The No Label Needed Contest & Series is a collaboration between Metal Insider and Scion to give one unsigned artist an entire DIY music industry education and launch a release without the help of a label. We’ll be posting features and updates on the contest & series periodically on Metal Insider. Find out more about No Label Needed here.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at each of the No Label Needed finalists. Today, we’re featuring Dark Vital Flames.
Formed in 2008 in Santa Barbara, CA, the band is comprised of Anthony DeLorenzi and Sean Murray on guitar, Colton Trautz on vocals, David Conner on bass and Peter Boone on drums. Murray took some time aside from campaigning for the lead in public votes to answer a few of our questions.
Why should people vote for you over the other finalists?
The most notable reason would be that “The Architect” was only the third song we ever wrote as a band, and just a taste of what we have in store for the world. Our first song, “Dark Vital Flames,” was written when the average age of the band was 17. Now that we’re sitting on 15 solid songs, with five on top of that being composed at the moment, we feel we have progressed ten-fold as a band since our humble beginning. The new material is better structured, has more progressive/original elements, and the technicality of the music is closer to what we have always hoped to achieve; so it doesn’t come off as obnoxious or counter-intuitive to the fundamental melodies. Not to mention the fact that most of our members aren’t even 20 years old yet. We hope to tour and release albums for years to come.
Who’s career do you admire?
Mikeal Akerfeldt, Steve Wilson, Dan Swano, Ihsahn, Peter Tagtgren, Jon Nodtveidt, Jesper Stromblad, Muhammad Suicmez, Michael Keene, James Malone, Alexi Laiho and Yngwie Malmsteen.
What is the local scene like in your home town?
It’s a growing beast. Recently it’s been hibernating, but over the last two or three years more and more bands have showed up to pump the crowd, and we’ve been doing everything in our power to expedite that; including talking to venues to get shows rolling, doing radio and newspaper interviews, and promoting shows and other bands in the area. If all goes well, the scene here will be exploding before 2012, well within the foreseeable future.
What metal trend would you like to see end?
That is a dangerous question… All I ask is that if you’re going to hardcore dance, don’t turn into a flailing three-year-old when a real pitter knocks you on your ass because you’re self-taught karate kicks put you on one foot for three minutes with zero balance.
Men with painted fingernails. We love you, Alexi, but come on, dude.
Public voting for the No Label Needed Contest & Series presented by Scion runs through March 8. Visit the No Label Needed microsite to listen to Dark Vital Flames and the 19 other finalists and cast your vote!
