Interview with Gene from DAILY INSANITY

The three-piece heavy metal thrash band, DAILY INSANITY from Berlin, Germany, on September 10 released their new record Chronicles of War, their first album, after three singles and an EP. Always a thrash metal band, active since 2015, they have a long history of live performances, while they have shared the stage with bands such as TANKARD, ASPHYX, RAGE, HAMMERCULT, HATE, PROTECTOR and others.

DAILY INSANITY's highly anticipated album Chronicles of War is supported by an impressive trilogy of video clips to promote the album. Now the band in collaboration with director Ronald Matthes, who is known in the heavy metal scene for his work for bands such as Volbeat, Machine Head, Sodom and Doro Pesch, presented the 'directors cut' of the trilogy entitled “Chronicles Of Riffs”. Fans now have the opportunity to see the entire history of the music video trilogy in one year and with a redesigned soundscape. Next up is the Chronicles Of War Tour 2021 – 2022 as well as the Christmas Slaughter 2021 where DAILY INSANITY will perform three live shows in Germany with the death thrashers RISE OF KRONOS.

Metalourgio Metal WebRadio/Webzine had the pleasure of speaking with Gene from DAILY INSANITY

DAILY INSANITY, Welcome to Metalourgio! Your new album just came out Chronicles of War, where do we find the band this time?

Gene Thank you for the invitation

For now you can only find us at our rehearsals… and on all relevant social media platforms, of course. We just hope we can get back to the concert venues soon, so far we have a show schedule for next December in Germany, and we're gearing up for that, with more to come lives.

Tell us about them DAILY INSANITY, how did you meet; How did you decide to form the band?

DAILY INSANITY consists of the three band members, Gustl (drums), Hans (vocals, bass) and myself, Gene (guitar). We've been making music together for a long time. Gustl and I met at school. We quickly realized that we were on the same wavelength, musically. Gustl played drums and I played guitar. At some point we decided to start a band. This was around 1991. A little later we met Hans and some other guys. After the band broke up in 2015 due to personal and musical differences with other band members, we decided to try something new and especially something serious. And be with them DAILY INSANITY!

The band name reflects a situation we can all relate to, explain how everyday life can become a source of creativity for you

The question actually contains the answer. We come from Berlin. When you're out on the town, you always experience strange things. Or turn on the TV, watch the news and you'll quickly have a topic to make a song about. So, writing about everyday craziness is not difficult at all.

The element that overwhelms your topic is that of war, I would like you to tell us about it

The idea of ​​one concept album about the war came from another idea. After the release of our first EP "Conspiracy” we thought of releasing one more EP with one remastered version of the track "warchild” which was and still is our most favorite track in live + 2 new war songs. But then came the Covid, and due to touring and concert cancellations we had so much time that we decided to make a full-length record about the war, and that's how our new album came about CHRONICLES OF WAR. And why war? Well, because this topic is so hugeo, and it concerns all of us!

In metal the anti-war issue is too often seen as a political agenda, and at the same time people are reluctant to talk about politics in metal community, tell us your opinion on this matter

We do music, not politics! This has become a very strange trend. There are bands that should to stop making music and get involved in politics. Personally, I don't support this at all. I want to listen to music and not be politically educated. There are bands I don't listen to at all for this very reason.

Staying on this topic, concerning the Chronicles of War, humanity could keep the peace alone

Of course, humanity could. Unfortunately though, a lot of money is made with a war, it is a global industry. And there are unscrupulous people who don't give a damn if they shoot you for example. The main thing is that the 'organizers' and 'participants' in these strategies sold their weapons and made a lot of money from them. Unfortunately, this is the reality of humanity. And this must be made clear again and again. In other words, it must be reminded of what people are capable of doing, either out of greed for money or for power.

we would like a detailed "tour" of your work, your new album Chronicles of War

We don't do things too differently from other bands. Track structures are mostly created in my home. Then we work on them in our rehearsal space. But there are also songs that are created simply by 'jamming', spontaneously.

Then the normal process starts. Recording, mixing and mastering. But of course, this is a process that takes a lot of time.

You've released some of the new tracks on lyric videos , my personal favorite is the The Reckoning, who does Hydra represent?

The character of the piece lives as long as there are people. He asks which head to cut off, yours, his, or the immortal Hydra head. How this all works is left to the listener's imagination. Hydra is not a person here, it is a metaphor.

The lyrics are generally written by our singer, the Hans. Sometimes he is a very special cerebral 'acrobat' and likes to write texts that make you think or a story that leaves room for various interpretations.

Since the production is independent, how hard is it to produce an album and video yourself

Thanks to today's technology it has become relatively easy to produce an album. In the past, it was only possible to do this with expensive equipment, but today it is much easier and more financially manageable. Nevertheless, of course you need someone who specializes in this. This time it's me, but it's also a matter of cost too often.

