Zero Degree Interview

1.       Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Greetings! We got a huge amount of interviews to answer these days, ha ha. The band is working hard, we’re stuck quite in the middle of the promotion of our album “Surreal World” and everything is going fine so far.

2.       How would you describe the musical sound of the new material?

The album is like a mixture of 90’s melo-death paired with classical heavy metal and a bit of modern stuff in it. I think an old school metal head could like it as well as a young kid.

3.       What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

“Surreal World” mainly deals with modern society. The album contains a concept but not every song has a clear connection to it. It’s also about personal growth and the manipulation by modern lifestyle.

4.        What is the meaning and inspiration behind the band’s name?

The main intention behind the name is its ambiguity. We liked the different ways to interpret the phrase and it fits well to a metal band.

5.       What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?

Very difficult question, because there are a lot of good memories left in “ZERO DEGREE’s” history. Maybe the shows in a small village near our hometown were quite memorable gigs. Up to 600 people from our region went to those parties. Too sad - these events don’t exist anymore. Opening gigs for bigger bands like “MERCENARY”, “SUIDAKRA” and “MAROON” were also quite cool. Our performance is like celebrating the metal together with the audience. We like the closer connection to the people and our singer Thomas is quite good in entertaining the crowd.

6.       Do you have any touring plans?

A longer tour is not planned so far. We all have family and friends, and are working in regular jobs. So it is hard to manage a tour with our jobs. But that would be a great goal to reach for “ZERO DEGREE”. Club gigs are planned for the end of the year and some shows will be announced soon.

7.       According the metal archives page, the album originally came out in
2010 and now it is being re released by Massacre Records, what is your
opinion of the re-issue?

Yes, the original album was produced by us and was released in the fall of 2010. We decided to try a more professional way to promote the band by sending demos to record companies. “MASSACRE RECORDS” came up with their deal and it turned to be a good decision. The album is easier to get even for people around the globe and we reach way more metalheads than before, which is awesome.

8.       I have noticed that the band uses 3 guitar players, how would you
compare that to bands that mostly just use one or two guitarists?

We have the possibility to recreate the album with every guitar that’s heard on the record. Most bands have to decide whether they play the rhythm or the lead guitars live and that’s a fact we wanted to leave out since the very beginning. But sometimes it is a bit hard to assert yourself between two other guitar heroes, especially when they have whammy bars on their guitars, ha ha.

9.       On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by fans of
melodic death metal?

Very good so far. On platforms like facebook it is noticeable that even international people like our stuff and are interested in ZD. It is great to get their feedback, we absolutely appreciate that.

10.   Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full
time line up?

Since 2008 I think no member of the band has been involved in other projects than “ZERO DEGREE”. Maybe ZD is too time-consuming for everyone and as I mentioned before we are all into our “normal” lives.

11.   What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

I really can say that there won’t be a progression to other music styles or the modern kind of melodic death metal. It will be the same melo-death as it is but with an established songwriting and maybe with more mature playing techniques.

12.   What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

The bands from the Gothenburg-scene are our main influences. “In Flames”, “Dark Tranquillity” and “At the gates” are the fathers of that style and we don’t want to conceal that fact. “Iron Maiden” is another band that everyone in ZD likes and which left some traces on our blueprint. There are a lot of other bands we like from the Scandinavian-scene like “Dissection”, “Amon Amarth”, “Arch Enemy” and so on. I’m a big fan of “Paradise Lost” and am looking forward to their upcoming album, I think it’s going to be fantastic.

13.   Outside of music what are some of your interests?

That’s really many-sided. I’m into riding my mountainbike through the forest near my hometown or playing videogames, lately “Mass Effect 3” which is absolutely epic. I really like to read science-fiction books, especially classics like “Brave new world”, “1984” or “Blade Runner”. The other guys are into different things as well. Pascal and Thomas are interested in mechanical and electrical engineering beside their work. André plays in a local rugby team.
Tobias is very open minded and tries several things like downhill-biking, paintball and likes to travel around the globe. Maik is the one who’s way more into heavy metal than we all are. He surely has other hobbies but his guitar and his vinyl LP collection is his passion. Something we all like is to party together while listening to heavy metal and drinking some “Korncola” (a drink from our local area).

14.   Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

Thanks for the interview and for spreading the word about “ZERO DEGREE”!