DEAD BY WEDNESDAY – ARTIST SPOTLIGHT AND INTERVIEW
Dead By Wednesday is a hard hitting foursome from New Haven, Ct. who have just dropped their new album entitled Capital Conspiracy. The band has gone through a few changes in the past years but the current line-up is fierce and ready to take over the world. Dead By Wednesday is comprised of Christian “Opus” Lawrence.(Drums), David Sharpe (Guitar), Esteban Alvarez (Vocals) and Michael Modeste (Bass). The band’s sound is muscular yet still approachable for fans of all genres.
Capital Conspiracy is a ruthless release that encompasses ten tenacious tracks that shatter the very fabric of today’s music. Alvarez’s vocals, both clean and dirty, are monstrous and full of propulsive energy. Sharpe’s guitar delivers ferocious licks and heavy riffs. Modeste’s bass is crushing while Lawrence’s percussions are sonically intense.
Just listen to the opening song, “Invincible”. The tune has a driving brazenness that creates a supersized aural avalanche. “Here Comes the Dead” is another killer track. The edgy cadence is imposing with an exploding blast of pulverizing stamina. “S.O.S’ with its spanish intro and “Antakarna” with its middle eastern flavor showcases the incredible diversity of Dead By Wednesday.
Christian “Opus” and David give AMP this enticing interview. There even is a cameo by Esteban.
AMP: Give the AMP readers a brief history of the band?
OPUS: My previous band, G-Soul, was a major player in the 90’s but I always wanted to tackle something a bit more heavier. I always liked thrash and punk music. I then started a side project with Mike Modete. Nothing official. We were just having fun. Mostly playing what we called “Punk Thrash” It eventually developed into something real.
The band officially started in 2006. Our first release was Democracy Is Dead which came out in 2007 on Jamey Jasta’s (from Hatebreed) label, Stillborn Records. Right out of the box it sold well. Probably 3,000 units which was great for an indie release at the time. In 2008 we released The Killing Project on Chris Poland’s Eclipse Records. 2011 brought The Last Parade on my cousin Ceschi Ramos’ label, Fake Four Inc.
Our next album was Darkest of Angels. We had all the music for the record but we lost our singer. So we turned a negative into a positive and decided to bring in a series of guest vocalists which was uncommon at the time. We had the like of John Arch (Fates Warning), Rob Dukes (Generation Kill) and Eric A K (Flotsam and Jetsam). They were all personal friends of ours. The industry sell was difficult since the album theme was about addiction but David Ellefson from Megadeth understood our vision.
So, we eventually signed to Ellefson’s label, EMP Label Group. The release did well but when our next record came out, the self titled Dead By Wednesday, we got bumped up to Combat Record which became affiliated with EMP. We got lost in the shuffle. It was like being the small fish in the big pond. There was too much going on at the label.
Dave joined DBW about five years ago. We were playing in Ellefson’s band together. Our sound slowly morphed from a sloppy punk mess into something that’s tight and heavy. Thanks to Dave, our music has evolved. We now own heavier riffs and stronger songs. Our newest release, Capital Conspiracy, is probably our best produced project and contains the best songwriting yet. It’s heavy but it still has a melodic feel to it with tenacious hooks and choruses.
So much for a brief history, LOL.
AMP: How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?
DAVE: Take the vibe of the heyday of metal and add the aesthetics of today’s music scene, then mix it up. We try to recreate the sound of the good old days of arena rock but continue to keep it current. We love all the new shit coming out now like Falling In Reverse but we pay homage to Van Halen, Black Sabbath and all our metal forefathers. Our music transcends age. We have seven year olds in the pit with the fifty seven year olds. It’s about taking the best of every genre and every decade and giving it a modern twist.
OPUS: Being a four piece where each member is able to sing brings a simplicity to our sound. I want to stress the fact that we do more with less. It’s real music for real people. We do have a sampler pad but we control it and don’t rely on it. We are many styles of music. DBW incorporates thrash, punk, hip hop and classical but realistically we remain a heavy metal band at heart.
AMP: Your new album, Capital Conspiracy, is killer. Do you feel it’s an evolution in style from your previous material?
DAVE: I’ve been in the band for five years and I see the progression just because we are all effected by the world around us. We have grown in the last few years. Society has changed and we have become parents yet we keep our youthful demeanor. That gets reflected in our music. It all gets put into our tracks.
OPUS: Again, I give Dave a lot of credit. He brings a lot of new great riffs to the table. As far as evolving, our production has gotten much better. Dave has pushed me to be more aware of our sound in the studio. Also, Estaban is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet but he has issues and he takes them out in his lyrics and live performances. He’s a combat veteran and seen some major shit. That has created a world of angst in him. He put all that anger into the new album. That’s why the record sounds so real.
AMP: What are some of the underling themes embedded in the new record?
