Interviews: Desolator

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Thrash Metal band Desolator from the UK. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Was it planned, or did it just happen organically?

The band is named after a Sadus song, which, if I recall, is off an old demo of theirs. It sounded cool, and I thought it was obscure enough at the time; however, after a few years in the band with the boom of social media, I discovered there were already a few Desolators in the world, formed before us. I am not sure if they are still active, though.

2. Why did you choose to play this genre?

Bands like Kreator and Megadeth turned me onto Thrash. In our opinion, it's metal in its purest form and captures all the elements of metal we love - fun, frantic, mean, and nasty! 

3. Did you know each other before forming the band?

Yeah, but very briefly. Shortly after we met, we started jamming. We were acquaintances who met in a local metal/alternative bar, and once I found out they played drums and bass, we arranged a jam, wrote "Beer Brain," and here we are, the same three guys still playing metal and smiling the whole time! 

4. What is each band member's favorite band?

We're into all kinds of stuff, but Motorhead and Tankard are definitely our mutual favourites! No trip to a gig is complete without blasting either of these in the car on the way. We often play covers of these bands, too! 

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

We write the music we want to here. I think a cool thing about us is that it's hard to draw direct comparisons. There's a bunch of bands put there that sound like cheap imitations of other bands, and it sucks. We like to keep it varied between songs but still retain a wild approach, which I think we capture. If we're writing something new and we're all smiling at each other in practice, lol, we know it's good!

6. Where was your last gig?

At the time of writing, our last gig was supporting Bewitcher and Devastator in Bournemouth 2 weeks ago. It was a good one and the final show of the May run, where we played some new venues around England. Our next show is headlining the EMP stage at Bloodstock this year, which we are very excited about! 

7. Where would you like to perform in the future?

We want to get back to Europe, it's been nearly 10 years since our last trip over, and we're dying to thrash places like Germany, France, Belgium, and Spain again. The scene out there seems a lot more hungry for bands of our ilk, and the reaction is always amazing. 

8. Which artist or band would you like to collaborate with?

There are loads of bands we'd love to tour with, some of them achievable and some are "dreams" but a tour with Tankard would be the best. We'd probably quit music after that, as we will never be able to top the experience! 

9. Is there anyone you wouldn’t want to collaborate with?

No one in particular comes to mind! We don't have any enemies (as far as we're aware!). 

10. Have any of you ever experienced stage fright? Do you have any tips for beginners on overcoming it?

We were all pretty nervous when we played our first gig ever - we opened up an all-day thrash festival and our first time individually playing live too, but we loved every minute of it. We don't generally get nervous anymore. Some of the bigger gigs we've done come with a sense of apprehension just because of the weight behind it, but we're always so wired to play; we can't wait to get on stage most nights! A few beers definitely help if you are nervous, and if you're new to the game, don't overdo it! 

11. Which bands have influenced you the most?

Without a doubt, Tankard - no other band embodies the purity of thrash like them. Their persistence and attitude are second to none, and indeed they are "Not One Day Dead". I think every headbanger can appreciate Tankard and their presence, and beyond some of their comical themes, there's a strong sense of freedom and doing what you love. 

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

At a gig in France, we ran out of merch to sign, so we all signed a pretty strange orange! 

13. What do you think of your fans?

The word "fan" probably doesn't apply in our sense - we're not a big band - but every man woman and child who comes to our gigs, buys our stuff and listens to our music gives us a sense of purpose and validates this crazy journey we are on, and we love all of you for it. 

14. What do you think of our site?

It's great! You cover all genres of metal and put time into helping bands and artists reach new audiences. This kinda stuff is great to see and awesome to be a part of. 

15. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Always have fun with metal, don't take it too seriously, and never compromise!