Interview with Dei Tetra

June 20, 2010 | Posted in: News

Remy Fan (RF): Greetings and I thank you for agreeing to do this interview after with us after performing in Black Revelation 2010.

I am very pleased to inform you that 200 people turned up for the show. Congratulations! (RF: There are actually more people as there are some underage fans who turned up but got their tickets refunded and some fans who didn’t pay and stayed outside the venue.)

The response for Dei Tetra’s set was really something!  People seem that they are really having a good time watching your set, including your old secondary school classmates from Singapore (RF: They look like a bunch of disco party people rather metal fans) turning up to Black Revelation and supporting the band.

From my personal observation, you have the largest turn out for your set; my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to you four.

Now, please introduce yourself.

King Aboroth (KA): I am King Aboroth, Bass Player, Public Relations and Merchandiser for Dei Tetra.

Emperor Viperon (EV): Hail, this is Emperor Viperon, Guitar Player and Music Director for Dei Tetra. (Full of Enthusiasm)

Lord Kaosis Warmeister (LKW): Lord Kaosis Warmeister, Drummer for Dei Tetra. (Stoney / Spaced-Out Voice)

Countess Asithara (CA): Countess Asithara, Vocalist and session bass player for the Dei Tetra.

RF: Thank you. Let’s start the interview on your thoughts after the Black Revelation.

As you know this show was planned 6 months ago since October 2009. It has been a huge adrenalin-rush for us all in Trippy Factory. Please share with us how do you all feel about this whole process?

EV: We need to work our asses off and we have been rehearsing really hard since then. We try to rehearse twice a week from 730pm and practice the same set 2 -3 times. We will have a band meeting after that to see how we can improve or do better.

We are all extremely tired from the show, but it was fun and we are very grateful.

LKW: We met a lot of talented musicians in the gig as well; it’s quite an eye opener for all four of us.

CA: I am just very happy to be here and glad the show went well.

RF: Many thanks for that. Now I would like to ask you for your opinion and give us a compare and contrast between the Thai and Singapore metal scene and community?

KA: The Thai Metal Scene consists of a 2 groups of people. One group only listens to “Old School” Heavy Metal, Black Metal and Death and they other only Brutal Death Metal, Gore Grind, Death Grind. It’s either you are “with them” or “you are not”.

Singapore has more variety, for example Absence of the Sacred (AOTS) and the bands from Mourning Sound is different.

EV: Singapore bands are more unique. I personally feel that they (SG bands) would put a personal touch on top of heavy and aggressive music; like Rudra and their Vedic influences have definitely made their music very special. The ancientness and the exoticness have made them stand out from the crowd.

In Thailand, it’s like “same-shit-different-day-everywhere.” It’s like “copy-paste” syndrome.

The veteran or more established metal bands (in Thailand) listen to one typical genre of metal music. The younger bands who look up to them would copy and imitate them because hey feel that this is “what metal should be”.

RF: And you find that boring?

EV: Yes! It’s frustrating as well.

KA: Only if you have time log on to MySpace and check out the new Thai metal band, you will probably feel that they just sound the same. There is no breakthrough. It’s really lack of innovation.

EV: As a matter of fact, I feel really SAD for the Thai metal Scene. Music is something you can explore and boundaries you can break. Why restrict yourself and be just another face in the crowd? Why not add some elements in music and make it your own?

RF: I agree with you. It’s like you cover a popular metal cover song and add elements from your band and make the song your own.

Tell us more about the rivalries in the Thai Metal scene; I understand from our private conversations that it has been bothering Dei Tetra for a while now.

EV: Since the first day we have decided to play metal music, our rivals have gathered their “army” and tried to force us down and out of the scene. They make immature comments about us on cyberspace; ridicule our photos which we posted online.

I remember there was once we had a photo of the band relaxing after a hard day of rehearsal and a can of coca-cola was captured in it.

KA: Yeah we drink coca-cola, so what? Haha.

EV: The rivals started a brand new “Hi-Five” account and posted the pictures on it with the words “Black Coca Cola” and allow the rest of the rivals to make stupid and immature comments about that photo.

Can you imagine that the guy who started this whole mess is almost 30 years old?  Grow up man, sonnofabitch.

He hacked into my “Hi-Five” account, copied all the photos and say shit about it. Can you believe that?

There are so many young and inspiring metal musicians in Thailand who really wants to play and perform…

CA: But they didn’t dare to. They are afraid to go through what we have been through. Some of the rivals have even post death threats online and wanted to “take our lives” if we were to carry on.

RF: What?!? How?

EV: It’s true. There were comments like “I am going to go to a Dei Tetra show and put a bullet in your head”. One of them even ask for my residential address and wanted to come over and f**k things up; all this through the public pages of “Hi-Five”.

I mean, I have respect for people in general. I don’t have to admire them, but I still give them their due respect. If they want to do metal music, I want to do it too! Who gives them the right to stop me?

RF: They only do such things online right?

KA: They do it face to face in person as well!

RF: What?!?

KA: During metal shows, our rivals will gather in their groups and “terrorize” the other concert go-ers who does not belong in their click.

Younger metal fans or people in small group click usually get most of the shit simply because they are weaker with no back up.

CA: That, to us, would be the biggest difference in the scene in Thailand and Singapore. People in Singapore respect any genre of metal and they are very supportive. We feel very much appreciated and welcome in your country and in your metal community. Something likes this not going to happen in Thailand.

RF: Thank you for your comments on this. I think Trippy Factory is just very fortunate to hire respectful bands and musicians in Black Revelation 2010.

What are the future plans for the Dei Tetra?

KA: We are now working on a full length album with about 9 tracks and it should be released later this year or early next year.

RF: What are expecting from this new project?

