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1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Hello everyone, Ozan Erkmen here (All Vocals)!
After the recordings were completed, we looked for a label for a while and agreed with Base Record Production. The album will be released in September. We have been working hard on PR work lately. Exciting process. Besides we are in touch for possible concerts after the summer season.
2.In September you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
The new album has more catchy riffs than the first album. Orchestration is like the trademark of our music, we worked on it in more detail on the new album. We simplified the chaotic structure in the first album a bit, I can say that the orchestration is at a more digestible level. There are parts that can be accompanied more in vocals. I am sure that the fans will join us in the performance of these parts at the concerts. Lastly, there are very nice guitar and violin solo performances. Apart from that, I am sure that those who listen to the album will find details that surprise them every time.
3.From2005 to 2019 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
There was a member changing problem that we couldn't avoid until 2005. At that time, we were working on the compositions of the first album, and each member change prolonged this process, carried the songs to a point that was very different from where we started and actually did not satisfy us. After the accumulation of different minor problems besides this main problem, the band split up. During that time, I moved to Germany, each band member continued his life in different ways. After a long time, we got in touch with our composer Ozan Tunc (We have the same names:) at the beginning of 2019, we talked a while about the past, after that we encouraged each other and finally we started to produce new songs again.
4.A lot of your lyrics cover Central Asian Mythology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
Central Asia is the region where Turks stepped into the world history scene. The first documented Turkish presence is in Central Asia. There are many known historical details such as the Great Hun Empire, Attila's invasion of Europe. There is an age between me and Ozan, our education started and ended in the same period. We have already learned Central Asian Turkish history at school, a subject that is not foreign to us. Although the religious form of the Central Asian Turks seems very simple, in fact, when you dig deeper, you find many exciting details. In addition to having similarities with the most known Greek and Scandinavian Mythological and religious forms, there are also unique sections. It has a fantastic form and I can say that it is an untouched area in the Metal music scene. As I know the Black and Folk Metal bands that write lyrics on this theme, such as Gökböri, Yaşaru, Yabgu. Apart from these bands, there is no other Metal band that comes to my mind, if there is, I haven't heard it. It is probably easier to continue with familiar lyrical themes. It is definitely not easy to produce Metal Music on this theme. And we're glad we made it
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Diabolical Raw'>?
When the band was formed it was called "Diabolical" and after we started writing songs again, we found that the resulting songs were completely different from what the band produced in 2005. We thought it would be unreasonable to claim that the band that produced music again after 12 years was the same band. On the other side, the past of the band dates back to 1998, which is also a fact. We didn't want to break away from the band's past, and also we wanted to emphasize a new beginning. Another reason is that there are many bands called "Diabolical". Thus, we have prevented the problems that may arise from the band name confusion.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Before I started writing the lyrics for the new album, I wanted to write a short Story entirely of our own and to have the lyrics come out of this Story. And so a unique concept was born. Artwork creator Mukadder Karaoglan (Muko) listened to all the songs and read this short Story. And before she started painting the Artwork, she chose the final battle part of the story. She created the main character Kaygun, her fierce enemy Erlik, the last battle and the battlefield in perfect harmony.
7.Currently there are only 2 members in the band but you have had a full line up in the past, are you open to expanding your line up again in the future or do you chose to remain a duo?
We will continue to be a duo because we are both very perfectionist people and working with us could be hard time to time. We are not hesitate to criticize each other harshly. And we work on songs in detail for a long time. If someone wants to work with us who can both put up with us and keep up with our discipline, we are open to it :) But for now, we are happy to continue on the road as duo. We also know musicians for gigs, it is not a problem for us to take the stage, everything is fine as it stands.
8.Had the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
We both live in separate countries; but this does not prevent us for play. After the first album came out, as you know, the Pandemic started and many concert possibilities have already disappeared. The new album will be released soon and we are very excited for it. After the summer season, we want to play as many shows as possible both in Turkey and in Europe.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of symphonic black and death metal?
Everyone we could reach loved our music, But it is a fact that we couldn't reach as many people as we want. After the release of the first album, we were weak in PR. That's why we're working hard on PR for the second album. We get professional help from Grand Sounds Promotion and they are very good at it. As I said, the fans we reached liked it very much, as a cliché many guys said that our music sounds like Septicflesh or Dimmu Borgir, but it definitely does not bother us. We have not heard anything negative about the sound, which makes us very happy.
10.What is going on with the other bands these days that both of the band members are a part of?
Other projects that I am currently involved in are not active. We are still working on the songs with the Death Metal band Human Harvest, which Ozan and I are in, but the recording process has not started. Ozan's own project Amras Numenesse is active and will even take the stage in Istanbul on August 24.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I don't think that our way of writing songs will go through a big change, but we are open to new stuffs and we like to blend new elements with our music without breaking the balans. Guitars may be more intense in the third album. A little spoiler:)
12.EWhat are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The bands that have influenced our music are definitely Septicflesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse. As for our personal playlists, we're not obsessed with a few styles. We listen to almost all of the metal music genres except for a few. But Black and Death Metal come first for both of us. Bands such as Emperor, Marduk, Nile, Suffocation have deeply influenced me. Of course, I listen to many more bands than I can count right now. These are just the first names that come to mind. Apart from that, I've been listening to ethnic music, classical music and Hard Rock classics lately.
Ozan is also a big fan of bands like Emperor, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Devourment, Deeds of Flesh. Apart from that, he loves to listen to classical baroque music.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
The questions were very good, thank you very much for your time. Thank you in advance to everyone who will read this interview. Be sure to listen to the album, it will be worth your time. Open your mind to Symphonic Extreme Metal madness.
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