EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BROTHER VON DOOM
Ohio Deathrashers Brother Von Doom are one of our favorite new metal bands on 2008. They have an awesome new album, Relentless, out now on Deathcote (read David Bee Roth’s review here), and an insanely sweet, metal as fuck new David Brodsky-directed video – with knights!!! – for their merciless single, “Eater of Days” (above). So when the opportunity to e-mail the band some questions arose, of course, I jumped at the chance.
After the jump, find out where the name “Brother Von Doom” comes from and get the band’s thoughts on their songwriting process, working with David Brodsky and producer Andreas Magnusson, the worst trends in metal today, and a whole lot more…
First thing’s first: where does the name “Brother Von Doom” come from?
Dylan Tehrani, our number one dude. He helps out a lot with the band. He was playing a ton of Castlevania when he came up with the name.
Do you think some metalheads have an adverse reaction to the name “Brother Von Doom?”
Yes. Some think it’s “gay” I guess.
What do you say to people who think BVD doesn’t take metal seriously?
Well Matt [Thomas, drums] is a grown ass man, so personally he doesn’t give two fucks.
Since you’re a relatively new band, can you tell us a little about your history? How did you form, etc.?
We started in early 2006, went through a few line up changes, weeded out those who weren’t serious and kept the ball rolling. It’s sucks to change members, but if you like the music, who gives a shit who’s in the band? We ain’t icons like Metallica!
What do you think distinguishes Brother Von Doom from other metal bands?
We don’t think of breakdowns musically as a part of metal. People nowadays have a HUGE misinterpretation of what metal is. We try to stand out in the flood of bands, do our own thing and hope people dig it as much as we do.
What’s the writing process like in BVD? Does one member write everything, is it more a jam situation, etc.?
Basically, Tate [Matthews, guitar] smokes a lot of weed. Brian [Baxter, guitar] drinks a lot of Mountain Dew. Then we go to Matt with all of our ideas then he decodes the riffs using his Egyptian code breaking techniques.
Can you tell us a little about working with producer Andreas Magnusson? How did you guys hook up with him? What do you think he brought to the overall picture?
Our label hooked it up with Andreas. He hates metal. So it worked out pretty awesome, haha.
Can you tell us a little about the making of your video for “Eater of Days?” We know it was filmed at Medieval Times, which sounds awesome…
Cold. Hard nipples. Working with David Brodsky was a dream come true. The knights worked their asses off, and it was breathtaking to see the battlefield come to life! It was an experience we will never forget.
If you could tour with any metal band in the world, it would be…
At the fucking Gates. Cannibal fucking Corpse. Arch fucking Enemy.
What, in your opinion, is the worst thing about metal today?
Flat billed hats. Fur-lined coats. It’s really simple. Just like hardcore or punk rock: this is a way of life. Not a passing trend or fad that comes and goes. Once it gets in your blood, it stays in your blood. It consumes your life. You don’t give a fuck about the image or any other bullshit. You can tell a lot these days that some bands’ hearts aren’t in it for the right reason. Lack of passion and individuality is a dead giveaway that a band won’t last.
What does the future hold for BVD?
Nothing, we’re breaking up next week. All of our applications got accepted to Harvard so this band shit isn’t workin’ out son!
-AR
Visit Brother Von Doom on MySpace.
