While on tour with Feuerswchanz, Dr. Dead, lead singer of zombie metal band DOMINUM, took a few minutes to chat with us about the band's second and latest album, The Dead Don't Die. With its darker moods than the previous album, this is a real turning point in the band's career. Find out what frontman Dr. Dead has to say about the origin of the band's name, the album and future concerts (interview below)!
The Dead Don't Die may be darker, but there's always a positive side. According to the band's singer, “you can get something positive out of every song”. And that's the beauty of the band's music. The lyrics are dark, the mood's dark, but as you delve into the images and metaphors, you find positive messages and life lessons.
This is clearly the band's trademark, even defining it as the album that comes closest to them and who they really are.
The album was introduced by the eponymous track released in October 2024, featuring Feuerschwanz. And while this track was much appreciated and became the album's 'hit single', it's Can't Kill A Dead Man that will remain the singer's favorite. Although not widely heard by fans, this song was a real pleasure for Dr. Dead to record, and represents a real live challenge that he can't wait to measure up to.
Because, let's face it, DOMINUM is first and foremost a live band! With set designs that immerse us in their universe and costumes that change throughout the set, the band know how to put their audience in the mood of their lore while delivering an impeccable performance.
If you missed the Fegefeuer Tour, don't worry, you'll be able to catch DOMINUM in England with Glory Hammer in February 2025! And if England is inaccessible to you, the album (available on all platforms) will keep you going until future dates are announced!
And, of course, we leave you the interview right below !
INTERVIEW
So, hello, everybody. We're here today with Dr. Dead from Dominum. How are you?
Dr. Dead - Hello. Thank you. I'm good. Not too bad. How are you?
I'm great. So you're at the venue right now. Where are you playing tonight?
Dr. Dead - We already played. This is why I look like a zombie myself.We played in Haarlem, which is in the Netherlands. Yesterday we played Eindhoven and those were the first two shows of our tour with Feuerschwanz and Orden Ogan, the Fegefeuer tour, which already started back in April and May, but now we're going international and also coming to France tomorrow, actually.
So we're here to talk about your upcoming album, The Dead Don't Die, that will be out on December 27th. So do you have one word to describe this album and why ?
Dr. Dead - That's a tough one, I would say. Dark. I think the record is way darker than the one before. I mean, in the little press release that you received it surely says “yeah, it's more epic and more dark and blah, blah, blah… It sounds like it was made on purpose”... but actually, we just let the vibes go and just went with the flow. And we played so many shows last year that we discovered better who we are on the road than before. Because Dominum was created during COVID which means that we couldn't really try out stuff. We just did the things as best we could. But in the end, you never know how people are going to react and how it is going to be like. I remember the first show that we ever did was in Hamburg. And I remember it like it was today. We were standing backstage and they were asking us because nothing was released. Nothing. No press photo, no music. We didn't even have a homepage… It was just some friends who took us on tour with them. So we were standing backstage and wondering, “what is going to happen in two minutes? Are they going to, like, party with us or are they going to laugh at us and just go get a beer?”. So we didn't know who we were. But now we played over 60 shows this year, which is insane. And got to know who we are better. Because playing a show is not only playing music for people, it's also receiving reactions, like, at a show, it's something that we do all together, right? And to me, it feels like being with a therapist, because it's the same thing. A therapist asks you one question and then you talk for 60 Minutes. And afterwards you know better who you are. Right? That's the concept. And so those shows feel like therapy for us. And the second record now is the result of that.
So you feel like the second album is more you ? More Dominum ?
Dr. Dead - Yeah, exactly. I mean, we had the picture of who we could be at the beginning, but as we were playing those shows, we just got deeper into our whole vibe.
And why this name? Why did you choose Dominum?
Dr. Dead - So searching a name for your band is actually quite a difficult task. And especially when you're not 13 anymore. Because when you are 13 and form your first band, you just take something that sounds very cool. Finding a name for your band when you are at the end of your 20s is a bit more difficult. And like, we had billions of names… Maybe not billions, but hundreds of names on our phones and we're texting each other every day. “What about this name?” Sometimes there was a name, we were like, “all right, cool. That could be it”. And then on the next day, you look at it again and you are embarrassed of yourself for inventing that name. But we kept on writing songs. And then the song Immortalis Dominum came, and then one guy of our team said “well, what about, like, just Dominum? “ And we were like, “yeah, let's sleep over it”. Because we've had that phenomenon before, we liked something on day one and on day two, it was shit. But on day two, it was still fine. And after sleeping seven times over it, we were like “That sounds like a deal”. And now that's our name.
And you got that vibe with your band, which is like really old hard rock, like Metallica or Iron Maiden. But you also got that theatrical vibe. Do you have influences for that?
Dr. Dead - No, no, no. We are just very dramatic people. This is why the music sounds so dramatic. [laughs] No, of course. That could be a thing. Like, you can't escape your socialization, right? So the stuff that you listen to when you're 12 to 16 years old, this music you will probably listen for your whole life. And during this time, I listened to a lot of Slipknot and a lot of Ozzy Osborne, but also to a lot of Rocky Horror Picture Show. This might be the reason for the dramatic influence in Dominum.
And with that theatrical vibe, you also got the theatrical vision on stage. Have you already prepared, like, some scenarios, some costumes for the songs of this new album for your future shows?
