Swedish metal outfit Dreamshade have released their overall fourth full-length effort, A Pale Blue Dot earlier this month (read our review here). We caught up with the group’s Kevin Cali and asked him to share five things they learned while writing and recording their new album during the COVID-19 pandemic.
01) The approach in songwriting during this pandemic period has led us to discover a new way to compose and work together. Working remotely and not being able to confront each other face to face as usual was certainly a novelty for us. This did not negatively affect the way of working, on the contrary it almost seems to have sped up some processes that perhaps in the past had seemed more cumbersome. Despite the difficulties we encountered due to the lockdown, we did not let ourselves be discouraged and continued to work with enthusiasm. Everything came out so naturally and without any forcing that the album took shape in no time.
02) We learned to appreciate who we are and what we do. There have certainly been ups and downs, but in the end we have always had the drive and the desire to look beyond and give ourselves and others proof of our solidity and strength. Indeed, one of the things we’re proudest of is the relationship that we’ve been able to build with our fans during the last 15 years. Only after situations like these you understand how much your music can help people.
03) We have become aware of how important it is to return to “normalcy.” We are living in a unique historical period in which we move further and further away from each other, we keep our distance and little by little we lose that human contact we were used to. We are realizing that we need a new emotional charge and a new way of thinking and dealing with everyday life. That’s why with this album we would like to urge today’s generation to take care of others and the beauty that surrounds us. It is this “energy” and the motivation we need, which will give us the strength to return to a more peaceful life and certainly more aware than before of what is at stake if we were to lose it.
04) Personally, thanks to this period I was able to put my head and my life in order. Not that it didn’t go well before but when you are always in a hurry you don’t notice many things happening around you and you take many more for granted. Life runs next to you and you don’t even notice it. Let’s say that I managed to take some time for myself, my family and my life in general. This lockdown has somehow recharged my batteries, it has given me a new enthusiasm. I took advantage of this situation to reorganize myself and be ready to start again when the time comes.
05) As a band I can say that not being able to organize ourselves for shows and tours we took advantage of the situation to look forward and think about the future. We concentrated on preparing as best we could for the release of our latest album in March and at the same time we’re ready to work on new music and new ideas we have. We are very excited and look forward to sharing this new chapter with the world. We must not be discouraged but in fact react and prepare ourselves as best we can for when this whole crazy situation will end.
