I am fine thanks and I hope you´re fine too, no need to thanks is always a pleasure talking about D.A.M and also thanks for the opportunity to be here.

Well it´s a long history... D.A.M´s origin is related to three things and I will talk about one (actually two). In 2009 I was playing in a melodic death metal band called Excaliburn and I was in my third year in the Music College at Ouro Preto(my hometown). I was about one year without playing anything related to metal because I focused one year only studying Classical music at the piano and researching about the composers to have a deeper understanding about their composition techniques. So that was the situation in 2009: I was learning the most awesome disciplines in College(Counterpoint, Harmony and musical analysis for example) and playing in a band with the sonority I like most, so it was a natural process to blend it in my compositions. I made the first experiments in that year with composition techniques and had lot of fun playing with Excaliburn, so it was a inspiring year and I don´t know how many songs I did composed in that year, EP Possessed was a kind of the best culmination featuring the techniques I did research and my final work in college was a monograph explaining my way of compose. Sadly(or not) everything in this style of compose is extremely controlled to make a deeper form and thematic connection, and I wasn't so open minded in that year so eventually Excaliburn ended and D.A.M became my solo project. Now I did found some great guys to play together and they understand my compositional needs and after recording the material connected to the EP Possessed I have plans to work like a band in the compositional way too.

Everything I do for D.A.M I try to connect the idea of something more, hidden, because that is how the music works. So the lyrics, the artworks, the name of the band itself, in everything I try to put some mystery and hidden messages on it because in my humble opinion reflects the way the songs were composed. There´s a lot of hidden connections between songs( each other and individually) and is something that is probably hard to realize hearing, only "investigating" the scores and making a deep musical analysis you can find those connections. Because of the mystery in that fact and the message of the lyrics I made a option to put an acronym in the name´s band, it´s actually a secret what D.A.M means, but reading the lyrics , reflecting about our sonority and looking artworks you can have lot of good hints of what it could be.

I would describe as something with a great dualism. Because if you hear the songs they are fun, you know you can enjoy a lot hearing it, sound´s simple but at the same time, behind this simplicity there´s  a complex song with lot of connections and compositional techniques. It´s like, if you are a headbanger that wants to have fun, enjoy music, drink something you can find what you want there, but if you are the kind of headbanger that likes to study music and make researches to improve yourself you can find lot of things to help you there too. Dualism is something that is inside us all, light and darkness and many other things, so based in this philosofical way of thinking and about the songs itself I would say that I can describe D.A.M´s music as a great dualism.

It was really fun working in the Possessed EP, because I made what I like, I guess I put my entire life on it, it´s my sincere thoughts and feelings. I composed it in 2009, write the monography in 2011, changed from my hometown and start to work and have problems with myself  'will I keep on music or not?". So recording was a superation of problems that appears in our lifes and distracts us from our dreams, and also a commitment I made with music again, because it´s five years since it was composed, I had college to finish, started to work and slowly music wasn´t the most important thing in my life and that made me feel truly depressed. So releasing this work is my way to show 'hey music, I love you more than everything' and I don´t want D.A.M´s next release to be in 2018 hahaha, so I am totally focused in music and D.A.M now.

The best inspiration to write about dark side of human mind is to look inside us! Look the world around us! Everyone have problems, and things we can´t find a solution, so every day I look a little inside myself and to others too. Many things come from my life, but I like to read a lot because it´s inspiring you know? There´s a lot of literature and sometimes I have some crazy dreams that helps me a lot! Inspiration to lyrics in Possessed EP, are related with a hidden and personal part of my life, music main inspiration was the techniques from classical music.

In my humble opinion Portuguese don´t suits well in Heavy Metal´s aesthetics, the words don´t blend too well with the sonority, you know? Color of the words? But I always put a translation together with the lyrics, thinking in the message I want to pass to people here.

We are selling the mp3 downloads, it´s available worldwide, people can buy directly with us at dametalband@gmail.com asking for it, we use pay pal for people outside Brazil and bank deposit with people here. People also can buy it on Reverbnation but it´s more expensive. We are asking 3 American dollars(6 reais in Brazil) for it in Reverbnation it does cost 6 American dollars. The download include Lyrics and artwork too.

http://www.reverbnation.com/store/view_item_album/artist_3305709?item_id=1777260

My biggest dream is to help people with my words and music. When I was younger Heavy Metal helped me a lot to face my own demons, so I want to help people that were like me in the past. I wish also that my research and applications of Classical music techniques in my songs became a reference to people who make Heavy Metal songs and even other styles. Classical music is truly rich, would be nice it having more space and being kind of revived but in new aesthetics, in college they usually explore musical textures and the sonority is usually something that people don´t like a lot, so exploring compositional techniques to create something people can enjoy and have fun with it and also can discover new applications, that would be awesome!

Wow I have many idols and influences in a lot of different styles. But I can say that were three more important ones. First was Tuomas Holopainen with Nightwish that was my greatest influence in 2005, then Jari Mäenpää with Ensiferum and later Wintersun that was my greatest influence in 2006/2007 and finally Classical composers and their awesome techniques that I started to discover in 2007 and apply until today. But as a fan the most truly awesome band for me will always be Iron Maiden, they are the best in the world!

Well I have many material composed, I want to record it all and also do awesome concerts for people, promoting fun and spreading heavy metal around the world with our Metalheads brothers! I want to release a full album that will contain 12 new songs and maybe a release a single before with two extra tracks! My plan is to release in october the album.

Brazil is a very musical rich country with lot of different styles to assimilate, we have great culture there, but you know that we are considered a "third world country" so we have social problems that affect directly musicians or people that want to work with music.  In consequence of that people have less equipment and less formal study, what affect a little the "music making". But is a very rich musical country and ironically that problems we have made new solutions and new practices appear what is actually good!

Thanks a lot for the opportunity Katarzyna and Metal temple. You are a very kind person I enjoyed a lot our interview. I would like to thank all the people that are supporting D.A.M, there´s lot of kind words coming from you all, keep checking us because we are working to give you the best heavy metal concerts we can and more music will come for your fun! I would like to invite people to meet our social media and interact with us:

Email address: dametalband@gmail.com
Facebook: D.A.M | Facebook
Myspace: https://new.myspace.com/dametalband
Reverbnation: D.A.M Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/d-a-m-band
Twitter: @OfficialDAMBAND
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DAMBANDTUBE

Thanks a lot everyone, wish you the best

Guilherme de Alvarenga