Interviews: Draemora

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Progressive Death Metal band Daemora from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Terry: When Jared and I had started to play together we had some other members that didn’t end up in the band and we started to try to figure out what we were going to call our band. There were a lot of names that had the word blood in them, hahaha. I think there was, Bloodlust, Bloodborne, Blud, and then a few other weird ones I can’t remember. When Jared and I moved on from that group and set out to find new members I came up with the name Draemora, which is a a sentient race of demon servants to the Dadric lords in the Elder Scrolls stories. Jared, Max, and Myself have spent a large amount of time playing video games so they are major influences on us, especially the lore and the soundtracks to the games. I think it suits our aesthetic pretty well, even though we aren’t singing any songs about Elder Scrolls lore.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Max: It’s been a natural progression for me from trying to emulate Mastodon and grow that into a style that is heavier handed and brutal. It's always been this chase for this feeling to throw down and rock out. 

Terry: We call ourselves Progressive Metal, or Progressive Death Metal because we have to call ourselves something you know. I wrote all of the music on this EP so, since I love bands like, Opeth, Blood Bath, Deftones, Strapping Young Lad, Nevermore and Whitechappel, that’s the type of stuff I can genuinely have fun writing, this band would be a lot different sounding if I jammed out to Vanessa Carlton instead of Hatebreed when I was younger.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Taylor: I had worked on previous projects before with Terry (Odyssian) and Maxwell (Nihilist) and I have shared the stage with Jared's previous band as well. 

Jared: I had played some shows with Terry and Taylor’s former band, Odyssian, while drumming for Jesus Wears Armani 

Terry: Taylor and I were in Odyssian for a long time before this, and I knew Max from our mutual friend who we play music with. I played shows on the same bill with Jared's old band Jesus Wears Armani a few times. 

Max: I had known Taylor prior to anyone else in the band and was briefly in Nihilist with him. Otherwise my introduction with Terry prior to being in the band was short but were friends before getting together to see what Terry had wanted to work on.

4. Each band member favorite band? 

Taylor: Behemoth 

Terry: Deftones has been my favorite band since I was a teenager, I have carried that band around with me through so many good and bad times and they are just inspiring to me because they have always stuck to their guns and were themselves, they are one of the most genuine bands I know of and I love everything they have done, even Gore. Haha.

Jared: Mastodon is one of my favorite bands, they have so many different elements to their albums, and they bring them all together in cool ways and have always been and sounded like ‘Mastodon’ the whole time. 

Max: Personally, it’s always been too difficult to decide whether or not Foo Fighters or Mastodon is the answer to this. For Dreamora’s sake Mastodon is by far the best orchestrated and emotionally charged music I’ve ever experienced. I learn and hear something knew from Crack the Skye every time I go back to it.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

Terry: This particular set of songs all was written reflecting on a very dark time in my life. Its about mental health issues because well, that’s what I was dealing with and had overcome. The follow up to “Awakening” already has a couple demos done and they aren’t about addiction because I’m not dealing with those things right now. I guess my life experiences and what I took away from them is a main source of fuel for songwriting because It just seems like an opportunity to get stuff off my chest, and I’ve been through some crazy shit so I have a deep well to draw from.

6. Where was your last gig? 

Terry: El Corazon, Seattle 

Taylor: El Corazon, Seattle 

Jared: Club SUR, Seattle 

Max: El Corazon, Seattle 

7. Where would you like to act?

Terry: We want to play the Showbox in Seattle!!! Seriously, we want to play where there are great metal fans and killer bands playing. 

Max: Anywhere with good food! But seriously I’d love to finally have an excuse to go east coast and share my music with like-minded people.

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

Terry: I would love to play with Whitechappel, Knocked Loose, Mastodon, really there is too many to list. 

Max: It would amazing to be tour or play with Spiritbox whom has to be my favorite newer band.

9. Whom not?

Terry: We’re pretty open minded, I’m sure we would like to be featured with bands that share a similar fan base but you never know, maybe we will play with Ty Dolla $ign. Haha.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that? 

Max: Of course! It is going to happen. Just take it head on like everything else in metal. You came to rock and have a good time and if you’re doing that then the rest will work itself out. 

Jared: I had done music in Middle/High School so by the time I was playing in bands I had gotten accustom to performing on stage. My tip would be to get very familiar and comfortable with your part so you can have a good time and confidently perform for your audience.

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

Terry: Without a doubt Deftones has been a huge inspiration to me but, if I was to name a few, Messhuggah has always just gotten heavier and heavier as they got older and that is how I feel like I am, haha! Hatebreed is another band that I have always loved, they have just always stuck to their guns and made great sounding albums, I guess its bands that don’t crumble under the pressure of record labels and the general public to change their sound to sell records and just kept it 100. 

Max: For sure Foo Fighters and Mastodon early on in life. Recently Spiritbox and Monuments always get me to pick up my guitar and work on getting that right hand of doom worked out.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for? 

Taylor: I once had a fan ask me to talk to security and help him get back into a show, he got kicked out of for being too drunk. I tried but of course couldn't do anything but feel bad for the guy.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Terry: Our fan club is called the “Legion of Scum”, which you can take how you want. We felt that to the upper class of society WE are scum and that we need to band together and stop letting our small differences separate us or we are going to keep getting treated like scum. I think that anyone who loves this band has a connection to us and we would like to invite anyone who feels connected to this Legion to spread the word, lets grow this family! We are brand new to the scene but we have had some really enthusiastic interactions with new fans, I can really tell with this particular band that we have done something that really is really grabbing people's attention and we are really excited to grow this thing.  

14. What do you think of our site?

Terry: I love it! You guys are making an awesome place for people to discover awesome bands and I think that’s killer!

15. Something add?

Max: We are in the thick of quarantine just like everyone of you and we can’t wait to blow the roof off our first show right out the gates.