Rockezine.com interview with Devian on Oct 12, 2007

with Erik Legion on Oct 12, 2007


		Please introduce yourself and the band. I’m Legion, black metal old-timer. Devian is our new band featuring former Marduk drummer Emil Dragutinovic, guitarists Joinus and Tomas Nilsson plus bass player Roberth Karlsson.
		How did you hook up the Century Media? Were there any other labels? We were in contact with a few labels but they all became pretty uninteresting when CMR got in touch with us tell you the truth. Not only could we agree on about everything that should be in a record contract, but at the time I was going through a really rough time. I went to the office and they were all so cool and accommodating that gut feeling said "yes" immediately. Being the first demo band they have picked up in ages is an honour and a privilege and we couldn’t be happier about our label home.
		Are you happy the how the new record turned out? Yes, I think it came together really well. When we started out we had two tracks that me and Emil could agree on was going to be square one, Instigator from the album and a track Burning Daylight that is going to show as a bonus. The second track I wrote was Gemini is the Snake and from there it just rolled on and took its own shape so to speak. We found our own niche and made the most out of it.
		Is there something like a concept behind Ninewinged Serpent or what kind of emotions, feelings, lyrics or stories holds the album together? The overall concept is to walk the world in your own boots. To change and rise even if it means you have to take a loss or get hurt along the way, it’ll be worth it compared to be stuck in a place you hate in the long run. The lyrics are probably deeper and more thoughtful than anything I wrote for Marduk but I still have the same outlook on things. All of them are self lived or at least inspired by stuff that’s been going on around us the last couple of years. To illustrate the concept we chose the fall of the rebel angels that we thought is a really fascinating symbolism for what the album is all about.
		What do you mean with raving metal? Hahaha, well everything should be so categorized and boxed in these days so we just put a label on ourselves.
		What can we expect from Devian in the coming months? We have begun working on new songs and we plan to tour as much as we can muster for the album. How I’ve missed the travelling and live performances!
		Which band or what person was/ is your biggest inspiration? I owe a lot to Slayer, as most metal guys my generation. Mayhem got me into the scene way back; Jim Morrison was always a big inspiration for me too.
		What`s your goal with Devian? To become a powers house, we are deadest on giving all and sacrificing everything for being a professional band. Metal is an obsession for us and we are going to work our asses off in the name of it.
		What is the most overestimated band in the scene, which band is most underestimated? Most overrated band in the scene - Metallica. Was St Anger a return to form? I don’t think so. Most underrated band I’d say Immolation. They are definitely not for everyone but fucking hell what a brilliant death metal band. They deserve way more recognition and respect than what they are receiving.
		Are there some famous words for the rockezine.com readers? Fill in the last lines…. It’s great to be back!! Keep your eyes peeled for Devian live performances and don’t miss out on Ninewinged Serpent, in stores 22nd of October!
(Jeroen Habets)