Danava’s Dimensional Retro-Futuristic Sound
Headbanging with Help from the Cosmos
Danava has an unearthly effulgence, as if they transcended from a black alabaster heavy metal temple-portal crack in the sky, hailing from a near-distant dimensional retro future. With a name like “Danava,” referencing cosmic beings from Hindu mythology- (Danavas are interstitiary demon-clan members that intervene in sacrificial offerings) how could they not somehow abide at once in the world of the living and simultaneously have one mind’s eye firmly gazing at the stratosphere? Danava’s sound draws from classic heavy metal/ psychedelic influences, from Iron Maiden style spiraling stacked riffs or Atomic Rooster’s macabre death-toll hooks. Throw in a secret echo of the clog-stomp glitter cheer of glam bands like Slade, progressive synth arrangements of Yes or Uriah Heep, and the forlon wailing of Sabbath-era Ozzy Osbourne, and you will start to get close to Danava’s sound. What sets these guys apart from other similar metal inspired rock revival bands, however, is they transmorph these classic influences through their own dark crystal rainbow prism, refracting an interplanetary sound that is distinctly their own. With a new album out, titled “UnonoU,” American tour with (previously B/D featured) psychedelic superheros Acid Mother’s Temple, and a European tour with Witchcraft, Danava has a busy year ahead of them. Beautiful/Decay recently spoke to frontman Dusty Sparkles about tour, their musical aesthetic, and more.’
SL: Can you talk a little bit about how you met, and how you started Danava?
DS: Well Buck and I have been playing together since ‘94 doing odd recording things, never steppin’ out with it. This was in Quincy,IL. Anyway, Buck went down to Carbondale, IL for school, met Dell and we all ended up moving to Portland in 2002 and started this up.
SL: Do you think the Portland music scene has influenced your aesthetic at all?
DS: No. Not really. Everyone kind of does their own thing over there but there’s so much of that energy around I suppose it affects everyone.
SL: What drew you musically to each other, and what do you think each band member sonically contributes to the overall aural nature of your songs?
DS: Our friendship and love of music. And I think each one of us is just pushing as hard as we can really. Each member stands on his own I feel.
SL: What’s your song-writing process like- does it diverge from song to song, or do you have a more uniform tactic to writing?
DS: No, I work out ideas and we get them going for a while until they’re right.
SL: Danavas, according to Hindu lore, are supernatural demon clan members that specialize in interfering with offerings made to the gods by dropping blood and other excess over sacrificial sites. It’s a great name that fits the mystical vibe of your band- how did you choose this name? Do you envision the sound of your music functioning in the same fashion- ie disrupting human behavior?
DS: Well, our former band mate Rosy Cross named us. We’re not trying to disrupt anything. I see the name Danava as a challenge to rise out of the subhuman mentality and get a balance within myself. This planet is done for. And I’m not afraid like I used to be. There’s too much to say about Danavas really.
SL: Your latest album title, UnonoU, (pronounced “you know, know you” supposedly is a semiotic riff on the sentiment, “Take Care.” Can you describe your thought process behind this title?
DS: You Know, Know You is just a good thing for me to say to myself in times of any kind of crisis. I didn’t think about very much at all. In fact I heard it in someone speaking very poor English and it was just there.
SL: Your lyrics reference a lot of mystic sounding mind expansion type ideas- as if describing legendary mythological tales. Where do you derive the inspiration behind your lyrics? What connotations do you want to evoke?
DS: Balance, happiness, complete joy….and you just can’t have that without evil and sadness and all of it. So why not just accept things as they are. So many people are unhappy because they don’t accept things that way. And I used to be one of them. But I’m still challenged everyday in that manner.
SL: If you could cause any reaction within your viewer while hearing your music, what would it be?
DS: Fun. I want them to have fun. I think about playing shows more than I do albums at the present time……but yeah, I like music that I have fun listening to.
SL: If your music was projected into a light show and materialized as visual imagery what form would it take?
DS: Jeez, I don’t know…perhaps a diamond studded turd?
SL: What was one of your favorite experiences on tour, or worst?
DS: Sleeping in a teepee one night…pretty nice.
SL: What are your favorite bands out there right now?
DS: Uh, Turzi, Graveyard, Entrance, Troubled Horse, Arson Anthem…list goes on and on but those are a couple.
For more info on Danava, visit their website at www.myspace.com/danava
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
[...] This intergalactic Danava & Acid Mother’s Temple show flyer is like space invaders astrally projected into the fourth dimension. Like if the Genesis logo went on Space Mountain and got its mind blown. (To read Danava’s interview with Halcyon, go HERE.) [...]