With:	Marco Kehren [Vocals, guitars]
Conducted by:	KwonVerge
Published:	06.07.2005
Band profile:	Deinonychus

- First of all I'd like to ask you to give us a brief information concerning the history of the band for the music fans that haven't heard of you.

Deinonychus was founded in late 1992 as a one-man band, out of the ashes of Malefic Oath; a dutch blackmetal band I used to play in before. The first works of Deinonychus where very black metal orientated with goth-influences, later it all became more heavy with lots of doom influences and partly death metal influences. In the past 11 years Deinonychus recorded 1 demo, and 6 full-length albums. And for the past 5 years I collaborated with several musicians to record my albums. For more information I'd like to refer the readers to the brand new Deinonychus website at www.deinonychus.net.


- Deinonychus; it is the name of a dinosaur that despite his small shape could bring death to stronger and bigger opponents with its deadly nails. How does the name of this dinosaur pace with the meaning behind Deinonychus as a band? Personally, the meaning/feeling I get while listening to your music is "dying" from within, as if deadly nails were scarring deep my inner self?

The name Deinonychus doesn't refer in any way to the music the band plays. I just found the name very obscure, and in my opinion doesn't sound metal-ish. However, the meaning behind the name Deinonychus pointing out to this dinosaurs claws; did catch my interest at first. And your description above does fit in very well now I think about it. The music is very intense and might leave scars ha ha.


- Let's go to your latest release, "Insomnia". I'd like to congratulate you for such a wonderful album, it really struck me down!

Thank you for your compliments. I must say that at first I had my doubts about "Insomnia" as this album was the first album in my entire "career" which had the most simple approach in riff-structures as ever before. Even if it was intentional, I had my doubts on it. But ever since the album has been finished I have to face that the album has been a successful project. The simple riffing combined with this wall of sound just makes the album so obscure and heavy. As well the very slow parts and length of the songs. It was a risk, but after all very worthwhile. People into very slow and heavy doom-death surely going to appreciate this work. I wonder what will come next?..


- In "Insomnia" you chose to express yourself in more straight to your face ways of expression whereas your previous release, "Mournument", was an album aggressive still, but way more dark and bleak in its overall atmosphere. "Insomnia" seems to have a more intellectual bleakness expressed through a more aggressive prism.

Yes, that's very true. And I have to say, that even it might look simple to others to write good simple structured songs; I had a hard time doing this. It was my intention from the beginning, that after "Mournument" I chose to throw off all this complex ballast of complexity in emotional expression, and chose to go for the in-your-face method. So, all I did was just writing the structures of the songs, and just took those with me to the studio in Italy, and started to record from there, and see where it ends. Never thought that it took me double the time to record this album than "Mournument". If you see that the first song "Nightfalls guides insomnia?." Is basically a song made out of just 1 riff can still be various in it's way with so much atmosphere, and yet took me so much time to make it as it is. Yet the primitive approach in the song structures made it possible to make the album so heavy and bombastic.






- The music paces with the lyrics; how do you work on your compositions? You write first the lyrics and then you dress with music or you compose the music and then you write the lyrics? Or something in between?

First I write all music, once done with that I listen to the instrumental parts over and over, and analyze the atmosphere derived in the songs. Once done. I think what concept fits the songs most, and start to write the lyrics. I'm actually a very fast lyricist. It takes me just 3 days to finish the lyrics of whole an album. I just have this vein in me to create intellect and structured word puzzles which end up in complex stories creating human emotions. Emotions most humans just not want to feel at all.


- Concerning the lyrical concept behind "Insomnia", it deals with distressful situations of the mind affecting the body just like insomnia, paranoia, inner demons or these are metaphors, a veil, to express something deeper? They harmonize wonderfully also with the claustrophobic/lethargic cover of the album!

No you're absolutely right. The concept behind the lyrics are all connected with distressfull situations like that of an insomniac. Someone who suffers from post traumatic stress or other psychotic disabilities . I' ve tried to combine the mental suffering together with the physical suffering into a whole with various results in the end. It all might go a little deeper than that, but I find it hard to explain. If I look at the lyrics right now, they seem to look really insane, but do impress me a lot. This album isn't about the ordinary metal-thing which crosses you every time, there's just more to that. And one needs to invest time in it, to understand.


- Generally, your lyrics seem to be quite personal, esoteric and bleak. When do you write lyrics? I guess you drown in other worlds when the time comes to express your inner feelings?

