Review Fix chats with Deathpoint drummer Mike Labate, who discusses the band’s sound, inspiration, their new album, “Sinister” and goals for the future. Melodic metal with tinges of Tool and In Flames, Labate also discusses the band’s creative process and his favorite song on the album.
Review Fix: How was the band formed?
Mike Labate: The band was formed several years about simply by a bunch a friends getting together in a basement to start jamming. We were only kids back then, but we’ve grown together and become the musicians we have today.
There have been a few lineup changes along the way, but since the addition of Tom Emmans roughly six months ago, the lineup has become the most solid and secure its ever been.
Review Fix: What are the members inspirations and how does it help them with their sound?
Labate: Every member has different inspirations yet we all have so many in common with each other. Bands like Lamb Of God, Devildriver, Dreamshade, Tool, Tesseract, In Flames, Soilwork, Slipknot are all large influences of ours and probably a reason why we sound the way we do. We all have a great desire for groovy riffs, big choruses, and beautiful melodies so writing together with many of the same influences has become an interesting and satisfying process.
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound?
Labate: Melodic, groovy, and metal. We don’t give into trends or fads that seem to float around the metal scene every once in a while. We write the exact kind of music we’d like to hear. We don’t change sounds or songs to pander to any particular sub-genre of metal. We just love giving people something to bob their head to and some epic melodic parts that really stick with the listener long after the song is done.
Review Fix: What makes the band different?
Labate: I think we really know what we do well and we stick to that. We don’t go beyond our abilities to try and make things crazy, because you have to be able to play what you write live just as well as you can in the studio. That being said, we’re always pushing forward to become better musicians on a daily basis so you can hear the evolution of the Deathpoint sound from album to album quite easily. We’ve already begun writing the next record and we can hear the development of our sound in the demos alone. It is sure to be another big step for us as we move forward as a band.
Review Fix: What song on the album is most indicative of your abilities as musicians?
Labate: I would say “Condemned To Suffer” would be the most challenging song musically to play from “Sinister,” but that being said, I feel like “For Your Eyes Only” is the song that is really all encompassing. It covers every single aspect of what we want this band to sound like. Its melodic, heavy, fast, punchy, and filled with hooks. It really is the exact sound that we’ve been going for.
Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?
Labate: On the record, you don’t get to see the stage presence that Tom Emmans has. His demand for crowd involvement and mannerisms on stage take our live show so far beyond just the music. Its more than just a concert. Its live entertainment and its something we’ve been working very hard on the past little while. Entertaining the crowd with stage presence while staying accurate to the record is what we’re all about.
Review Fix: What are your long-term goals in music?
Labate: We all want to be career musicians. Its the highest goal of ours. With all the positive steps we’ve been taking over the past few months, we really feel like it is a possibility. The response to the records, the new fans every day, the media attention, etc etc has all lead us to believe that we can do this if we really buckle down and give it everything we have.
Review Fix: How do you want this album to be remembered?
Labate: I want this album to be remembered as the album that no one saw coming. The album that you only had to hear once to know you needed to have it. The album that makes you bang your head on every single track and that every single song has “that part you’ve been waiting for.” I believe that if any metal head gives this record a chance, they’re going to love it. That’s what I want this album to be remembered for.
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