Social media is said to lead the way in marketing, advertising and promotion, how do you promote your work

Yes, this is a very important topic these days and something to be well aware of as this market is quickly becoming more and more unregulated. In fact, it can be compared to recording an album. There must be knowledge of technique to do it. It is no longer enough to post something on Facebook. Since this issue is very complicated, of course we don't do it alone. Our 4th band member and manager, Felix takes care of all things behind the scenes (social media, promotion, product management, bookings, graphics, etc.) and yes, it's definitely a regular, full-time job.

From your own experience, what advice would you give to a new band starting out now?

The first thing a band should ask themselves is, what do they want to achieve? There are bands that practice in one Rehearsal room and maybe they do a gig, once a year and they're happy with that. But if they are really serious about their band, then they need to create the conditions for everything to run smoothly. Unfortunately, we have made many mistakes in the past. With DAILY INSANITY we try to eliminate these mistakes. It starts with the fact that certain tasks in the group should be specific and defined, so that we are not constantly discussing who does what. Of course, it is very important that everyone works together and that everyone does not relax. Once all of these are set, one can now focus fully on the music.

Have you been on stage with big names in the metal world, tell us about your experience of it and which band you would like to play with in future festivals Which festival would you like to play

We usually have good experiences with other bands. Be it well known or lesser known. We were planning a huge summer tour of festivals with some really big bands on festival this year, but that too was canceled due to the pandemic... Which festivals would we like to play at? There are so many good festivals. We don't necessarily have a specific festival in mind, and when it comes to bands, you're always happy when you get to play with familiar names. We love Thrash Metal and grew up with Kreator, Sodom, Destruction…. So this is always the first choice for us.

You were forced to postpone your summer tour and change dates for next year, the reality of the pandemic has hit us all hard, how it has affected you, and what you can see changing in our daily lives in the future

Yes, we were planning 2 huge European tours and a summer festival in support of the new album, but they were all canceled or postponed.

What do I see changing in our daily lives… This is a good question we have already asked ourselves. To be honest, we haven't found an answer to that either. The fact is, we have to wait and see in which direction it will move. Maybe we should all be prepared for change in general. This can be seen from the fact that many bands give concerts online. However, if this is the future, then things are not looking good for the music scene. We will try to do our best.

Give us an insight into your music, are there any limits to thrash for you? How do you see it? metal nowadays

For us there are no limits. I never understood that stereotypical thinking. We do something between Heavy, Thrash and maybe Black Metal. But that doesn't necessarily mean the next album has to be like that. We leave all options open. Personally, I always think it's good when bands evolve and dare to try new ways. As already mentioned, I find this politicization of the scene disturbing at times. In my opinion, this thing is drifting in the wrong direction. It should be about the music and the whole lifestyle that metal exudes and not politics. This right/left, black/white, up/down…. it's getting on my nerves. Why is a band generally classified as political these days? Make music, not politics!

What are your musical influences, name 5 of your favorite bands and albums of all time

KREATOR – Extreme Aggression
METALLICA – Ride The Lightning
ICED EARTH – The Dark Saga
SAVATAGE – Dead Winter Dead
IRON MAIDEN – Brave New World

What are your expectations with the release of your first full length album Chronicles of War

Of course, for people to like it and to be able to present the album live on stage with a lot of fans in front of the stage.

Consider them DAILY INSANITY as an underground band

Where does it begin and where does it end? underground; Are there people who can pinpoint it? In fact, we don't feel like we belong anywhere, everyone can define it for themselves, we don't care about all that. But as a quick answer: no!

Does the symbol on the cover of your new album represent anything in particular?

It's actually from the “Conspiracy” EP. At the time it was designed with reference to a mystical symbol and was also used as a band symbol. But we think it looks so cool that we want to keep using it.

What is your equipment in detail. Which recording method do you prefer, digital or analog?

Nothing extraordinary. I myself played with a Mesa Rectifier for years. I still think it's good today, but I switched to Kemper because it gives me a lot more options. I also used it for the recordings. Hans plays a Trace Elliot TE 1215 combo 1×15 bass with a SansAmp. As for the guitars, we recently selected custom guitars from Segler, which we are very pleased with. Gustl plays Pearl and Meinl cymbals, and we record digitally.

We thank them very much DAILY INSANITY and you personally Gene for your time and we hope to see you live soon in Greece, the Metallurgy I wish you the best of luck with your new release and future plans

First of all, thank you very much for the nice interview and your support! We hope to impress the Greek metal fans with the new album and we definitely plan to play some concerts in Greece in the near future!

Metal is not a passing phase!

The interview was conducted by Metalourgio