The latest release from the longrunning Maltabased death metallers “Beheaded” is "Never To Dawn" ("Unique Leader" Records, 2012). The band has a couple new members since their last album, with guitarist Robert Agius and vocalist Frank Calleja joining “Beheaded” within the recent years. I caught up with frontgrowler Frank, to get the inside scoop on "Never To Dawn" release. What was the band doing in the eight years leading up to this “Never to Dawn” album release? Following the release of “Ominous Bloodline” in 2005 and some touring + shows to promote the album the band went in somewhat a hiatus for a few years due to the departure of members including long time member and main songwriter for “Ominous Bloodline” Omar Grech for personal reasons. The band attempted to regroup in 2008 with various new musicians doing a European Tour and appearing in festivals such as “Brutal Assault & Death Feast” Open Air however the issue of a steady line up was still not settled. In 2009 Omar joined “Beheaded” again drafting me in on vocals since we had played together since 2006 in another band called “Slit” and since than work has been steady and constantly progressing to the better. Live shows, tours and festivals appearances consolidated the band's strength and we started working on new songs which eventually went into the release of our new album “Never To Dawn” in November 2012.
Do you think it was a benefit for the band to wait so long before going into the recording studio for the new album? The long wait wasn't one which was planned but dictated by different circumstances which are part and parcel of the difficulties any band can face, especially when coming from an island such as Malta. Finding dedicated musicians who are into death metal is no easy feat. I believe that the somewhat long “break” has brought good and bad things to the band. Obviously it stopped the momentum “Beheaded” had gained with the release of “Ominous Bloodline” but at the same time a certain anticipation and curiosity was created for the successor of OB especially since the album had been so well received. The important thing is that “Beheaded” managed to pull through the hard times and come back with what the band itself believes is the strongest line up and best release to date. When were the tracks for “Never to Dawn” written and what does the band’s writing process usually look like?
We started writing the tracks as soon as the band regrouped and after playing a few live shows so I would say circa 2010. We did not want to rush or force things but compose and write what felt natural at the right time. In most cases songwriting starts with Omar bringing some riffs to the rehearsal room, drum and raw vocal patterns are added to give the song a skeleton structure which is then polished up and completed once the vocal lines and lyrics are done. Music for “Never to Dawn” was recorded at “Temple Studios” in Malta while vocals were recorded at “16th Cellar Studio” in Rome with producer Stefano Morabito.What were recording like? This was one of the reasons the release took a bit longer than expected. Recording for the album started in 2010 with a first session at “Temple studios” and 2nd session later on. The album was mixed and mastered also at “Temple Studios” however we felt that the final product did not pay justice to the music, which is why we decided to work with Stefano Morabito to record the vocals from scratch at “16th Cellar Studios” in Rome, Italy and let him handle the final mix and master of the album. Did the band have any definitive goals before the recording process began for this album? As I hinted earlier, the objective was always to write an album that felt natural to us without forcing things in one direction or another. Truly the only thing we aimed for is to write a death metal album. Without necessarily it an old school, or modern, or brutal, or technical, or ground breakingly original album, but an album that reflects “Beheaded's” character throughout the band's 20 plus years of existence. A death metal album, and I am very confident we have succeeded in doing so. Were you more inspired by the past or did you check out what was happening in the current
underground metal scene? There is a lot of 'old school' in “Never To Dawn” but yet it is not an old school death metal album. We did want to bring something of the past especially from the 90's but at the same time not get stuck in some sort of nostalgic frenzy. I cannot say that I like most modern death metal bands to be honest but still I think it is important to stay relevant in the spectrum of what is going on in the scene. One way or another you can't help but notice what is happening around you if you are involved but ultimately I think it's important to stick to your guns and do your thing. All songs follow a common concept, the water element. Does it reflect “Beheaded's” Maltese origins? “Never To Dawn” is a loose concept album which means there is a connecting theme in all the songs. The concept rotates around the element of water which is a source of all life and yet possibly the greatest destructive force known to man. Being from Malta which is an island, the idea of water surrounding you is something we can connect to on a more tangible level. The way I have written the lyrics for the songs is vaguely similar to a way a painter creates his work. I use words to describe an environment and create a setting in which the listener/reader can be taken to and use his/her imagination to freely roam and discover. In this case “Never To Dawn” depicts a surreal world, vaguely inspired by the myth of Atlantis in which a great civilization is destroyed by water but still living, trapped in a surreal state of life/death under the delusion of achieving the lost greatness. The title itself “Never To Dawn” projects the idea of a sun, a life, a hope which will never come again. I must say on a personal note that writing the lyrics and working on the concept for this album has been very challenging but very rewarding on an artistic and creative level. I do believe that the way the music, the theme, the song titles, the lyrics and the artwork
have been combined to work together can take the listener somewhere. That as a listener is something I personally strive for in an album, which is why I'm very pleased with this effort. Are there any particular moments on this album that you are proud of when you step back and look at the album? I think the album culminates it's full potential in the last part of the song “The Ancient Acumen” …the riffs, the leads, the harmonies and the voice repeating ''DEATH WAS INSCRIBED BY THE ANCIENT ACUMEN'' create an atmosphere which gives the album a very dramatic closure truly reflecting what “Never To Dawn” is all about. What’s your favorite of the new songs to play live? If I had to pick two I'd probably go for “Lament of a sordid god” and “Dead Silence” but that doesn't mean they're my favorite tracks off the album. What do you think of '90s metal bands reforming? Do you see passion, money (although there aren't so much around) or something else behind this trend? I'm sure every situation is different but there is a little bit of all the things you have mentioned. For sure many of the musicians from the reforming bands of the 90's are grown men and more capable of handling all the ups and downs of being in a band more wisely also visavie the music industry, business and labels. The fact that there is a demand for old school bands to reform makes it more logistically and financially viable in practical terms. Possibly there is a buck or two for grabs yes, but definitely no amount of money which would drive one to do it for the sole purpose being financial especially in this day and age. Do you think the metal scene is getting better, staying the same, or getting worse then it has been in previous years? Without wanting to sound too generic or some kind of nostalgic old school 'elitist' because I'm not, but when it comes to death metal I'm not a big fan of many of the modern bands. I'm not completely sure what the reason is exactly because musically I see very capable musicians playing good extreme music but somehow I find it hard to connect to their music in the same way I connect to the death metal I'm head over heels into, the more classic stuff “Deicide”,
“Malevolent Creation”, “Death”, “Immolation”, “Suffocation”, “Pyrexia”, “Autopsy”, “Dismember” etc. Maybe because music sometimes can be like a good wine, matured in time. Currently the best “emerging” death metal in my opinion is coming from Italy with bands such as “Hour of Penance”, “Fleshgod Apocalypse”, “Hideous Divinity”, “Antropofagus”. They have the intensity, personality and character which I look for in death metal. Wether the metal scene is now getting better, worse or the same is partly subjective but above all I think the scenario is completely different now as to what it was in the 90's or in any other period of time for that reason. The situations for bands and musicians are not alike and cannot be really compared. I think that bands nowadays have less personality then before but that is a normal thing when one considers how much extreme music has evolved and 'perfected' itself in terms of sound, style, genre defining etc. Is there anything you have/want to add? Thanks a lot for the time and space you have given “Beheaded” for this interview. For anyone who wants to keep updated on what's going on check our page facebook.com/BeheadedMT. Hail Death Metal! "Beheaded" online: www.myspace.com/BeheadedMT www.twitter.com/BeheadedMT www.youtube.com/BeheadedMT store.beheaded.eu www.reverbnation.com/Beheaded beheaded.deathmetal@gmail.com