Demon Lung
A Dracula
Candlelight Records
Interview with Shanda Frederick by hutch
Shanda Fredrick - vocals
Phil Burns - guitar
Brent Lynch - guitar
Jason Lamb - bass
Jeremy Brenton - drums
Produced by Billy Anderson
“It was one hundred percent intentional to go much heavier
this time,” Shanda Frederick replies to my question, asking the obvious.
A Dracula is a low-tuned, full-sounding
doom concept album. Demon Lung exhaled on hell of an album with
The Hundredth Name in 2013.
A Dracula is a masterful doom album
released from a gestation of maturity and focus. “Our first album,” continues
Frederick, “we didn’t know how to achieve that. “We were intense this time.”
The relationship spawned from producer, Billy Anderson, and
the band sharpened the intent and attention of all involved. Anderson’s steeped
experience was a guiding light. “This time during writing process, I talked to
Billy. We have a friendly relationship. He knew what we wanted to achieve. He
was aware of us emotionally. He gave us this epic sound.”
The sound is epic. Thick, sludgy riffs steeped in horrific
atmosphere are the product of all elements syncing during four months of
writing. Frederick reports while writing, hanging appropriate paintings and
playing old horror films in the background. Of course, Demon Lung also used
great metal narratives to guide their mentality. “We listened to other bands to
set the mood. King Diamond. The way he
will stretch a whole story for an album is inspiring. Iron Maiden. They do a
lot of concept songs about history.”
The direct inspiration for A Dracula is Alucarda by
Mexican horror director, Juan Lopez Moctezuma, in 1977. Frederick explains the
process. “We come up with a story. We discuss scenes and emotions. Then they
start writing riffs. They record video their hands writing the riffs. We compile
themes, what lyrics fit with what song. The film was a starting point but we
adapted the story from fit to our ‘end of the world’ agenda and changed some
characters.”
Shanda Frederick examines another inspiration as we discuss
the harder sound and her vocals approach. “Candlemass. I use them vocally. I
like their approach. I get the comment that I sound like a man.” That comment
does not insult or bother her. “I prefer that. It feels natural.” Frederick
grew up with her dad. Her father’s friends, older men, represented the bulk of
her human interaction. She worked at her dad’s office, a construction business,
where she dealt with even more men. She elaborates, “My first band had a forty
year old guitarist. I am comfortable around older men. There is no sexual
pressure. They can see me as an individual.”
Female fronted bands, especially in doom metal and psych or
stoner rock, are common now. There becomes a thin line of being respected and
being an object of desire. For the female, it can be a double-edged sword. “The
situation can be a hard time for fans, not relating to a female perspective. I
convey deep emotions. I definitely struggle with double-edged sword. I want not
to be treated as one of the guys, but receive the same level of respect.”
Frederick notes that her band and her audience are thankfully
constructed of different types, though. Well, and she consciously does not
portray the sex object. “I am fortunate with my guys. I don’t put out that sexual
vibe. So, I don’t reap that attitude. I wear long dresses. I cover my boobs. I
am feminine, not sexual. People treat me delicately.” That has its downside as
well, back to the double-edged sword. “People assume I can sing, like my skills
aren’t valued. They think, ‘you are a woman, of course you can sing. They say
it as if I didn’t work hard to achieve this talent. But, that is how it is in
the world today.”
Frederick relays the opposite impression. She notes that she
always could sing. Her mother pushed her with musical theatre and chorus. After
multiple karaoke sessions in her late teens, her friends pushed her to sing. “I
was horrible live. It took a year and a half to be comfortable in front of
people. I was twenty-one. It was a hard process.” That fortitude is ingrained
in her constitution, though. “I just go out and do something until I can do it.
I am not afraid of failing. Everything is a learning process.”
That process of working through an endeavor and accepting
that time is needed to hone the product is portrayed in this album. A Dracula is a sculpted script. Each
track, expertly improved and molded by Billy Anderson and the band, represents
a plot point in the arc of Alucarda and her love, Justine. They triumph and are
resurrected to reign in Hell and demolish the Earth’s inhabitants. A dark,
frightening atmosphere champions this cinematic album. Prepare for the wrath.
The stripped production constructs a feeling of a menacing,
large room. The instruments rain noise and tumult into your ears. The drums and
vocals, echo from the far corner; chaotic strings of guitars pull you in varied
directions. The production relishes the live feel of the band. Listeners get a
calculated, thin feel of razors and wires instead of a big thick feel.
