10 Quick Ones with LUKAS KERK of DAWN OF DISEASE – August 2017

According to a recent press release: “After trying times of line up changes they finally found their final form in 2009. Since then, they’ve released the monstrous records “Legends Of Brutality” and “Crypts Of The Unrotten” and most recently, they set a new standard for the expanding Swedish Death Metal scene with “Worship The Grave”. But they won’t boil up half-baked vintage sentiments. This is the new era of modern Death Metal. Their output proves them right: just one year after their last epos “Ascension Gate” appears – their fourth hail of bombs full of volatile riff power. ” We get guitarist Lukas Kerk to answer our 10 Quick Ones about new music, his influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our album is full of melodies and hook lines of which some are rather subliminal. So everyone who wants to get a bit “deeper” into our music should give it a listen at least more than two or three times. It also always depends on the own musical preferences: people who are more into blast beats might be surprised by the melodies and vice versa. All in all the album is very multifaceted and I thinks it’s hard to get into it by only listening to it a few times.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I was mainly brought in contact with music by my father. He is also playing guitar and in my early childhood it was already clear for me that I want to play guitar, too. Also the huge stereo system of him always impressed me and by this I got the chance to listen to music like AC/DC, Gary Moore or Pink Floyd at a time when I was very young. At the age of about 12 I finally got in contact with some “harder” bands and finally with Death Metal. Although I am a huge fan of many kinds of music, Death Metal is still my favourite, haha.

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

A question like this is always hard to answer. There are always different bands, musicians and albums that can be called an influence. Putting it chronologically (from first to last contact) I would say that Metallica, Hypocrisy, Bloodbath, Vomitory and Insomnium had and still have a huge influence on me.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

I think this would be Peter Tägtgren. He is such a great and versatile musician and I would just say “Hey, let’s do a song without focusing on any genre boundaries”. I am really interested in how this song would sound like.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

The music of Dawn of Disease is a catchy mixture of melody and brutality. It is full of epic and monumental elements and our songs are able to sound melancholic and bludgeoning at the same time. If you listen to a Dawn of Disease album you can aspect diversified Melodic Death Metal that will surely make you bang your head!!!

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Being a musician offers a lot of opportunities. Having the chance to see so many places, meet so many people and get nice food and drinks in the venues is a real privilege that I do really appreciate. And of course it is always a great feeling to get positive feedback from the fans and have some drinks with them after the show.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I guess Olli (our second guitarist) is the one being responsible for the barbecue and Christian (our bass player) always brings some beers. Actually we are not that much into acoustic guitar songs but when we sit together we listen to some music, often some good old school stuff, haha.

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

Actually I am not a job-related musician; for me it is more like a full-time hobby. At the moment I am at the end of my studies and I will be have my Master of Arts in Archaeology soon. I think with this I already found my dream job.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?

Although it is more than a single moment or a situation I am still a bit sad that there was so less activity of us between 2013 and the end of 2015. Originally we planned to release a new album earlier than 2016 but there were different factors (jobs, lineup problems etc.) preventing this. But right now I have the feeling that this forced break made us even stronger than before and since the release of “Worship The Grave” we are ready to strike again!

10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Maybe it sounds a bit weird but If I could magically go back in time I’d love to be a part of Turbonegro’s Apocalypse Dudes! For me this a a real cool album that never gets boring and definitely marks the peak of their musical creation. When listening to it you feel the strong urge to hang out with your friends and have some beers. For me it is a typical “all killers no fillers” album!

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Category: Interviews