Room Thirteen caught up with Thomas Huschka from Deadlock to chat about their vegan straight-edge image and their upcoming European tour.
Room Thirteen: First of all could you please introduce yourselves and explain your role within the band.
Thomas Huschka: My name is Tom and I am the bass player for Deadlock. I am also a student at the University of Leipzig, studying American Studies and Modern History.
R13: How would you describe your style of music?
TH: This is a tough one. I probably would say we combine harsh, screamed vocals with beautiful and harmonic guitar leads, which dominate over the solid and thick basis of the rhythm section.
R13: How did you come to be in the band?
TH: I joined the band when Deadlock lost their original bass player. They just called me and ask if I could imagine playing bass in Deadlock. I already knew their style and they are really some nice guys, so I decided to help them out. I already played in several bands, but I have to admit I am not over ambitious. I just enjoy playing music with some friends.
R13: The band has been together for over 8 years. You have matured as people; do you think your music has also matured?
TH: It is a pretty usual to mature with age or at least it should be; so everybody in the band has progressed on an individual basis. During the time the band has been together, the quality of our releases has also increased. I think is definitly part of the maturing process.
R13: Do you think your attitude to music has changed at all?
TH: All band members still feel strongly dedicated to music. This never changed.
R13: You class yourselves as a vegan straight-edge band. Could you explain this title for us and would you say this is this a political statement?
TH: Every individual in the band is vegan straight-edge, but in my opinion the topic "straight-edge" is not a big deal. The focus should be directed to veganism, which is in our opinion one solution to several precedent evils. It is a 100% personal decision and should not be regarded politically.
R13: Do you feel your beliefs as a band show though in the songs you write?
TH: Our message concentrates on veganism as one of the main topics in the lyrics. Not every song of course deals with this topic, but it appears in repetitive patterns. Everybody who is interested in our lyrics will have no problems in realising our belief in veganism.
R13: You have been compared to bands such as In Flames and Cradle of Filth. Have these bands influenced you when creating your music? What other bands do you feel have influenced you musically?
TH: We don't really have any musical references which we consciously implement in our writing process. Every band member has a pretty different and diverging musical background and there are hardly any bands which all five of us like to listen to. We try to concentrate on developing our own musical style and I think we are doing well in trying to sound unique and creative.
R13: You have an upcoming European tour with four dates in the UK. Having only played the UK once before, what are you looking forward to most about these gigs? If all goes well would you like to do more dates in the UK?
TH: We are happy to be able to visit the UK again. We hope to play in front of lots of people and as often as possible. Constant visits to the UK would be great for us.
R13: What makes your stage show better than any other Euro metal band?
TH: Come and see us live and then judge our live qualities yourself. It is impossible for me to make a statement about our stage presence, but we try to be as professional as possible.
R13: Are there any differences between playing a British audience to those of mainland Europe?
TH: We haven't found any differences between the audiences. To date every European audience has been kind and showed interest in our music. Hopefully this will also be the case in the future.
R13: What can fans expect from your set list? Do you hope to play some new material?
TH: Everyone in Europe will enjoy the same set list and we will of course focus on the songs from the upcoming album, so be prepared for lots of new songs never played live before.
R13: A couple of years ago you released a split CD with Six Reasons To Kill. Why did you decide to release a spilt CD?
TH: The split release with Six Reasons To Kill was a spontaneous idea as both bands had recorded some promo songs which originally weren't planned for a release. After playing some shows together the bands became friends and we thought it would great to throw our songs together for a split release.
R13: Do you think they compliment your music?
TH: Both bands differ in their musical style so this record should be interesting for fans of both bands.
R13: Would you release a split CD again?
TH: I think we won't do a split again, because we are no longer in search of a label and can concentrate on full-length albums without recording promo songs again.
R13: With your last release two years ago, when can fans expect a new album?
TH: We finished the recording of our new album 'Earth Revolt' two months ago and it will be released on the 28th of June 2005.
R13: What does the rest of 2005 hold for the band?
TH: After the release of our new album, August will see us complete a tour throughout Europe. Additionally we will be playing a lot of festivals, so everybody should have the chance of watching us on stage.
R13: And finally, if you were to drop off the face of the planet tomorrow, what would you most like to be remembered for?
TH: Hopefully a soccer fanatic who was a good son and an excellent brother. Also, a cool guy who was playing in an extremely talented band.
More more infomation about Deadlock please visit their website http://www.xdeadlockx.com.