You have to know that I'm that type of person whose mind never stops thinking, unless I project on something totally irrelevant to me. If that moment appears, I start to write lyrics and better do that fast, before something else catches my attention again. In that very moment I can project my feelings and thoughts at best.


- What kind of music do you like listening to? Your preferences seem to be quite various and I enjoyed the fact that in the thank list of "Insomnia" except for metal bands you referred to Funker Vogt, VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk, some of the most promising electro/EBM bands (I am a fan of them).

Oh I listen to quite a various genre of music, metal, pop, EMB, Neo-folk, classic, soundtracks etc. I just pick up emotional traces out of music, and one can find them in all kinds of genres, as well I dig a little deeper in the conceptional background given in music such as lyrics and atmosphere. I even say that might enjoy music on another level than most people do.
There where most people might think that Apoptygma Berzerk is just an EMB band just like many others, I think that they're quite special, as they are very serious in attempting to combine their music together with their lyrics in an unique way. Also very disturbing and very intelligent.






- Which bands do you think have influenced you generally?

I keep saying this for years now and have to repeat myself over and over again, but I think that AT THE GATES is still one of my main influences. They where one of these very unique bands which had it all in balance; lyrics, music, atmosphere. I really envy them for that, superb. Ofcourse there're more bands which do influence me, but they're rather irrelevant to mention if you ask me. Though I still like to put here HOLY TERROR!


- How do you see nowadays' Doom Metal scene?

Well?.now I have to make a surprising confession?? I know shit about the doom metal scene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't listen to doom music at all, except from such older bands as Candlemass etc. The fact that I play slow music is that I just like it. I can understand that people refer to my music as doom, but nowadays I'm not that connected to the metal scene anymore as before. In my life just other things have more priority. But deep inside I never will lose that passion with metal as I ever had.


- You started Deinonychus as a black metal band; how did the band evolve throughout the years? Could you please tell us a few words about your albums up to now? How do you feel when you look back?

The progression in Deinonychus' musicstyle was a natural progression rather than some worked out formular away from blackmetal as it used to be. But yet I think it was also linked to the kind of music I preferred to listen to at certain periods, but more in an emotional way rather than adapting styles.
The first album " The silence of December" was very blackmetal oriented but ill executed if you ask me. Back then I didn't have the right experience to record a full-length album on my own, and the budget was very small which limited me in my time to record the album.
"The weeping of a thousand years" was a slower and more goth-oriented album, and headed more towards the direction where Deinonychus stands now. I think this album also was rather in an experimental phase, and due the limited budget also too ill executed.
"ark of thought" was the first Deinonychus album which I really considered a good piece of work, an album where I finally got everything the way I wanted. More doomish and heavy. Than the self-titled album came out as a very heavy doom oriented album, and finally got me where I wanted to be. From thereon things just got the easy way as I finally found the right sound for Deinonychus, resolving in the two albums "mournument" and "insomnia".
Looking back at all these albums?. I think Deinonychus made a rather chaotic start, but finally got where it has to be.






- You are the main figure behind Deinonychus. I guess this gives you the freedom to express freely yourself without any resctriciton?

Yes it does, but in a way it also does restrict me in things, as everything coming out of my pen, is projected on myself, as where things might push a bit with other inspirational resources. As I experienced for the first time when I started to work with a drummer and a keyboarder which I gave all the space to compose their own ideas into my music, and the results where better, as all done by myself.


- My Kingdom Music Records is your own label? And if so, do you intend to expand this label with other bands or it is only for the support of Deinonychus?

No? MKM is a label from Italy runned by Francesco Palumbo. MKM is a young ambitious label with future if you ask me.


- How does the future seem for Deinonychus? I know it's a bit early to talk about a new album, but are there any new ideas and views concerning the future sound of Deinonychus?

Well for the time being, I' ve decided to slow down things a bit and concentrate more on my private life. At the moment I also lack any inspiration to write new stuff, I just need this new impulse to get me going, but this might take some time.
As for a new album? I guess that I'll concentrate on that not earlier than 2006, but can tell you that it will be harder than "insomnia"!!!!!


- I'd like to thank you for giving me the chance to interview you, it was an honor! Close the interview in any way you like with some lyrics of Deinonychus?

Well thanks in return for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions. Ha ha ha, it just showed me that I got somewhat sloppy in answering interviews. I can tell you that running a band all by myself is quite nerv-taking, and that interviews aren't really my cup of tea anymore. But I enjoyed to answer yours!

Well I guess I have nothing more to add??