DAVE: Unfortunately, social dichord, rampant racism, political unrest and mental health are a few of the topics we try to tackle. People are more concerned with the media than living their own lives. We are all living in these current state of affairs and that gets translated into our music. Esteban writes most of our lyrics and these are some of the topics important to him and us.
AMP: Continuing on this topic, Do you feel it’s important for bands to have a principled and social conscience ala Rage or Fever 333?
OPUS: I believe as long as you are not pushing it down people’s throats outside of music, you should be able to write whatever you want. So many bands such as Metallica, Megadeath and Sabbath have done just that. They place pollical views in their songs but didn’t discuss it beyond that. I think bands should have a moral conscience. It all depends on what you perceive as your purpose. Steel Panther is all about the fun and I don’t see them taking social stances but Rage makes it their purpose to deal with society’s ills. I believe people should make up their own minds.
DAVE: We are more about awareness than pushing an agenda. As a band, we represent diversity being hispanic, black and white. At shows we shake everyone’s hand. We may not agree with your political or social stance but that’s your problem. We graciously agree to disagree.
AMP: What is it about music that makes it so passionate for you?
DAVE: It changes my mood. We all have full time jobs and responsibilities. When we are together as a group be it in the studio, rehearsing or performing live, the energy is full blast. I call it the “electric ritual”. Even though we may sound angry or aggressive, we are emitting positive vibes. That’s my escape. I use music as my meditation outlet. It heals my soul!
OPUS: It’s funny I never heard that expression before I met Dave and now it makes perfect sense to me. I totally understand when he says music is real life magic. You have nothing and, poof, out comes a song..That’s true magic. Something from nothing!
AMP: Being from the New England area, do you see an improvement in the local music scene?
OPUS: I haven’t seen a change. I feel it’s always been the same. A lot of sincere and cool people who are willing to network and a bunch of people who will smile to your face as they stab you in the back. Those people are only out for themselves. So, to me, not much is different. You still have a bunch of dicks and thankfully, enough genuine folks to work with.
I talk like this because I can. We are a truly open band. We don’t care about the bullshit. DBW is on a mission to constantly forge ahead! I personally love the Ct. music scene. There are so many underrated bands throughout the New England area. You just have to weed out the “clique of dicks”.
AMP: What keeps the band musically focused?
DAVE: I’m the type of person who’s always thinking one step ahead. We just put out an album and I’m already contemplating “what’s next”. I enjoy the present but I’m totally tortured by the future. I have this constant need to produce. The entire band is like that. DBW is extremely driven to constantly create something new and fresh.
AMP: What are the best and worst aspects of touring?
OPUS: I can tell all the worse parts. That’s easy!
Dave: It’s great when you get to a venue and everything works well. You happen upon that perfect sound that creates an amazing vibe. The promoter is cool and crowd is psyched. You can’t beat that feeling. Then there are those instances where you’ve driven twelve hours and the club is clearly subpar. Road life has its ups and downs. Being in a car for an extended period of time with four smelly dudes isn’t my cup of tea. But it’s all worth it to connect with our incredible followers.
OPUS: Sleeping is tough cause in order to save money many times you sleep uncomfortably in a double. Occasionally you luck out and the promoter takes care of you and you’re in your own room at the Hilton. Luckingly, since we have been doing this for a long time, we have some awesome fans and know some incredible promoters who treat us extremely well. The truly worst part of being on the road is missing your family.
AMP: If you could open for any artist past or present, who would it be and why?
OPUS: Pantera for me because of our style of playing. We would really go over well with their fans. Also, I play in a Black Sabbath tribute band called Earth. So I would love to play with Ozzy. He’s the god of heavy metal.
Dave: I concur with Opus. I can relate to Dimebag. We came up around the same time and share mutual influences. Pantera would be a perfect fit.
AMP: What’s next for the band?
OPUS: Right now we have a new album out and a new video to promote. We are pushing this release like a mofo. We have a bunch of videos we are going to drop. There will be a ton of content, There’s a big festival called Wasteland Weekend we will be performing at in the end of Sept. that has a Mad Max kind of feel. We are scheduling several smaller midwest and southern dates. Also, we are hooking up a European tour for next year. Dead By Wednesday is taking the bull by the horn. No laying up for us. It’s always full speed ahead.
AMP was able to get a bonus question. Since Esteban wasn’t present Opus gave him a call and even though he may not have been in the perfect place for an interview, he answered one last important question for us.
AMP: How difficult is it to transfer your vocals from dirty to clean and vice versa?
Esteban: It’s actually not that difficult. The only time I have a hard time is when I’m jumping around the stage. I can get out of breath. I try to write my lyrics knowing that I’m going to need some breathing room when I transfer to clean vocals or vice versa. It used to difficult but with with lessons, training and experience it’s gotten much easier.
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