Lyle Livingston, the keyboard player from Dragonlord, was called to answer some questions regarding the band’s latest release, Black Wings of Destiny, that made a lot of Metalheads turn towards their direction!
Metal Express Radio:
Congratulations about Black Wings of Destiny. How long did the composing/recording sessions last?
Lyle Livingston:
We started writing for Black Wings almost three years before even getting the recording deal with Escapi Music. Each song just came along naturally without the pressure of getting them written before recording, which gave us time to work on arranging as well. Recording went from late February to mid-June, 2005, but only 6 weeks actually in Studio Fredman. I did most of the keyboards at home, and we mixed/mastered for two weeks in June.
MER:
Eric stated that this album was the product of a total effort. What was your writing process in “Wings of Destiny”?
LL:
I did most of the writing for my parts. However, Eric, Derrick, Steve and Jon did have input and helped shaped the final product. Some of the guitar riffs that were originally written by Eric, Derrick, or Steve became keyboard parts as well. But you’ll see in the writing credits that we all had input on the song melodies and arrangements.
MER:
Why did you choose “Black Funeral” and “Emerald” cover songs?
LL:
Both were chosen by Eric. We always played “Black Funeral” at local shows and in Europe in 2002, after we released Rapture. It seems to be a crowd pleaser. Eric was always a Thin Lizzy fan, and I think he picked “Emerald” because it’s his birth stone (laughs!!). I wasn’t too familiar with that song, but we all liked it and went with it.
MER:
Can we consider Dragonlord as a full time band?
LL:
I think we want to be, but it would be unrealistic for Eric to leave his other band considering how well they do. Also, Jon has commitments to Sadus as they’re releasing a new CD in February. I would like for us to tour when possible.
MER:
Why did Steve DiGiorgio leave from the band?
LL:
At the time we formed the band, I don’t think anyone considered the idea of us actually doing shows, touring, etc. So, when we decided to play live,Stevie D. had other commitments and wasn’t able to stay with Dragonlord.
MER:
What is the current lineup?
LL:
Eric Peterson, Derrick Ramirez, Jon Allen, Steve Smyth (though not available to tour due to being in Nevermore as well), and myself.
MER:
How was Dragonlord formed?
LL:
Eric was interested in putting together a Black Metal project, and Steve DiGiorgio knew me from my other band, Enthroned (USA), which later became Psypheria and recommended me to Eric. Eric and I started working together, then added Steve Smyth, Jon, and finally Stevie D. for rehearsals. After we did Rapture and one show, Stevie D. stepped down, and we got Eric’s cousin, Derrick, to take over bass duties.
MER:
Everyone compares Dragonlord to Dimmu Borgir. What’s your opinion? What are your main influences?
LL:
I take it as a compliment that we would write and play Metal as well as them. Dimmu has music that’s influenced by Testament and Coroner as well, so how far back can we go? Everyone is influenced by someone else, whether they admit it of not. Our influences come from many Black Metal bands… Cradle of Filth, Dimmu, Anorexia Nervosa, Old Man’s Child, and Emperor just to name a few. We also get ideas from many of the older Metal bands and orchestral compositions we listen to.
MER:
What is your personal musical background?
LL:
I was a classically trained pianist from age 6-15. Then I quit for a long time and got into athletics and went to college (University) to get my degree. I didn’t perform music for a long time.
MER:
What made you decide to be a keyboard player?
LL:
In 1993, I joined Enthroned, a local Death Metal band, to do vocals. I made four albums with them. Then, from overuse of my voice, I got vocal nodules and decided to quit singing. I switched to keyboards then and have been playing them ever since.
MER:
What are your personal influences? Any keyboard player that you look up to?
LL:
Some of my keyboard music is influenced by classical writers (Liszt, Bach, Beethoven, Khachaturian, etc.). Also, I look up to and get ideas from many keyboardists in the music industry. I think it’s amazing what they can do live, and how well they can program sounds for those performances. For Black Metal, I consider Mustis from Dimmu Borgir one of the best. He is really up-to-date with information, and does a great job on their albums and their shows. He showed me a few tricks a few years ago, which has helped me. I also think Anorexia Nervosa’s keyboardist is amazing as well.
MER:
What was the first and the last album you bought?
LL:
Hell I can’t remember the first, and I haven’t bought a CD in a long time. I get promos sent to me from people I know in the business, so I don’t shop much.
MER:
Are you still a member of Psypheria? If yes what are the latest news from this camp?
LL:
Psypheria broke up a couple of years ago, partly due to my being in Dragonlord, and partly due to our drummer, Cory Valdez, opening his own business. He own’s a bar called ON THE “Y” here in Sacramento, and has metal bands play there all the time. Also, our label wasn’t able to give us any touring support, and that was necessary for us to get to the next “level.” Thanks for asking about Psypheria. I was with them for a long time.
MER:
Is there any news regarding Chuck Billy?
LL:
Chuck is doing well. I’m hoping he and Eric will get their album done this year (2006).
MER:
2005 is coming to an end. Name the disappointment and the surprise > album/band of the year?
LL:
I can’t think of any real disappointments from 2005. Everything I heard sounded great to me. I think most of the bands in our genre have gotten really proficient at writing and especially recording, and it shows in the quality of production on their CD’s. The whole underground Death/Black Metal scene is truly amazing now!!
MER:
Was it in your initial plans to release a second album, or you were forced by the record label to do so due to the success of Rapture?
LL:
haha…no we weren’t forced to do anything. We made a demo, shopped it, and entertained many offers, but Escapi gave us the best deal. Rapture was released on the Spitfire Records label, and we only had a one album deal with them, so no conflict of interest or contract disputes occurred.
MER:
What is the situation with Black Metal in the USA?
LL:
In some ways similar to Death Metal, but in other ways better. Having Cradle and Dimmu on Ozzfest in the past few years has opened the doors for acceptance of Black Metal in the scene. When those two bands tour the States, they play House of Blues-type clubs (600-1000 or more) as opposed to many Death Metal tours that play smaller clubs.
MER:
Back to Dragonlord, have or will you make a video clip from the new album?
LL:
I think one is in the works now, but I don’t have enough information to share at this particular time.
MER:
Did you choose Fredrik Nordström as a producer in order to get closer to the European sound?
LL:
We chose him to get the “Fredrik Nordström” sound!!!!. We liked his work on previous albums (Dimmu Borgir, Misanthrope, Opeth, etc.) and really wanted to capture that essence on our album.
MER:
Are there any tour plans ahead?
LL:
We have some offers on the table for U.S. and Europe, but nothing is confirmed yet. We did a short promotional tour last fall (October/November) in North America/Canada, but haven’t done any touring since.
MER:
Thanks for your time. May 2006 bring you everything that 2005 didn’t. Say anything you want to close this interview.
LL:
For those who haven’t heard us yet, check out our website, http://enterthedragonlord.com, AND our MySpace site, www.myspace.com/dragonlord. There are two Dragonlords on MySpace, but you’ll know which is ours. We have two songs from Black Wings and two from Rapture you can listen to. For those who have seen us play and/or bought a CD or shirt, I want to personally thank each of you for being part of the DRAGONHORDE!!!!! Horns UP!!! \m/
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