Dr. Dead - Of course. We have a whole new set of outfits for the second record. We wanted to make a 360 degree upgrade. And of course, when you attend a Dominum headline show, you will get the full load of Dominum and there will be costume changes, of course, and there will be different scenarios during the show. So, of course, we try to get that theatrical aspect also on stage and make it as entertaining as possible. Because if you have a zombie band, you have the advantage of not being able to just play music. You can also just have visual aspects that you can entertain people with. And this is what we try to do, of course.
So you're really having fun with all of this.
Dr. Dead - We absolutely have fun every night.
And you opened this new album with the eponymous track, The Dead Don't Die. Why did you choose to open this new era with this track?
Dr. Dead - Because it just felt right to have this new era opening up with this statement. Because The Dead Don't Die is a pretty heavy statement. It sounds simple, but it's also true. And it was also a good statement for the new musical direction that we are aiming for. I mean, new is a big word, but this darker thing that we've talked about before. And also the record is called The Dead Don't Die. The tour is called The Dead Don't Die. It's just a very logical thing to do, I think.
And this track in particular has a dark storytelling, but on a lullaby rhythm. Why did you choose the lullaby rhythm for this?
Dr. Dead - I mean, it's. It was just a funny idea, I guess. It's to make a children's lullaby, a horror-esque metal song and whatever sounds crazy. We tried and this is what we did. And when we wrote the song, we listened to it afterwards and we were like “all right, let's do it”.
And I was wondering what your creative process is? Because at the beginning of the album we really have that dark hard rock vibe. But when we're going through the album, it's getting more and more, maybe a little synth wave / symphonic, a little more electric. And it ends with The Guardians Of The Night, which is really more synth wave than the others, but I feel it's going crescendo.
Dr. Dead - Well, I never thought about this actually. But you might be right here. I mean, basically we don't really like to think about this as is it too synth wavy or is it too this or this is too that? We just do what we feel like doing and if it feels right, it's hopefully good, at least for us. But yeah, when you do the order for songs in a record, it's a very, very hard thing because you want to have a good line and that there are not too many ups and downs. And so the record tells a story. But in the end. Yeah, you're absolutely right. And it ends with The Guardians of Night, which is the most synth wavy thing we've ever done so far, I think. But I mean also the COVID looks maybe a bit like this. So we thought that it's maybe kind of a cool idea to end the album with that song that also fits the COVID.
Do you have some songs that didn't make it to the record that you would have liked to have on it?
Dr. Dead - Well, we do have some songs. Because we are constantly writing songs, it's not that we say “all right, today we're going to write a record and in two weeks we are done”. No, this is not how it works here because we try to write songs all the time and then pick the best ones. So there were a few that just didn't fit the vibe of the record. But they're not necessarily bad, but we just keep them for the next record or see whenever they will fit. But there were a few songs that we have still in the pocket that we are already working on for the next record.
That's great, can't wait to hear it !
What's your favorite song on that record?
Dr. Dead - Oh, that's a tough question. I would say it is probably an unpopular song, but it's Can't Kill A Dead Man. Because we all, like, listen to those songs a billion times. Like really a billion times. This song still feels fresh every time I listen to it. It’s funny, and it still makes me laugh. There’s always a little surprise waiting for me each time I hear it, and that’s why I’d say it’s my favorite song.
And is it the one you're most excited to play live?
Dr. Dead - Probably, but it also might be the toughest one because there's so much going on vocally. Like, it's high and low all the time and so many screams and stuff. But I'm very much looking forward to playing that live.
And what is the story that you would like to tell through this album?
Dr. Dead - Explaining lyrics is always a weird thing, but in the end, the main story is… I think you can get something positive out of every song. Even though it's a dark band and we have evil masks, evil makeup, evil everything. But in the end, we want people to feel good and not to feel bad. So in the end, the album has a very positive vibe, I think. And if you want to, you can get something out of every song.
Concerning Killed by Life, you got that little rhythm that is at the beginning and that replays through the chorus. And I was wondering if you were influenced by anything for this rhythm.
Dr. Dead - For the rhythm. You mean in Killed by Life? Not necessarily. This melody came just. Why? Do you have any idea?
Yeah, actually, it made me think of Friendly Fire by Linkin Park.
Dr. Dead - Friendly Fire by Linkin Park. I will listen to that song right after this interview. That was not a conscious inspiration. But, I mean, you are inspired by everything that you listen to daily. So when you listen to a lot of Cannibal Corpse, your music might sound a bit like Cannibal Corpse. And if you listen to a lot of Linkin park, you might write songs that go in that direction. So this is it. That might be no surprise because Linkin park is a great band, obviously, so might be an unconscious influence maybe.
And talking about Linkin park, who did their great comeback this year, do you have a band you'd like to see coming back?
Dr. Dead - That's a difficult question because most of my favorite bands are still alive. Still playing. I mean, what would be really great is to see Ozzy one more time because we were at one show, which was a great experience and then we bought tickets for the next shows, but those got all canceled because of his health condition. But we're still hoping that he might come back to Germany and then we are sure gonna go there.
What would be your dream band to open for ?
Dr. Dead - I would say that's probably Ghost. I think that would be a great fit. I mean, we like the music and obviously, I don't know if you can tell, but we all listen to a lot of Ghost music. So maybe we have some influences there. And I'm sure that people who like Ghost also might like Dominum. So that might be a good fit maybe.
I agree with that !
Last thing. Do you have a message for your fans?
Dr. Dead - Yes. Don't get bitten by the wrong ones.
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