Hi Daniel, how are you?
Hi! I'm good thanks.
Nice! When did you start playing your instrument and what prompted you to start?
I was around six or seven years old I think, and it was an interpretation of a KISS song on a television talent show that got me hooked on the drums. The song was called I love it loud and stands as a reminder to me that even the simplest beats or melodies can be very powerful when used properly. Anyhow, I started nagging my parents for a drum kit of my own while playing a home made hybrid kit consisting of stews and pots, banged on by pencils. Then I joined the local music school and started to get in touch with other musicians and play in different groups, and I think that this was the time when I began to feel that I had found “my thing.” It's been a huge part of me ever since.
What are your thoughts on your comeback this year?
So far so good. It's been a blast to start making music together again after all these years. Both Embers and Phoenix somewhat resembles the “old” Omnispawn to me, but the making (or perhaps re-making is a better word) of them has also started to fuel what will become the new Omnispawn. A lot of new material was created while we started working on these releases, so I'm glad that we finally decided to do it once and for all.
Okey, interesting! Talking about the releases, 'Embers' and 'Phoenix', which elements are you particularly pleased with?
The sound of it all, the feedback we've been getting from people and the way that the music have developed in comparison to our first album Darkness Within. The content seem to have chocked some people in a positive way, and I think that they'd expected something that sounds more like our earlier work rather than what it actually does.
How do you look back on the years in Omnispawn before the break?
Mostly with a smile on my face. I've got tons of video material from 2007 – 2010 and watching it always makes me smile. Of course we had our share of struggles and issues like most bands do, but I miss how we all used to get together twice a week and rehearse the songs over and over again. I've never been so in shape as I was back then, always ready to perform the songs. Sometimes we got a phone call on a Thursday about a gig in another city the next day and we were always ready to go there and play the crap out of ourselves, no need for preparations or anything.
Ah okey, but does the working process look different today or has it changed a lot?
Things are very different today. We are all around our 30's. Some of us are raising families. We are scattered around the country instead of living in the same town. But that's just life, and that's exactly how it should be. Using todays technologies and platforms we have been able to perfect the way we work together. Sometimes I work night shifts and I'm needed elsewhere when free, but here and there is always an hour or two at my own disposal, and this is where it's pure gold to record at home. Instead of booking studio time and bring all my gear there, I just plug my stuff in and get in done instantly. I then upload my tracks onto a mutual cloud space so someone else can continue laying bass or guitar. Even though we live in different cities, I feel that this way of collaborating has brought us all closer to each other.
What is your strongest memory from the time in Omnispawn?
We used to do sound checks with the song “Die”. The looks of the guys at the mixing tables was pretty hilarious, especially when we attended events that didn't usually include metal music.
Do you have any, like, ”your first memory” in the band? What is the first thing you think of from joining Omnispawn?
Haha, the first weeks when I was the new one and tried to get to know the other guys a little bit! We were having like a hangout day at Rickards house. It was winter. I remember someone calling for me to come see something at the computer. I sat down, they said “This is your initiation” and started a 15 minute long video showing nothing but people puking on each other, nails and clothespins clamped onto genitals, a guy putting a glass jar up his ass etc.
You had two releases this year, what are you looking forward to, in 2018?
We are currently putting together songs for a new album that will be produced in 2018 so this will be my personal number one priority. We've also got a new batch of t-shirts on the way. I'm basically looking forward to get things going.
Reaching the end of the interview I would like to ask you what kind of music do you listen to? Any music/bands that inspires you?
I like a lot of stuff and my “frequently played”-playlist is being constantly rearranged depending on what mood I'm in, so it's hard for me to answer that question properly. At the moment there is a lot of Amon Amarth, Belphegor, Cannibal Corpse, Devin Townsend, Lord Belial and Moonsorrow going on.
Feel free to send a message to the readers in order to end the interview.
See you in 2018!
- Daniel Gadd, Drummer