Cetacean - exclusive interview
1- Hello and welcome, first off, thanks for taking the time to do the interview, could you give our readers a brief description of the group?
David: My pleasure, thank you for taking the time to interview me. Cetacean is a six piece metal band from Los Angeles, California. The members consist of me, David, on guitar, Swansong on guitar, vocals, saxophone and other assorted instruments, Daniel on drums, Ben on guitar/vocals, Stephen on bass guitar and vocals, and Trae on main vocals.
2- This is the band's debut EP, how long did it take to write and was this a collaborative work or did one person write all the music?
David: It took about six years to write the music and record it. The music started with just me writing some riffs and passages...At first I was trying to do everything myself, and had no expectations of forming a band, but after a while I realized I couldn't get away from my love of collaborating with others. The foundations of the songs were written by me, and then the other guys helped complete them by integrating their own influences and ideas. Ben, Steve, Swan, Dan and Trae became involved at different stages, and it took some time to recruit them.The next round of music will definitely be more collaborative now that we have a solidified group.
3- What musical influence inspires the Eps compositions?
David: The band Cult of Luna was the initial inspiration. Their music has had a profound effect on me, Ben and Daniel in particular. But I also wanted to meld all of the things I liked about metal while injecting some influences outside of the genre, like some of the jazz-like parts, and classic rock/prog parts. Everyone in the band has such a wide range of influences ranging from death metal to hip-hop to hardcore/punk to pop. Other important inflences are Opeth, Metallica, Emperor, King Crimson, Yob etc...the list goes on and on.
4- As far as live performances, how receptive are audiences to the music?
David: So far we've only played one show, but the reception was great at that show. Our goal is to give the audience an experience worthy of their attendance.
5- The title of this Ep is Breach/Submerge, can you give us details about the content and more in depth meaning to this title?
David: The idea of the title has to do with man's desire to explore realms that cannot sustain his existence, from the depths of the ocean to the outreaches of space. These environments host their own alluring and equally dangerous properties that, when taken for granted, can cause the destruction of the explorer. As man was once a more integrated organism of the earth, having evolved from the first creatures to breach the security of the ocean and crawl on land, he has since grown past a point of return to submerge into the waters from which he came, yet cannot breach the limits of gravity and oxygen, and exist in the ocean of space, and is thus bound to the earth he is slowly destroying.
6- The band started in 2015, Was it difficult to find musicians to collaborate with? did the band start out with one or two members? or did everyone come together at the same time?
David: The band actually started with just me wanting to write some heavy material, and I quickly recruited Ben back in 2009. After that it took a while to assemble the right combination of players. Ben, Swan and I played with a couple of different people between 2010-2013, but then we were able to hook up with Steve and Dan. Trae was the last member to join; he joined Spring of 2015.
7- What are the band's future plans? is there going to be a full length in the future?
David: We have started the process of writing new music, but aren't sure if it's going to be a full length or another e.p. Once we have a couple of songs completed we'll decide which direction we want to go, but we want to have something completed sooner than later.
8- Are there any upcoming shows or tours you can tell us about?
David: We are supporting Un and Hissing in LA March 29th at Complex. We are looking to book more shows locally and regionally. A short run up to the bay area is in the works.
9- Thanks for your participation, finally, what is the best way to get a hold of the band? in case someone wants to book or promote the band? Any final words?
David: No problem! The best way to get a hold of the band is either through our facebook page: facebook.com/cetaceanband, email: cetaceanband@gmail.com, or bandcamp: Thecetacean.bandcamp.com. Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to read this and/or check out our music. We appreciate it!
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