Interview with Joe and Rich from Delian League by Jen

Give me some Delian League history- How the band started, how long you have been playing together, member changes, etc.
Joe: Rich and Dave began writing together ten years ago. Jude and one of Dave's students (Mike O'Neil) joined them to form the original Delian League a little more than a year and a half ago. Chris Kaminsky then came in as the drummer and soon after that Shane Boulos took over on bass guitar once Mike went away to college. The only other change since then is on drums. Chris and the rest of the band split up earlier on this year followed by drum auditions starting in May. I came across two internet ads in late May and officially joined the band in early July.
I downloaded some MP3's from your site, when were they recorded?
Rich: Whoa, hmm, ages ago. I believe they we're recorded in late 2002 and mixed mid-2003. Those songs don't represent the true influence of Shane on bass. Also, Joe adds a new level of technique that was not there previously. Therefore, we will be re-recording those songs on our full length due out in earlier 2005.
Do you have any other CD's available at this time?
Joe: No, just the "Day of Question" demo right now.
Rich: There are a few bootlegs that have been circulating around either from shows, live radio performances, or quick studio sessions, but good luck trying to get your hands on them!
Are you writing any new material, or getting ready to go into the studio again anytime soon? When can we expect a new cd from you?
Rich: We're already in the process of using a studio. We hope the new CD will be available early 2005, the exact date is up to the label. As for new material, we're always in the process of writing more material. We haven't even finished recording the first album yet and we've already started writing the second album. Writing with Joe in the band has put us on an accelerated path because we all feed off of each other so well. I hope a song or two that Joe has had a big part in writing with will make it onto the first CD.
You guys are from New Jersey, right next to me, what are some of the places or clubs you play at?
Joe: All over the place; Starland Ballroom, Birch Hill, Stone Pony, Waterloo Village, Krome gone as of now I think, Double D's, The Cup, L'Amour, many more etc...
Who are some of the bands you play with? Any good/bad experiences with shows care to share?
Rich: We've been fortunate enough to play with some great bands, Anthrax, Overkill, E-Town Concrete, King's X, Morbid Angel, Super Joint Ritual, Killswitch Engage, God Forbid, etc... We've played our share of crappy shows and we've played some amazing shows. One of our last shows was a motorcycle festival with a giant outdoor stage but a mini-hurricane hit us and we were trying to keep all the equipment from getting wet. Had the makings of a great show if it didn't rain. But it didn't matter, we got free beer, free food, and free miller light bikini girls!
For someone who never heard your music, how would you describe your sound to them?
Joe: We're a heavy melodic mixture of older and newer metal. The guitars have
more of the older influence while the bass and drums compliment that with a
newer touch. The vocals are a clean, powerful addition to all of that, but none of that
cheesy power metal falsetto stuff. Just straight out clean vocals like Anthrax, Metallica, or
Megadeth. Due to each member having their own personal taste, our range is constantly stretching.
Rich: I believe the entire band is influenced by ever type of metal in existence, whether it be black metal, melodic metal, thrash, hard core, progressive metal, etc... We try to put all of those influences into the stuff we write. Hopefully we're doing it in a way that hasn't been done before. Our demo gives us an older school feel, but the full length will capture more of the everything mix with us still being true to what we started.
In my review, I said, you have an 80's metal sound, but a lot heavier and more modern than just some hair band. I also compared your music to Shadows Fall and In Flames. Lastly, I said the vocals are a mix between 80's music and a power metal band. Do you agree or disagree with my statements?
Rich: This is a touchy subject, hehe When people hear the words "80's metal" the first thing they think of is Poison or Motely Crue. I can not stress this enough, we sound nothing like that! Even though old time metal fans realize this means Testament, Megadeth, etc... a lot of people who recently have come into metal don't think of it that way. Therefore we try to stay away from the label of "80's metal" as we feel that really gives people the wrong impression. But yes, I do agree that we sound like a mixture of Testament and Megadeth mixed with In Flames and Soilwork. I'm glad those mixes of those styles shine through. Also, something that was not heard too strongly on the demo but will be on the full length is some of our influences from bands like Fear Factory(since some of our new songs have really heavy grooves and break downs) and Dream Theater(since some of the songs have very progressive elements in them). I like to think that each of our songs represents elements of some style we like no matter what style it is. I'm still trying to convince the band to let me do a purely black metal song, but I doubt they will ever let me! As for power metal vocals, I'm the only person in the band who likes power metal. You will never hear Jude do a falsetto, not because he has anything adjust it, well maybe he does, but it's just not his style. He's more of a harder edge clean singer.
What are some of the influences of the band? Who are some bands you listen to currently?
Joe: Megadeth, Soilwork, In Flames, Fear Factory, Death, Dream Theater, Faith No More, Tool, Dark Tranquility, Testament, Metallica, Mudvayne, Spastic Ink, Therion, Led Zeppelin, and a lot more but those are the main ones. Last album I bought was Lamb of God's "Ashes of the Wake" CD a few days ago and lately I've been listening to a lot of Killswitch Engage and A Perfect Circle.
Rich: I've been buying a lot of CDs lately but nothing has been staying in my player. I have music attention deficit disorder. The last Vintersorg that came out over 6 months ago still sits in my player, I really like that album a lot. The last Fear Factory album is in my player along with Carcass's Heartwork. I just heard a Mastodon song called Seabeast last night on the radio that sounded cool so I think I'm gonna pick up that CD. I hope it was the song I heard at least.
Are you currently trying to pursue getting yourself signed? Any labels biting? If you had your choice, which label would you want to be on and why?
Rich: We're currently signed to Screaming Ferret Records. If i had to choose any label, it would be a label that would allow me to quit my job!
I think that is it for me, any other thoughts or comments you want to add?
Rich: I know a lot of people out there have been patiently waiting for our full length and we would like to thank them for sticking around with us while the band had its up and downs such as our line up changes. It's just around the corner and we can't wait to finally get it out there. Also, we would like to thank the huge internet following that has been so supportive towards us.
http://www.delianleague.com
http://www.myspace.com/delianleague