Interview with David Ingram
(Down Among the Dead Men, Ursinne,
Just Before Dawn, Echelon,
ex-Benediction, ex-Bolt Thrower, ex-Downlord,
ex-Hail Of Bullets)
Just Before Dawn, Echelon,
ex-Benediction, ex-Bolt Thrower, ex-Downlord,
ex-Hail Of Bullets)
Hail David, hellcome to my little weblog, Archangel’s
Lantern! First of all congratulations to you for the amazing debut album Ursinne, called ”Swim with the
Leviathan”. Tell us a little bit the beginnings of ”Fury”, songwriting process
with Jonny Pettersson (Skineater, Syn:drom, Just Before Dawn, Wombbath,
Ashcloud, etc.) and your lyrical themes.
“Fury”? Where did you get that? (I've used word
"Fury" but Dave told me, that
Ursinne means "Rage" in old Swedish) -- //GF//
- I can remember the recording process and the weeks we spent in the studio very well. Plus the nights in the pub afterwards. They were good days, and having the other guys come in to the studio for guest vocals was a great party, too. The recording studio was some distance away, but to travel there was always a good laugh.
You joined the forces of Swedish War machine Just Before
Dawn for some selected live shows and I
really hope to see you live, maybe in Hungary and/or in Slovakia. Tell the readers some important information about
new album of Just Before Dawn "Tides Of Blood" what will be
released through Raw Skull Records early 2018 (and will feature the following
old school Death Metal vocalists: You, Ralf Hauber Revel in Flesh, Matias
Nastolin Decaying, David Ingram ex-Bolt Thrower / Benediction, Adrie
Kloosterwaard-Sinister, Jocke Mikiver CRAWL, Teddy Möller The Hidden, etc.)
- I can’t say too much about it for now, but I can tell you that there’s a few songs on there that I wrote lyrics for and sang on. I’m very much looking forward to hearing everyone’s reactions to it. From what I have heard so far - and if I may say so myself - the album is quite a monstrous one! Getting back out live with JBD next year will be excellent, I’m totally stoked to go tread the boards once more.
You've started Down Among the Dead Men in 2013 along with Rogga Johansson and after two great albums and a split-stuff the third full-length album is on its way. Can you enlighten us more details?
- Certainly! The album will be titled “…And You Will Obey Me” and will contain 10 songs. It’s been recorded, mixed and mastered, and right now we are getting the cover art finalized and the inner sleeve finished off. Then we will be making a press release, and maybe even teasing a track too. It won’t be a long wait until the album drops. Trust me, if you liked the first 2 releases then you’re gonna LOVE this one!
Hello, Anita!
- My everyday life keeps my mind active, along with multiple
TV shows and movies, and - of course - BOOKS! If a musician quits because they
have no inspiration then they must be incredibly boring people. Inspiration
from within oneself breeds creativity. Since 2013 I have released 5 albums,
with another 6 being planned for the next 2 years…so 11 albums in 6 years? And
I have no sign of stopping yet. There are still many types and styles of music
within the extreme genre that I wish to try.
I have in my collection your previous Danish Death band's Downlord EP, ”Grind Trials”, and I must say it is just an amazing one as the full-length ”Random Dictionary of the Damned”. Please share with us some thoughts about your past activity with them.
- Downlord originally began with the name Full Scale Hatred (as one of the songs were titled) but we wanted to change it to be a little more diverse. It seemed like a good idea at the time, anyway! That band came about some 18 months after my departure from Bolt Thrower, and it was my way of beginning recovery after my mental breakdown. In fact, the one song called “Hate Brace” was written about my psychologist back then. It was a good time for us, and we completed the tasks we set ourselves and decided to call it a day once they were completed. Myself and guitarist Donovan Spenceley (also my best friend) moved on to begin our online radio show “Metal Breakfast Radio” - more on that later!
- Echelon came about while Rogga and I were working on the second Down Among The Dead Men album (“Exterminate! Annihilate! Destroy!”) as on that album we did a cover of Anvil’s “Forged In Fire.” Rogga said he’d not played anything quite like that and asked if I was interested in making something similar. What eventually arrived was the debut Echelon album (“Indulgence Over Abstinence Behind The Obsidian Veil”) and we decided to keep the band going. The second album was released late last year, titled “The Brimstone Aggrandizement” to much high acclaim, on Transcending Obscurity Records. We have already begun to write the third album now, so it will be ready for the new year - maybe before if we work fast enough.
A couple of years ago you started Metal Breakfast
Radio. Would you be so kind to tell about its beginning of and about current
shows in brief?
- As stated, this began after my band Downlord had ended. My friend Donovan and I wanted to make a show that was different to others. It began very similar to most shows but we soon changed the format and it has evolved into the beast it is today. It’s been going 9 and a half years, with still high popularity, so we must be doing something right. On the show we play bands’ new releases, hearing them for the very first time and giving our reactions to the songs in real time and over the music. It’s a little like a metal version of The Gong Show. It can be funny, it can be scathing, we can be obnoxious, we are always a bit drunk…BUT it’s always for entertainment purposes. Some bands complain about what we say of them, but it just means they are in the wrong business if they can’t take criticism of their music.
