5 Q&A With Dread Fury
How did you come up with the theme?
I’ve always dabbled with the idea of exploring our duel sides and I’ve always believed that everyone has those sides to them. And then I began to think about how I could tell that story in music. So I combined this with my enjoyment of creative writing and came up with the theme. There was also some personal stuff going on so it allowed me to draw some inspiration from that too.
How did you approach the arrangement and composition of the music for ‘Devil’s Advocate or Heaven’s Prophet?’
I did this with a lot of care. I let the process stagger out. In other words, I didn’t force the songs. They came naturally. I started the album recording back in 2020 and for the most part, I would record the tracks but not the vocals because I couldn’t get the right feel lyrically. Once I had an idea, it was recorded and that was how I approached the recordings, fitting them in piece by piece like a jigsaw. This allows the tracks to sound natural. For the cello parts with Nanette Lee, who plays on a few tracks, it was collaborative as I would ask her to come up with something and I would work with her to come up with extra parts and then record them. Once the tracks were done, I worked on the interludes to make sure the album flowed together. I loved every minute of it.
Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
That’s tricky because I love every track on the album. But I have a soft spot for “Underneath Your Mask” because it was a track I had started since 2007 so it was nice to finally record it. I enjoyed “At This Moment In Time” because I finally managed to record that bassline that had been my head for a while and was even cooler to shape the track. “Could Be Me” is probably my favourite track on the album. I recorded the backing track in 2021 but it took a couple of years before I got the lyrics down and now I love it. “Live On” is possibly my most emotional song as it is about those who I have lost recently and it features my favourite guitar solo. I also have fond memories of “30 Pieces” and “Soon We Can All Go Home Again” due to recording them with Nanette Lee. She did them all in one day and we had a lot of fun doing those.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
I am an independent soul. I make music that I hear and I try and do this without relying on others. I consider myself an afro-futurist and I enjoy playing instruments. I perform live as a one-man-band and I absolutely enjoy it. It’s therapy for me. I’m influenced by mavericks such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix etc. I believe in playing any style I want to play and to not be limited by others.
What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
I enjoy everything about being a musician. I enjoy writing, I enjoy recording, and I enjoy performing. I just love being creative and what better way to do that than playing a musical instrument. Or even producing. It’s great!