One of the most accomplished progressive metal/ djent bands are going to play tomorrow, December 30th, at Kyttaro Live. Tardive Dyskinesia released their 4th explosive ‘Harmonic Confusion’ just a few months ago and as you rightly guessed are going to present it live. So, you don’t wanna miss this one. Make sure you book your ticket early and enjoy this great band at its best…This interview is to get to know them better, and they were kind enough to provide us some cool answers, despite the restricted time
How did your most recent live shows in Trikala & Kalamata go? Did you enjoy them?
It was a great beginning for ‘Harmonic Confusion‘ tour. We played also in Volos and now we are ready for our BIG show at Kyttaro tomorrow. More dates will follow soon…
On 30th December you are playing at Kyttaro Live, along with Still Falling and Insect Radio, presenting your latest ‘Harmonic Confusion’. Should the audience expect any surprises?
Surprises… Not really. We will perform ‘Harmonic Confusion‘ almost in its entirety for the first time in Athens, among with other songs from our entire discography. We are in Party mode as the end of 2016 is near and we will try our best to have a crazy night.
Have to congratulate you on your 4th album, which probably is the most accomplished one! At least to my ears. But, what about you? In what way do you think that the band has progressed since your excellent debut ‘Distorting Point Of View’?
Well… It’s an album that you won’t be able to catch its vibe after listening to it just once. You need to listen to it quite a more than once you dive into the music. And that is precisely the way we like to listen to records. Each time you listen to it, you will be discovering something new. Basically, it’s a progressive rock metal album without any nonsense, emphasizing on song writing. Loaded with lots of emotions and feelings. Probably the most “mature” record we’ve done so far.
As far as I know, you don’t like “tagging” your music, but you are among the most astonishing progressive/ djent acts worldwide, having played with titans of the genre, like Meshuggah, Cynic & The Ocean in important Festivals. Back to your early days, were you ready for such an exposure? How has “stardom” affected (in any way) your personal relationships (bonds if you prefer). Please discuss…
Well.. We started this band just to play the music that we love. It’s a big part in our lives despite it not being a full time job, we put in a lot of hours on a daily basis in order to achieve our goals. Back then, we never imagined that one day we’ll play at these festivals and with so many great bands… but it happened. For me, we still have a long way…
Cannot get over the cataclysmic ‘Self Destructive Haze’! What’s the story behind this one then?
You can say that this song follows the early days of Tardive and blends some new elements according to the band’s progress all this years. The most – in your face / Meshuggah song of the album. We love it.
Taking a look at the credits of the album, I noticed that the mastering of ‘Harmonic Confusion’ was undertaken by great Jens Bogren! So a double question: Firstly, how did this cooperation come about? Is Jens a fan of your art? And secondly, are you satisfied so far with your label Playfalse Records?
First of all we are a fan of Jens work. We came in contact with him and he accepted to do it. That’s all. It is worth noting that Steve Lado (Guitar) did an amazing engineering & mixing Job.
About Playfalse Records now… Alex Samaras (the owner) is a good friend of us. We worked upon the album release together… and yes, we are very satisfied with that.
You are all skilled, technical players. Do you believe that technique and playing skills can sometimes ruin the “emotional factor”, like this happens in many technical death metal bands. Articulate, skilled playing, but without any serious content. How do you always manage not falling into this trap?
We always try to write songs and not to prove how complex and fast we can play. I believe it’s much more difficult to create something simple and unique than trying always to push the limits of technicality. We follow that from the beginning.
Are you planning any extensive tour abroad, promoting your album for 2017?
Our plan for the next couple of months is to promote ‘Harmonic Confusion’, playing as many gigs as possible and by touring when given the chance to. We are prepared to sweat our asses off and do what is best. Meanwhile, we are in the process of making a few more videos to boost the record.
A message for lastdaydeaf.com readers by Tardive Dyskinesia…
Listen to ‘Harmonic Confusion‘ and may be your last day deaf. Happy new year everyone!
Christos Doukakis