Hello Dave, which Actor played the role of your favourite
Doctor Who? In your earliest memory watching Doctor Who as a child, which
episode stands out as being the most scariest, if any? (A question from
Barbara, Northern Ireland)
- Hello Barbara! I
was never particularly scared of anything ON the show itself, and I watched it
from a very early age. I’ll explain that in a moment, but what DID scare me was
the title music. That howl sent shivers along my spine and as I child I found
it disturbing. That was the only time I was scared of anything on the show. As
for favourite actor, it’s impossible for me to choose as they all have unique
properties that were endearing to their incarnation of the character. To quote
Brigadier Aleister Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, “Splendid fellow, all of them.”
Here’s something I’ve only shared a handful of times before.
It’s in regard to how Doctor Who has had
a big influence on me and my life, and why:
I was born January 25th 1969 at 3pm precisely. It was at
home, my Grandmother was midwife, and I was a healthy 11lb baby (that’s pretty
fucking heavy for a newborn.) My poor Mother had no drugs or painkillers. At
5pm she was nursing me and demanded that the television be brought up to the
bedroom, which was done so. It was switched on and she (and I) watched an
episode of Doctor Who at 5.15pm. This was the first television I “saw” and the
theme tune was no doubt the first piece of music I ever heard. I guess that’s
why the show has been such a huge part of my life, I love it with a passion.
When my Mother was dying I went to see her and took that
very same episode with me on my laptop. We watched it together, wept a little,
and knew we had both come full circle. It was time to say goodbye. She passed
away not long after.
I always get very emotional after writing about this, as one
can probably imagine.
What has been your best gig and with which band? Any newer bands you want to share with us? What are your favorite
tracks of Benediction, Bolt Thrower, Hail Of Bullets (Anita van Hussen and me,
Georgius)
- It’s impossible to say which gig was ever best as there were always things happening that made them unique. I can certainly say that my time in Bolt Thrower was something I will cherish forever. As for favourite songs, that’s tough too. I was very fond of Benediction’s “Child Of Sin” as it was something I had brought to the band from my past musical experiences (as were some later songs too) but again, there were so many. “Nightfear” was about my phobia of the dark as a young lad, “Down on Whores” (and “Born In A Fever”) showed my love of Jack the Ripper and the Victorian age, and “Shadow World”, “Carcinoma Angels”, “Ashen Epitaph” and “Magnificat” saw my love of science-fiction novels. For Bolt Thrower it was every damn track they played (and all the ones they didn’t) but I did have a certain fondness for “…For Victory” and “Tank (Mark 1)” For Hail Of Bullets it was “Red Wolves of Stalin” and I mentioned this live at one of the shows that it was my favourite. It encapsulated everything about an ideal death metal track to me. Great lyrics and a cool groove. For now I’m looking forward to playing tracks from Just Before Dawn live, and in the (near) future getting to go out with Ursinne. That will be awesome.
What are your favourite quotes? (from book(s), movie(s),
Church of Satan) Which books, movies and series you prefer nowadays?
- I could spend hours quoting the things that matter to me,
but I will just place 3 here which mean a LOT to me.
“It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful.” - Anton Szandor LaVey.
“It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful.” - Anton Szandor LaVey.
“There’s no point being grown up if you can’t be childish
sometimes.” - The Fourth Doctor.
“Champagne for real friends, real pain for sham friends.” -
Anton Szandor LaVey.
Vindicator, is a great Thrash/Death Metal horde. Its debut album, called ”Black Sacrament” was released in 2016 and in the 9th track, Venom cover, namely ”Countess Bathory”, which features two Dave Ingrams. Let’s talk a little bit about this hellish conspiracy between 2 Daves.
- I’ve known Dave Ingram Junior for a number of years. We got in touch because I found him on MySpace (remember that?) as we shared the same name AND a love for all things metal. Sadly, back then (he was VERY young, so go easy on the guy) he hadn’t heard of Bolt Thrower or Benediction, so didn’t know me. He was amazed that two guys called Dave Ingram both liked metal! He has become one of my closest friends and allies, and there will be more collaborations together in the future.
Thank you very much/Tusind tak David! Our Best wishes to
YOU!
- My thanks to YOU for the great and interesting interview!
And, of course, total gratitude to the fans for supporting all the bands and
projects I have been involved with over the last 30 years. There’s more to come
yet, too! (See below)
My current top 5 albums:
Memoriam - For The Fallen
Paganizer - Land Of Weeping Souls
Venom - Ave
Bathsheba - Severus
Nathan Gray - NTHN GRY
Links of interest:
Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr/Snapchat: @MetalBreakfast
Coming soon: TROIKADON - A triple throated band fronted by
me, Kam Lee and Karl Willetts, along with Rogga Johansson, Jonny Petterson and
Travis Ruvo.
Also coming soon: HELLFROST AND FIRE that is pure Celtic
Frost/Hellhammer worship (hence the name.) It’ll be me, Rick DeMusis, and Travis
(Echelon, Cropsy Maniac, Troikadon.)
(Questions compiled by Georgius, Anita vH (The Netherlands/Sweden)
and Barbara (Northern Ireland)
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