reach out

by huixian

Photos Courtesy of Deviant

Contrary to what some may believe – even before they heard its music – Deviant (http://www.myspace.com/deviantsg) is not a new born into the local metal scene with Jay Chou as one of its influences. A band that currently comprises of Minghui (vocals, guitar), Isaac (guitar) and Saufee (drummer), it debuted in 1998, with huge ambitions of reaching out to the world. Aging Youth sits down with Minghui for a lowdown on the band and to see what this amazing act has to offer.

Okay, let’s start off with a little background information about the band. When was it formed?

Deviant started off in 1998 as a five piece band. Then it dwindled down to a three piece with me as the sole guitarist and singer. For about two years (during 2000 to 2001), we gigged several times. To cut the whole thing short, there were a lot of member changes. Mostly, we were a three piece act. But when we gigged extensively, we were four.

The band eventually split up. I eventually hooked up with another drummer. From a three piece, Deviant became a two piece. Less than a year later, Isaac came in. After his inclusion, we decided to do an EP. We wanted to do a full length at first. But the songs were a bit old already as they were composed before Isaac came in. So we thought, “Why not we just do an EP which comprises of five songs. Then we’ll start on a new plate with Isaac?” The songs you hear on the EP were all mine – Isaac just added a bit of guitar solos and stuff. If anyone is interested in getting a copy of our EP, they can just drop us a message at www.myspace.com/deviantsg.

So the EP is sorta your baby! Which is your favorite track?

All of the tracks are my babies! But if I have to choose, I would choose the last track ‘Private Hell’. It took me a long time to write that kind of song. It’s more melody-driven and took me quite a while to structure the melody and the lyrics. So that song is the most satisfying for me.

You mentioned starting on a new plate with Isaac. Tell us more about it. How is the Deviant’s music different with Isaac’s inclusion?

Well, I wrote the songs in the EP a few years back. So they may be kind of dated. We wanted to do a different kind of metal with Isaac’s ideas. He is more of a technical player and he got a lot of weird ideas! The music we’re working on is better, faster and more metal… The songs on the EP are groovier, but to us now, they’re a bit slow. The new songs that we have now are much harsher and are more difficult to play. We try to challenge ourselves. The new songs we write now are darker and more evil. We have a lot of dark-sounding riffs. Things are definitely crazier now!

I see! What is the process of making music like for Deviant?

Normally, either Isaac or I will come up with the riffs but I am more of the arranger in the band. When I write songs, I can visualize which riffs are more suitable for verses, breakdowns or choruses.

The lyrics always come last. For now, the lyrics are based on what I see or hear. And I try to write more positive stuff, instead of about hate. I write about things I don’t see eye to eye with. Metal is a form of rebellious music. I have friends and colleagues who, after listening to my music, ask me “Why you so angry? You not happy is it?” Haha.

Metal music is an outlet for me to express myself. Certain issues I want to bring across have to be presented in a harsher manner. We try to put what we can’t say outright into these songs. You know, some things if you say it outright, you’ll get into trouble with the government! For our upcoming full length release, we deal with issues such as materialism. Actually, we’re short of a bass player right now. But regardless, I am aiming for the album to be finished by the end of June 2007. We have three completed songs already.

Alright, what are Deviant’s influences?

Saufee listens to all kind of crap such as funk, new age, Bob Marley, Judas Priest, etc. Haha. He’s not your typical metal drummer but he can definitely deliver the goods! Issac and I listen to a lot of nu-metal bands such as Lamb of Gods. Saufee is more into the old school bands such as Slayer.

You said Deviant gigged more during 2000-2001. Why the decline of gigs later on?

We rejected some gigs. To me, playing gigs is to showcase your bands’ ability to write original songs. Playing covers is to show people the songs or the bands which we like. But the crowd here is not very receptive to originals. We no longer get the satisfaction of gigging. Majority of gig-goers prefer familiar songs which are, more often than not, cover songs. And we don’t really want to do that.

I guess Deviant gets the satisfaction from making originals and recording albums then. What do you hope to achieve with your originals?

Originals are more for our self consumption. With our recordings, we hope to reach out to a wider audience with these originals. Nobody wants to hear an album full of covers. We focus more on the overseas audience.

Overseas?

Yes, such as the UK, Greece, Australia, the US and Canada. We’ve been sending our album together with our press kit to webzines, record labels and published magazines. If they’re interested, they’d get in touch with us. If they’re not... well, no harm trying.

We got a distribution deal in Australia recently. There’s this CD store which wants 30 CDs from us. That’s a good start. Isaac said that the owner of the store heard our stuff and said our sound is alright. But we’re not as polished as other overseas bands yet, so he only offered us AUD3.50 per CD. Haha. Well, at least some people appreciate our music and that’s a good start.

That’s great! But is it hard getting noticed overseas?

You need to be really thick-skin and tell people that your stuff is good. I mailed near to 100 CDs already, but I only got two responses so far. It’s not easy to get noticed. But well, it’s a gamble; die trying.

A lot of bands just play to be famous. And they are happy just to play to the local crowd. That’s why several bands play covers, just so they can be well-received. The mindsets of these bands are very different from that Deviant’s. Well, the furthest these bands reach is Thailand. I don’t care whether a lot of people ask us to play gigs or whether we are sought after here. But I think here, we need bands to really get noticed overseas and act as examples for others. And I think a few bands have managed to do that.

And what are these bands?

Bhelliom is one. Raspatul is another. Impiety, too. Impiety is actually quite popular in Europe and the US, if I am not wrong. Raspatul got signed to a Canadian label, if I am not wrong too.

OK, are there any local metal bands you personally like?

I like Raspatul. I like Manifest as well but they have already split up. It plays metal core. I like a lot of older bands such as Ossuary and One Man Down. One Man Down’s style is similar to Rage Against The Machine. These older bands are bands which I really look up to. Ossuary is more of your typical heavy thrash band. I think they’re still around but I think they released an album 10 years back. Haha. I haven’t heard much about them ever since.

One last question! Why the name Deviant?

I just thought the name sounds cool. The word looks quite “stylo” with the ‘v’ in the middle. Haha. It means different from normal anyway. Well I think there’s a techno band in the States called Deviant, too. And there’s a death metal band in Sweden called Deviant as well. So err… let’s see who gets famous first lah! Haha.