A Dirty Dozen with ORLANDO DRAVEN from ZEISTENCROIX – August 2022

According to a recent press release: “Zeistencroix is a trio of metal renegades who merge together genres of alternative, rock, grunge, jazz, and, of course, metal. Orlando Draven (OD), lead vocalist and songwriter, has been singing since childhood and began leaning into his signature throat singing at 16 years old. Santi Rivillas takes control of drums and every visual aspect of the band, being an Art Director and graphic designer in his own right, and Akopan, (AKO), is on guitar enthralling fans with his showmanship during each and every performance. Cruxi-Fixion  is being recorded and mixed at Stygian Sound with Alex Crescioni and Tim Palmer, to be released via Pavement Entertainment, with whom the band recently signed.” We get vocalist OD to discuss new music, 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 you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

First and foremost thanks for the chance to let me talk about the album! I would say maybe a couple of 1984 references, a little Grimm brothers reference or influence in the topics of the songs.

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

I would say my mom, she thought me how to play when I was 6 and then she kind of put me into a small tour around my building, neighborhood, and church having me play in front of people at parties and events, then I took it as a life path on my teenage years.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Queen, that was the band that got me into rock and music overall, they were the ones that I looked up to every time when I was a kid, then it was Guns and Roses and Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar, with that I then discovered Depeche Mode and Bowie and that settled it for me.

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

Too many to be honest, I would call (if I could) Martin Gore, David Bowie, and Trent Reznor, because they’re master minds when it comes to songwriting and music.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

My entire life revolves around music but lately I’ve been enjoying hitting the gym a lot.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Even to me that’s a hard one… I would say it’s music, it’s heavy, it’s melodic and melancholic, it’s groove oriented, it’s rock, it’s metal, it’s electronic, a little bit progressive and experimental, we say it’s post-industrial but it’s really up to the person that listens to it.  They’ve called us everything under the sun, but I don’t agree or disagree with any of it because it always going to mean something different to each person and I rather leave it be, cause in the end you don’t control other people’s perceptions and that’s good.

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

AKO is the cook, Santi would get the drinks in, and I sit and watch lol, but I would be the one with acoustic guitar if so.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I’ve met a lot of people in my life (fortunately) and maybe I’m not really that kind of person that gets starstruck, but the closest would be the time that I met Denise Richards in Malibu.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part it’s always when we play and when I write, if that was the case, I think I would be a criminal, I think I would rob banks or be a Hacker there’s also a real chance that I could be a serial killer who knows. I know I wouldn’t sell drugs that’s boring, it should be something that you’re absolutely sure that when the catch you they’ll kill you.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

That’d would be do I use any vocal effects on my voice? The answer is no I do throat singing, modulated and sang by my natural voice, same as the cleans and the screams. So far none I like doing interviews to be honest.

11. 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,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Some agreements that I signed in the past.

12. 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?

I would have love to be in A Night At The Opera specifically on the “Bohemian Rhapsody” recording sessions, the Downward Spiral album recording, Songs of Faith and Devotion, and Antichrist Superstar. All those albums I think defined my youth one way or the other, so I always go back to those from time to time.

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Category: Interviews