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1. Can you give us a brief intro to the band?
The band formed in 2005 under the Nemesis. We all
met through school really, in the small town of Enniskillen
in Northern Ireland. In 2007 we changed our name to
Darkest Era, and our current line-up is: Krum - vocals,
Sarah - guitar, Ade - guitar, David - Bass, Lisa - Drums.
We play epic, melancholic, Celtic heavy metal!
2. Musically, what would you say your main influences
are?
There are lot of individual influences within the band,
a lot of different music and art that inspires us but
the influences that we share are probably Iron Maiden,
Thin Lizzy, Viking era Bathory, NWOBHM, US bands such
as Warlord and Omen, and traditional Irish folk music.
3. Tell us about your upcoming/present album/demo
releases?
Our debut album "The Last Caress Of Light"
has just been released worldwide by Metal Blade Records.
It's almost an hours worth of dark, epic, melancholic
Celtic metal. It features traditional metal power laden
with sweeping folk melodies and a dark emotional undercurrent.
It follows on from our Oaks Sessions promo which was
released in March 2010, limited to 250 digi-packs. Aside
from this we released "The Journey Through Damnation"
EP on the Eyes Like Snow label in 2008, and before this
we released as self titled demo as Nemesis after the
first year of our existence.
4.
What are your upcoming tour plans?
We have a launch show planned in Belfast, a festival
in Limerick and a few other one off shows. Our main
goal though is to tour Europe and the UK extensively
this Autumn and Winter. All we want to do right now
is play this album live, because where the songs are
at their most powerful. We're finalising some plans
right now but you will see us somewhere on the road
this Autumn for sure.
5. Where is your favorite city to gig, both in terms
of playing and visiting?
I think the best show we have played has been in Athens,
we got a great reaction playing there, the venue was
packed and the buzz was electric. We also met so many
great people and had a fantastic time in the city, so
it'd probably be up there. Irish shows are also important
for us as well.
6. If you could go out on tour with any band, who
would it be?
It would have to be Iron Maiden I think, just so we
could watch them for free every night for weeks on end!
And play in front of massive crowds, obviously! I'd
love to tour with Slough Feg actually but they don't
seem to play Europe so much. I'm a big fan of that band,
we actually cover one of their songs occasionally.
7. Have you ever suffered an onstage/tour related injury?
Not an injury really, but myself and DJ have both fallen
on our asses during gigs before, in fact it was during
the same show! Ade's Top Rock Tip: When putting foot
on monitor for rock pose points, ensure monitor isn't
balancing on the edge of the stage!
8. What's the funniest thing that's ever happened
to you on tour?
DJ getting mugged in Germany was… well, terrifying
for him but funny to the rest of us. Not funny because
he got mugged, but funny because it was the cherry on
top of a big shit pie that we had encountered in trying
to get to the gig. We got stranded in the industrial
district of Wurzburg with no way of getting anywhere,
no taxis or anything. The only place that was open within
about 3 miles was a dodgy brothel on a hill. It was
funny, but also pretty stressful!!
9. What are the best / worst things about being in
a band?
The best thing about being in a band is playing and
writing music really, that's the reason we do it. I
mean the social aspect is great as well, travelling
around, meeting new people, hanging out with old and
new friends. We live for the time we're on stage though,
really. The worst thing is probably the financial difficulties
most bands encounter. It costs us so much money just
to buy the CD's and t-shirts we sell at gigs. It's an
uphill struggle. No-one expects to earn a living or
be driven around in limos, but being in a band, even
those metal bands that become well known globally, can
be nothing more than a very expensive hobby. It's for
the love of the art that you do it, really.
10. What's your personal poison of choice?
Red wine, Belgian beers and quality Irish whiskey! Though
not all simultaneously. That's bad.
11. Which band / album do you love but know you shouldn't?
Well I'm not ashamed of any of my musical taste, and
I like some dodgy stuff I have to say. But probably
that absolute dodgiest is from when I was very young
- Psyche by PJ and Duncan. Most people won't have a
clue what that is.
12. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a wood
chuck could chuck wood?
The quantity of wood chucked is increases exponentially
with the efficiency and propensity of the woodchuck
to chuck wood.
13.
Any last words?
Heavy Metal forever! Buy our album, join our Facebook,
come see us live, listen to Slough Feg.
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