KATAKLYSM INTERVIEW
KATAKLYSM are a Melodic Death Metal band that was formed in 1992 in Montreal, QC - Canada. Kataklyms has four band members Maurizio Iacono as the Vocalist, Jean-Francois Dagenais on Guitar, Stephane Barbe on Bass and Oli Beaudoin on Drums. Kataklysm have released 18 CD's and are signed to Nuclear Blast Records. They also released their album Meditations in 2018.
We got to speak to JF Dagenais from Kataklysm about their upcoming tour and more.
TM - Hi, Thank You for having this interview with me today. How are you?
JFD - Good Thank You. This is interview number four for two day and I'm excited about it.
TM - Are you excited to come to Australia?
JFD - Yes, it has been 6 years now.
TM - What are you most looking forward to doing in Australia?
JFD - We are doing our thing, we are coming in with a great bunch of songs that we have prepared. We are going to give 250 percent, we do not get to come here much so we are going to make the best of it.
TM - Have you tried Tim Tams yet?
JFD - Not yet, should I?
TM - Yes you should. Do you like Chocolate?
JFD - I love Chocolate.
TM - It is a chocolate biscuit, you can get it in different flavors too caramel, plain, Mint.
JFD - I will have to try them.
TM - What can fans expect from your Setlist?
JFD - We are going to try and cover as much we can from our records from our career. We have 14 records, we will play hits and songs of the new albums. We will also go back twenty years to please everyone.
TM - How have fans responded to your album Meditations?
JFD - We have got a killer response from the fans. The media and fans like the production and the way we wrote our songs. We all wrote this album in the same room together and rehearsed together. This album came together very quickly and spontaneously and we are very proud of it.
TM - You worked with Jay Ruston on this Album who also did Anthrax album what was it like working with him?
JFD - It was the toss of a coin because it was a bit of a gamble going with a rock producer. Our music is very intense and very brutal, we have a certain process to recording and mixing that we are use to. Going with a rock guy we have this vision that it could come out great but it could be a flop as well. It was kind of a gamble but we were happy with the results.
TM - You do some Productions work with other artists, what inspires you to do this work and how does it affect your writing style?
JFD - I started this against my will when I was younger. The first band asked me to produce their work. The second band was in my area and they heard was doing production, they needed something done so I went into the studio and produce their album. I didn't really know what I was doing and it turned out decently.
Other bands started calling me for production work and I went into that side of the industry. The music scene very early in my life and got to work in a lot of good studios all around the world and got to work with a lot of amazing people. I gained a lot of knowledge on how to do things and I still love it 20 years later and it is still my passion. My career helps me to become a better guitarist and write better songs. I have worked as a producer and I have written my own music.
TM - What's one of your favorite albums you have helped produce?
JFD - Malevolent Creation, The Will To Kill. There are so many cool albums coming up I can't wait to work on them.
TM - If you could have any bands play one of your songs which band would it be which song would it be and would it be in your style or their Style?
JFD - I am very open to all genres of music and I would love to hear our song played Through the Eyes of something completely different.
TM - Would you ever consider doing an orchestra set with your band?
JFD - Why not, I am always open to experimenting with music, someone would have to write a score to go along with our music to make the scene. I think it would be a great experience. I think classical music is very similar to heavy metal at different points and arrangements heaviness and power.
TM - If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be and why?
JFD - I would love to collaborate with Radiohead or the Deftones. I am a big fan of both they have something special.
TM - What's your favorite memory of watching someone else perform live?
JFD - Whenever we all play those big open-air festivals. We get to play with so many different bands. I grew up on these bands so It is a really awesome experience. Years ago we got the experience to play with bands such as Iron Maiden and Slayer and we got to watch the band from the side of the stage is an awesome experience.
TM - What's your favorite festival you have played?
JFD - Metal Camp in Slovenia, the festival is right next to a river and you can swim in the river and there is a beach bar I really loved it.
TM - You're playing Heavy Montreal in July what can fans expect from that?
JFD - It is really special to us because it is the biggest festival in Canada and it is in our home town where we grew up playing. It is an amazing experience for us we have already played it 3 times. We always give our best when we play it and we get new fans from playing it.
TM - You have KATAKLYSM hot sauce on your Facebook page. Are you bringing it to Australia?
JFD - We started that with the last record company out of South Carolina that we partnered with. They wanted to make a sauce for our band and we were all for it because we love Hot sauce. All our sauces are really good and people always want more.
TM - That is cool, hopefully, we can get some while you are in Australia.
TM - Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
JFD - We are really excited to come to Australia and hope to see everyone at our shows.
TM - We can't wait to see you in Sydney. Thank You for the interview today.
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