Interview with Von Young from Deaden, by Jen

Von, first off, great to have you guys back in the scene. I'm looking forward to the new material coming out. That being said, when and how did you guys all decide to start playing again?
Thanx Jen it is good to be back, and to run into all of the old faces we used to see. We reformed around June of 2004. Initially Danny (Bass/Vocals) was also going to come back into the fold, but he changed his mind and we have since added new comer Jake Lahniers to take over his duties. The rest of the band remains the same. We had never decided to stop Deaden, but it unfortunately was not something we could all easily get back into. We all got together and decided it was time to take a shot at it once again. We'll see if we can put out another few albums this time haha.
Why did you guys stop playing?
Unfortunately, Ethan had developed severe tendonitis in both arms and was unable to play for awhile. It was not an option to replace him at that point because we feel that he is a large part of our sound/style/band. We had planned to only take off about 6 months or so and focus on he new album which was already written. But when that 6 months was up, it was another 6 months. Then all of our personal lives took different paths and it was just un-doable for awhile. Looking back on it now, I think that the break was a good thing. We were album to write a lot of solid new material that really shows more development from what we had before.
What has been the reaction so far to the band getting back together?
The reaction has been insane. We couldn't have asked for a better reaction. People are coming out from all over the world to let us know we weren't forgotten.
Have people still been buying Hymns of the Sick continuously over the past few years? How has the sales been?
Unfortunately United Guttural did not press the disc for about 4 1/2 years due to losing the artwork. I was unaware of this till we reformed, so the album was unavailable from 2000 till mid 2004. But the album has been repressed and we are out, as well as the Demo that is now on cd "Feast on the Flesh of the Dead"
What is happening with new material? When are you guys going to start recording? How many songs do you have now?
The new material is almost done, just some final adjustments and things of that nature. We are scheduled to hi the studio in mid June. The recording process will hopefully only take about 2 weeks roughly. We are planning on recording 8-9 songs. 3 of the songs will be material that we had before the split, everything else is new.
In the new material, has it changed much since the Hymns CD?
Yes it has changed, but it is what I think should be expected. The material still has the Deaden feel, and it hasn't gotten weaker by any means. The song structures are more solid, and the riffing is more chaotic. It has been nice to have the time to really focus on writing without the pressures of touring or playing shows at the same time. I think people will really like it, and it will be the next progression from Hymns... that should be expected.
Are you still working with United Guttural and will they put out the new CD?
They have done the Hymns and the Feast CD, but nothing is set for the new album. We have been talking to several labels about the new album, UG being one of them, but we shall see.
Any other new merchandise to sell?
We have a ton of stuff from, Shirts, Hoodies, Hats, Pins and CDs. Check it all out at http://www.deaden.net
What has everyone been doing since the band stopped playing?
We all are busy with work. Drew and I are married, so we do family things and such.
Has anyone played in different bands?
Ethan has played in some non-metal bands but that is about it.
Have you played any shows yet and if so, when and how was it? If not, when will you?
Actually we have not played out yet. We thought it was more fair to the fans to get off of our asses and get the new album done. We are booking show for September and that is probably be the soonest we will play out. I am hoping the shows back will be good. We are really looking forward to getting back on stage, especially with this new stuff.
Are there any other bands or projects the members are working on currently, aside from Deaden?
Ethan plays in a few bands in the Chicago area (where he lives), they are non metal bands. I am working on 2 projects right now, but really wont focus on them until Deaden album is done. Once that happens I will spill the beans on those.
What were your top 5 releases of 2004?
Hmmmm.... lets see. I'm going of the top of my head so some of these may not be 04 but close. Not all are metal so be warned hahaha
Emeth- Insidous
Necrophagist- Epitaph
Killswitch Engage- End of Heartache
Coheed and Cambria- In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3
Cynic- Remaster with Portal demo tracks
Anything else you would like to add?
Jen, as always thanx for the support, and it was good to see you running around in Champaign. The new album "Displaying the Art of Carnage" will be coming soon. Check out the new site for news and updates. We will see you on the road soon.
http://www.deaden.net
http://www.myspace.com/deaden
Yahoo Msg.- deaden726
MSN Msg- deaden726@msn.com