EV: Better sound quality (from the past 2 releases).

KA: Headbang!

EV: *laughs*. You will also hear the “beauty” of Black Metal with the “roughness” of Death Metal.

RF: And your influences: who or what are the main inspirations for your new materials?

EV: You will hear Slayer-ish guitar riffs and Behemoth Style Drumming, a tint of evilness from Dark Funeral and the rawness of Marduk.

RF: Wow. You have just name 4 legendary bands and and with elements from them sure sounds like an album coming up (by Dei Tetra) to look forward to.

Now on to Kaosis; I got to be really honest. You do not look like you are a drummer when I met you for the first time in Bangkok. That was February 2009, was it?

LKW + EV: *laughs*

RF: When I saw you in behind the drum set during the set just now and during rehearsals, you scare the shit out of me! I am really impressed. You play fast, aggressive and precision drums for sure! Where did you draw you influences from?

LKW: Inferno (from Behemoth). The complications of the drum lines by him have made Behemoth- Behemoth. Without him, the band will not be the same. His drumming is very significant in each track. The best part about it is his style changes in every album. So every Behemoth album doesn’t sound the same. It is always evolving and interesting to hear what he has to offer.

You can tell if the band is from Sweden, Germany, Norway etc just by hearing the drum rhythms; but Inferno is just one of a kind.

RF: Most Metal Drummers always draw one of their inspiration from  Dave Lombardo from Slayer as their main influence; hearing Inferno as an inspiration is the first for me. Good luck with the recording of your drum tracks in your new album.

LKW: Thank you.

RF: Now on with the Countess; I know at least 2 persons in the crowd tonight has been “blown to pieces” by your vocals. One of them is me and the other is Kathir (Rudra). I quote from him “This girl sounds really really pissed off!” I remember agreeing with him and had a good laugh! Where did you draw your inspirations and influences from?

CA: I have no influences so to speak, but when I listen to the raw music track given to me by the band members, I will try to visualize how my vocals should be and plan it according to the guitars, bass and drum riffs.

Like when the Emperor let me hear a particular guitar riff, I can actually hear and visualize the “screaming” even when there are no vocal tracks in it.

RF: I would like to hear you write lyrics or visualize through Kaosis’s drum riffs! That’ll be interesting!

CA: *laughs* I admire all vocalists from all the metal bands because singing is not easy. Not easy at all. Singing, shouting or screaming in the wrong manner may hurt yourself seriously in the long run.

So I bought the instructional videos of Melissa Cross (voice teacher of Andrew W.K., Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, Shadows Fall’s Brian Fair, Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley, God Forbid’s Byron Davis, and Melissa Auf der Maur) so that I can scream and shout aggressively all I want without hurting myself.

RF: Sounds good. At least now I know you are able to sing, scream and shout SAFELY – so that you can do this for a long long time.

Now, any last thoughts on your very short trip in Singapore?

EV: Firstly, thank you Remy and Trippy Factory for organizing this gig for Dei Tetra. Especially for putting our logo in the middle of the poster it’s very nice. When I see it for the first time, I was like “Wow”. We are in right in the middle of the official poster!

LKW: Yes, that meant a lot to us. It made us feel very special. All four of us had the poster as our profile picture in Hi-Five, Friendster, Facebook and MySpace to promote the band and Black Revelation since February 2010.

RF: Then special thanks and salute goes to Jason Wong who designed the poster. He has an intention of making Dei Tetra as an overseas special appearance all the way from Thailand and that’s why your logo is in the middle while the other 6 bands are “flanking” by your side as if welcoming you.

Excellent design I must say. Give Jason the horns up when you see him in person.

KA: Sure! Our logo in the poster of our next show in Bangkok is so small and pathetic. It’s almost insignificant compared with Black Revelation 2010!

RF: Does that bother you?

KA: Of course not! We will just turn up for the gig. Do our thing, headbang, blast our instruments and get out of there when it’s over. Music’s music. The size of the logo matters very little to us.

RF: I like that Attitude. Now, your last words for the interview Aboroth?

KA: If I am a regular metal head in Singapore or Thailand, I would not be so impress about the Black Revelation 2010 if I should see the poster at first. I’ll be thinking “hey, it’s just one of those metal gigs”.

Most of the Thai metal heads would probably think that we are crazy and wasting our time performing in an unknown gig in Singapore. But they will never ever experience what we have earlier on this evening. Black Revelation is something very different and special for us and we really had a good time.

You go to a metal gig, you headbang and make new friends. That’s that. *Shrugs* It doesn’t mean that if you are into metal, you have to get yourself drunk, take drugs and commit crimes.

No egos involve; nothing sinister and evil. We are all here for a good time.

EV:    In Thailand, there’s always the same old organizer with the same old band, playing the same old stuff.

I would encourage all metal fans to go out there and do not restrict yourselves. Learn something new from different gig and gain new perspective! Be open-minded and make more friends!

RF: Thanks for that Virperon! Kaosis, share your thoughts with us.

LKW: Singapore has always been and always will be one of my favorite destinations for travel and holidays. Special thanks to Remy and Trippy Factory for organizing the show and we look forward to play again in your productions in the future.

RF: Thank you for your compliments and comments about Singapore. Countess, any last words?

CA: Thank you very very much (hands clasp together as if praying), to you, Trippy Factory for everything. I would like to thank everyone who is involved in the gig, the fans, the fellow musicians and performers. Thank you very much. I sincerely appreciate it and I look forward to come back to perform and meet the friends and fans again.

RF: Thank you very much Dei Tetra. It’s been long hard road for Trippy Factory organizing Black Revelation but it’s absolutely worth it to have you four on this ride with me.

Until next year all the best to you and the band.

Dei Tetra:    Thank you!