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A Dirty Dozen with ADE MULGREW from DARKEST ERA – September 2022

| 22 September 2022 | Reply

According to a recent press release: “Irish dark metallers Darkest Era have released their contemplative new single “Tithonus,” inspired by a poem of the same name by Tennyson. Eight years have passed since Darkest Era’s last album, 2014’s Severance. In that time, the Northern Irish-centred band have undergone personal and personnel changes, while the world itself has entered its own new dark era.  Now, they return with third album Wither On The Vine.” We get guitarist Ade 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?

The album is 8 songs of dark metal, with flavours of black/doom/heavy metal. Its themes are a dark reflection of the world as we see it. I guess there are a lot of layers and details on certain songs that maybe aren’t apparent on the first listen. There are tracks with 5 part vocal harmonies, organs, layered acoustic guitars for example. There’s lots to rediscover on multiple listens.

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

Music was all around me growing up, from the country and folk music my grandparents listened to, through to discovering stuff like Michael Jackson and Queen, and eventually to heavy metal. I think when I started to get into Guns n Roses and Iron Maiden, and began to idolise guitar heroes, I knew I wanted to try it for myself.

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

Some older kids on the school bus gave me a copy of Appetite for Destruction and that was a great gateway record as it seemed kind of dangerous and rebellious, everything rock n roll should be. After that the Iron Maiden Rock in Rio DVD was hugely influential, I watched that so many times and for me it’s up there with any live performance ever.

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

Lisa Gerard would be amazing to do a song with. I’ve been a huge Dead Can Dance fan for years, I can imagine her voice sounding great somewhere on a metal album.

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

Play retro video games from the mid 90s, read books, spend time in the countryside.

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?

Dark Metal. Melodic, emotionally charged hymns of doom. We got compared to Finntroll once which was quite unpleasant.

AMA0021021_002, 14/10/2021, 14:53, 16C, 10004×9897 (189+4253), 133%, Custom, 1/50 s, R48.6, G21.4, B32.6

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?

If there is a guitar lying around usually Sarah will be having a play on it as she’s an excellent acoustic player. Normally I’ll be doing the cooking…and the drinking.

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

We walked past Nicko McBrain once while he was eating lunch in a restaurant in Gothenburg. He had a big smile and a wave for us, which was lovely.

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?

I’m barely a musician as it is, more like a die hard metal fan who got ideas above his station haha. If I could be a musician full time that would probably be my dream job. Or, possibly, working in a shoe shop. I could probably do that. What are the hours?

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?

I’m not sure about wanting to be asked a particular question, but definitely the old ‘Tell us how the band started’ is one of the worst to be asked.

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?

There is one soul crushing tour in particular I would probably go back in time and just not do. I could spend the week doing something much more productive. Like rearranging my sock drawer.

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 love to sit in on the sessions for Painkiller, just to watch Tipton and Downing nail those solos. It was a band at the absolute top of their game and kind of a line in the sand for classic heavy metal really.

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Category: Interviews

About the Author ()

ToddStar - that's me... just a rocking accountant who had dreams of being a rock star. I get to do the next best thing to rocking the globe - I get to take pictures of the lucky ones that do. I love to shoot all genres of music and different types of performers. If it is related to music, I love to photograph it. I get to shoot and hang with not only some of my friends and idols, but some of the coolest people around today.

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