Worship Metal Interviews Dream The Electric Sleep On The Eve Of Their First London Performance!

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On the eve of their first London performance, Worship Metal threw some questions in the direction of Kentucky’s experimental rockers Dream The Electric Sleep.

Here’s how guitarist/vocalist Matt Page got on…..

So, what’s new in the world of Dream The Electric Sleep?

“This tour is really all we have been working towards recently. It has been a big effort for small band like DTES to get everything ready to get the show road ready for Europe. We have been working on new material and have some demos we are really excited about so once the tour wraps up we will go back into writing mode and start getting the new material pinned down for the studio.”

You are set to play a gig at The Black Heart, Camden on 08.02.17. How does it feel to be playing England’s capital for the first time?

“It’s pretty amazing for us to be over here. Three Kentucky kids making over here playing the kind of music we play feels surreal. We have really been floored by the love and encouragement from all the fans attending the shows so far. We are really looking forward to meeting our supporters in London face to face!”

Your sound traverses a mix of Hard Rock, Prog and Indie but which artist has provided the most inspiration over the years?

“I would say collectively we look to the spirit of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin but as individuals we bring extraordinary diversity to the table. I bring sounds from Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchel, Rush, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Elton John and Genesis while Chris brings Black Sabbath, Queen, Neurosis and Swans and Joey brings in sounds from bands like Soundgarden, Buried at Sea, Devin Townsend, and Dragged into Sunlight. We let all of that into the sound and blend it together as generously as we can.”

Sticking with the Prog (as that would appear to be your biggest influence), which 5 prog acts do you rate as the genre’s greatest?

“We actually don’t think of ourselves as prog and never set out to be prog but have found that fans of prog like what we do. We are grateful that that music we are interested in writing has found a home and the prog supporters of the world are the reason this project has continued to grow. So I guess we feel like we have been adopted by that genre but truth be told, I think prog is a pretty diverse place so it would make sense we would fit there since we have a diverse sound. I would not be the best person to rate the best prog bands but I will say that the progressive side of our sound would come from Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, Yes, and maybe Devin Townsend.”

We won’t lie, your sound sits at the lighter end of the bands Worship Metal generally covers. So, how would you endear yourself to those who tend to seek a ‘heavier’ experience?

“I would say come see us live. We are a loud, heavy band live and sometimes that doesn’t come across as well on the albums. We like diversity. To us “heavy” is about contrast. Most “heavy” bands stick within the same dynamic register and if you like something on 10 all the time that is fine, but we strive to create “heaviness” by setting things against each other… dark/light… loud/quiet. It is about perception I guess. Heavy can also be an emotional thing, not just a sonic thing. I just don’t want to box in what heavy has to be and think there are many ways to achieve weight in ones music.”

Your track “Flight” received an airing on Planet Rock this afternoon (Thurs 2nd Feb). Do you find the UK is embracing you more and more with each successive album?

“I think so but honestly it is hard to tell what is going on sometimes! Since we aren’t part of the scene we don’t really know where or how we fit in and if things are going well or not. We really rely on our supporters telling us these things. We get emails and messages telling us we are in a magazine or getting played on a show. We do finally have a good team of people around us who believe in the project and are trying to push it out and I think they have been doing a great job doing it!”

The often heavier, doom-esque experimental sounds of 2014’s Heretics have been replaced with a lighter, poppier air on last years Beneath The Dark Wide Sky. Is this a direction you see yourselves embracing further on future releases?

“I think the last three albums have been about experimenting with different sonic and compositional elements and the newest album was an attempt at being more deliberate with these elements. We saw it as a way of tightening up the things we weren’t as sure about on Heretics to see what it would sound like. I think both albums are cool but were getting at something slightly different. Based on the new demos I can see we still love experimental compositions but also some of that deliberateness. I have a feeling the next album will be a mix of Heretics and Beneath the Dark Wide Sky. The pendulum always swings back and forth…”

You have one opportunity to introduce your band to the entire world, which song do you blast them away with?

“I am going to interpret your question as which song encapsulates what we think we sound like as opposed to maybe which song has the most “market” potential. In that interpretation I would pick a song like “Black Wind”. It has the contrast and weight we love and is a great example of how we write. Each of brought something different to the song and we were able to blend it together in a way that captured the spirit of who we are.”

You’re given the chance to handpick the ultimate 4-piece rock/prog supergroup (living or deceased). Who’s in the line-up?

“How about this, here is a line up from each band member… this is too tough a question as we all have SOOOO many favorite players but I think these would be some interesting/strange matchups.

Joey (drums): John Bonham, John Paul Jones, David Gilmour, Chris Cornell
Matt (Guitar/Vox): Matt Cameron, Geddy Lee, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie
Chris (Bass): Nick Mason, Dave Hope, Pete Townsend, Freddie Mercury”

It turns out that if you make eye contact with David Gilmour for long enough he has the power to transport you back to any gig in history. Who do you go and see?

“Led Fucking Zeppelin!!!”

Dream The Electric Sleep play Camden’s The Black Heart on February 8th….go see ’em!