagerness to destroy itself. But I wanted a well rounded album so I included various themes like personal struggles, a tribute to one of my heroes Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, the Metal nation, having fun, the band mascot’s back story and lost loved ones.
Who made the IMMORTALIZER videos?
My wife filmed all the videos and I edited and put them all together myself. I was very new to video editing but I had a lot of fun putting them together. The next video however is animated! It’s for the single “We Were Born For Metal” (Featuring Ralf Scheepers). It’ll be released at the same time as the album!
What’s your local metal scene like at the moment?
Covid has affected the local scene quite a bit. But things are slowly picking up again. Most things take place downtown Toronto but local shows are popping back up which is awesome!
What is your biggest dream for IMMORTALIZER?
My biggest dream for Immortalizer would be to earn a place beside my heroes. Touring the worlds largest venues with them. Leaving my mark on the Metal universe and having the same impact on my fans that my heroes had on me.
How do you write a song and when is it ready? How did you work for Born For Metal and how much of a perfectionist are you?
I’m constantly writing songs. Almost every single time I pick up a guitar to practice I end up writing one or several new riffs which often become full songs.
I feel a song is finished when adding more seems to take something else away. That’s always a good rule to follow. Less is sometimes more, (but sometimes more is more haha).
When I write songs I almost always start with a guitar riff then add a vocal melody and lyrics and I begin to build the song from there. The drum beat and orchestration is always in my mind while playing guitar. So I often have a solid idea of where to go when I start recording.
I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I can be quite critical of my own work, but it sometimes helps me push myself to get the best possible results. But Paul Stanley of KISS said it best, “When you seek perfection you give up passion”. So I always try to keep that in mind too.
Please close the interview with the band’s contacts and a message for your fans! Thank you for the interview and good luck with the new album Born For Metal!
I’d like to thank each and every one of my fans from around the world! Your support means so much and keeps me going! Cheers to you all! \m/
https://soundcloud.com/Immortalizermusic
https://www.facebook.com/ImmortalizerBand
https://www.twitter.com/immortalizer_
https://www.instagram.com/immortalizerofficial/
IMMORTALIZER – Cut Loose (Official Video)
IMMORTALIZER – Gone To Hell (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ZHediKQi8
IMMORTALIZER – I’m Gone (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBSH8s7VVLA
IMMORTALIZER: Lemmy (Official Music Video)
