Dan talked to Chris Gebauer from Australian apocalyptic black metal titans Deadspace about their upcoming latest release “Unveiling the Palest Truth”, new logo and more…
Metal-Roos: Thank you for having a chat with Metal-Roos. Congratulations on the new album release, “Unveiling the Palest Truth”. How was the response received in the scene?
Chris: I wouldn’t really know to be honest. I don’t follow chitter-chatter on the internet much and don’t really know what people are saying about it. The reviews we have received so far from official outlets are overwhelmingly good, although I do feel like many of them failed to metabolise the work in the way that was intended. Our fans are awesome as usual and have given us some more personal feedback, which is nice, but good things happen through time and consistency, and I think this release reinvigorated some enthusiasm to see where this will go in the future.
Metal-Roos: How do you compare “Unveiling the Palest Truth” with your previous releases in Deadspace’s back-catalogue?
Chris: I don’t think it’s comparable at all, at least not on an aesthetic level. Although “Unveiling the Palest Truth” is unmistakably Deadspace, it isn’t really a direct continuation of anything we have done in the past. I think we set the benchmark for us with the release of the “Dirge” record in early 2019. That record marked the first descent into this darker world, and a strong departure from the band’s old melancholic roots. There is absolutely nothing ‘gothic’ or ‘dsbm’ to be found on this new opus, and I’m quite happy that the result feels a lot more focussed and confident.
Metal-Roos: I got a chance to listen to the new album. First of all, I really enjoyed it. It took me back to the old black metal sound that is known in the genre, rather than a modern metal sound these days and I really love hearing the thunder of the drums. “Dwell in Desdemona” is one of my favourite tracks, along with “A Feast for the Rats” Are you happy with how it turned out after the final master mix?
Chris: Definitely. I mean, we worked on it closely with Déhà. It wasn’t pushed down a deliberate lo-fi path, it’s just a result of the source tones that we worked with and pushing the limits of the mix to sort of ‘blur details’, so to speak. It was meant to be a rather abstract statement, and we wanted this statement to be unmissable. Over time, we just ended up adding loads of fuzz to everything until it felt balanced.
Metal-Roos: I always hear discussions from fans and my musician friends about metal production being too polished these days and it lacks that raw and organic sound from the 80s and 90s era. For me I always really appreciated how Black Metal production approached the raw and darker it is the better and also there is more of an art and theatre to it from other metal genres. I guess what your view is with modern metal production compared to the era I mentioned earlier?
Chris: I think that this discussion really needs to account for the type of music, or even specific release in question. It’s like asking a painter what they think of the colour blue. Maybe they haven’t used it for the past 6 paintings and can’t remember how it could be useful. I think modern production has its place and can also be embraced partially. What I would like to remind you is that 80s and 90s production also had some laughable elements (the gated reverb 80s snare drum, or the tinny and overly tight snare from the 90s). I think that choosing production that suits a specific project is a timeless art form and that we shouldn’t be thinking about making clean cuts between eras. At the end of the day, heavy music is not pop music, it doesn’t have to follow trends, and an artist does not owe it to their musical forefathers to follow in their footsteps.
Metal-Roos: At the end of 2020 the band was put on hiatus. Once Deadspace announced its return, I can imagine your supporters and fans were happy to hear and excited about the return. (probably wouldn’t have gotten a few people over the last few years asking when is Deadspace gonna return) What did you personally miss during the hiatus years of Deadspace?
Chris: Although the band was on hiatus, I was always working on stuff. I missed the performances of course, but also was okay to take a break. It’s just unfortunate that the break was for so long. My main avenue is writing and recording music. I love to perform but I would feel a little disheartened if I spent more time selling beer for venues than making art. I wouldn’t say that I missed the friendship because when we were split up, we all remained very close friends. The thing that was missing was the collective excitement. I really missed demoing something and showing everybody and seeing them want to work on it and bring it to life. But these times are back, and it does not do well for anyone to linger on the past.
Metal-Roos: With the new direction of Deadspace going forward. The Band’s logo is new, which was created by Christophe Szpajdel. In the design process what did Deadspace wanted its new logo to represent?
Chris: The main point was that change is here. Changing the logo signifies to us that we will not be influenced by past ‘branding’ or expectations about what we may be. It was important to make something that was a little less palatable to match the new music. Metal-archives still lists us as a ‘gothic metal/depressive black metal’ band which is probably the funniest thing I’ve read. I don’t know how anything from the ‘Dirge’ record onwards could fall into such a tragic genre mashup. This new logo clarifies to people that yes, this is black metal, maybe a bit death metal too, united under an umbrella of contorted obscurity.
Metal-Roos: Moving forward for the next 12 months for Deadspace. Does the band have big plans or are you going with the one step at a time and enjoying the ride?
Chris: Well, if anybody thought we only had 5 songs ready to go, they don’t know us very well. There will be a follow up full length that will be more substantial in length. We also have the intent to play in Australia a lot more, covering every state, and hopefully reach out for international appearances in 2025.
Metal-Roos: Deadspace has some gigs coming in Melbourne at Stay Gold on November the 4th and a home gig in Perth on the 10th of November at the Amplifier to celebrate the band 8-year anniversary. How excited is the band to reconnect to the national metal scene as Deadspace and perform your music?
Chris: I miss Australia like crazy. We are all very excited to play at home again but for me it’s even more special. Since living in Belgium, I’ve really begun to understand how much being an Australian means to me. For me, there is no greater country, and the music coming out of Australia is next level. We made many great friends there over the years, most of which I have not seen for far too long. If the international flights didn’t cost so much we would’ve done every single state, but this will come next year, I hope.
Metal-Roos: For the last 8 years, what’s been the main achievement for Deadspace and yourself with the band that you all can bring it to the next journey for the band?
Chris: Getting back together to do this again is probably the biggest thing we have done. After many discussions about how it was to be done, we’re now taking many measures to re-centralise our autonomy over our music. We want to be as reckless as we need to be in order to rebuild a fresh structure on old bones, cutting down anything that entangles us in memory and pulls us into mediocrity.
Metal-Roos: Finally, is there anything you like to say to the fans and other supporters who have supported this band since the start and the journey along the last eight years?
Chris: There are so many things I’d like to say but it’s always different things to different people. One sweeping statement would not really cut it. I’m not really stoked about writing out some big ‘thank you’ that looks copied and pasted from a parliamentary acceptance speech. It is, however, important that our fans know that we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have such support. But something else to note. It doesn’t stop at the fans, but also extends to our friends in the media outlets and promoters that get behind what we do. The metal scene is a community, not just a supply and demand market, and everybody plays a part in keeping it afloat.
