Interview with Damn Dice

Damn Dice is a somewhat new hard & heavy quartet from London that has slowly, but surely made the move from hometown heroes to national treasures. This rock-steady four-piece cites bands as diverse as Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest as it's influences and just last week I covered the group's excellent full-length album, "The Great Unknown". Now it is my extreme pleasure to post a interview that I recently conducted with Damn Dice's front-man (and all-around cool guy!) Alex! If you haven't had a chance to scan over my review of this up-and-coming band's stellar debut then be sure to head that way after checking out this interview and as always I'd like to remind all of you out there to support your own local scene. It's up to each and everyone of us to keep the indie and underground scenes going and when you go out and watch these local bands play live you're telling these acts that you believe in them and that what they are doing matters!
Andy-Could you please introduce yourselves and tell us who's who these days in Damn Dice?

Alex-Hi! Yeah, so we have Fransoa on drums, Wallis on guitar, Marco on bass and Alex (that's me) on vocals.

Andy-"The Great Unknown" seems to signal a change in direction for the band. Would that be a correct assumption?

Alex-Yes. Kind of, I mean we make the music we want to make, it's not like we sit down and decide, 'ok, we're gonna change direction here'. The music is what we want it to be. This is our first album, so despite having released an EP, this is the one that says what we are about more than anything else. It is what it is, and it's not as if we've gone electro or any weird shit like that! This is a hard rock/metal album. I think it's obvious to anyone who heard the EP that this is a different animal. I grew up listening to Sabbath, Dio, Priest and the like, and I'm not saying that that's what the album is like or what you can expect, but it's in the spirit of Metal.

Andy-Could you tell us about the new album? Who produced it and whose responsible for the majority of the songwriting?

Alex-We recorded the album in London with the same producer who did our EP, Akis Kollaros. He really helped us out because we were in a bit of a situation. We were supposed to have a big name producer on board, but it turns out it was all a bit of a swindle. You live and learn, I suppose, but anyway, he was able to come in at short notice and do the album. Unfortunately, just over a week after the last sessions, he lost his life in a road accident. We are so thankful to have known him, he was an awesome guy; the album is dedicated to him. The music is a collaborative effort with Wallis and Fransoa contributing the main body of the songs. We work on getting everything right in terms of overall sound, arrangement, vocal ideas and lyrics. There is nobody that puts anything in without everyone being happy with it, which means sometimes things change and get adapted, but we all have very similar ideas of what we want, and we're not afraid to put in ideas or give criticism. When I do the words for the songs, I would never just say 'this is it, get used to it', I always ask for input, ideas etc... The writing is actually a really fun process.

Andy-It's been two year since we last heard from the band. What have you guys been up to?

Alex-The making of this album has taken over our lives for the last year; things were put on hold and so it may seem that we've been inactive, but behind the scenes we've been beavering away, constantly working on everything. I think our experience of the whole time is reflected in this record. We've shot some vids, played some shows, but for the release of the album we're looking to get out there as much as we can.

Andy-I've got to say that your new album surprised me. I certainly did not see it coming! I mean "No Fear" is BOMBASTIC!

Damn Dice-Haha! Yeah, I love that song. It's a big gut-punch when that riff comes in. I have to say I'm glad to hear that it surprised you. I don't think it'd be as cool if you already knew what you were getting. The whole album in a heavier vein, but it's still Damn Dice. As I said before, we are very happy for this album to set down what Damn Dice is all about, but you'd really have to see us live to really understand. For this reason we are planning to get out and about and we're sure to be heading somewhere near you soon!

Andy-Where can fans find out more about Damn Dice? 

Alex-Anyone can find out about us on pretty much all social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Insta, all /damndice or @damndice, and of course our website www.damndice.com  

Andy-Do you have a link for the new album? Will fans be able to pre-order it? 

Alex-Yeah, the album will be available to pre-order very soon, perhaps by the time you are reading this. So go check it out!  

Andy-I agree with that 100%! Go check this album out people!!! So, what does the rest of 2015 have in store for Damn Dice? 

Alex-Well, until the album comes out we will be concentrating on making sure everyone knows it's coming. Then we are looking into organizing a tour and and generally playing as much as possible. We're eager to get out and play these songs and we're sure the live show is going to be intense!  

Andy-I always let bands have the last word. Any parting shots Alex? 

Alex-I would give a message to anyone reading that if you like hard rock and metal music, high energy live shows and having a good time, then check out this album and come to see us live. We want you to be a part of this crazy journey we've been on for the last couple of years. 'The Great Unknown", our first album is out this year, 2015, so why not have a blast and be part of it while it's happening, because it's happening right now! So lets be cool to one another as we head into the great unknown!

Andy-Thanks Alex!

Damn Dice-The Great Unknown

Self-Release/Independent
2015

"The Great Unknown" is the full-length debut from London's Damn Dice. If that moniker sounds a little familiar then you're not alone. It took me awhile, but the name finally came to me. This is the same band that released the "Wild 'n' Ready" EP. That was back in 2013. Apparently a lot has changed in the past two years because this doesn't sound like the same band. Then again this doesn't look like the same band either! Thankfully this London hard rock band has dropped the hairspray and make-up and in it's place they've adopted leather jackets. And with the leather jackets Damn Dice has brought a whole lot of attitude!! Honestly, two songs in and I couldn't believe that this was the same band that I once compared to Poison, Quiet Riot and Mötley Crüe! Once you hear the explosive opener "Power" for yourself you'll understand what I mean! Wow! The band follows that metal cruncher up with "What Now" and by this point in the album I'm starting to get the impression that this London band has fully made the jump over to heavy rock/heavy metal. "Drive" is more of the same and while there are still a few hints of the past this is obviously one band that has tightened up their sound and fully embraced the leather and denim lifestyle. "Down" proves to be more of the same. It's filled with rock and roll riffs and yet it's distinctly hard & heavy in it's approach. Song after song plays and the reality hits me that I really like this album. The mixture of heavy rock, hard rock and heavy metal is thoroughly enjoyable and the band's energy helps move everything along at a nice pace. Each and every track is upbeat and from opener "Power" to the album's final curtain call, "Home", there's never a dull moment. While I would like to throw out some names for comparisons sake I find myself at a loss. Damn Dice has definitely evolved in that department. The band has become a solid hard rock band and I would be surprised if this album's material didn't just kill it live! It's certainly heavy enough to get crowds moving. Hell, there's even a couple of tracks that push the envelope into true blue heavy metal territory.  "No Fear" is one such track and it's blazing leads damn near woke up the neighborhood! The same goes for the aptly-titled "Rock (Like You Mean It)"!! Talk about a number that lives up to its name! As epic as these cuts are "The Great Unknown" is still a creature of habit. So make no mistake as to this album's true intention as this is still hard rock through and through. And to that end modern hard rock fans should eat this album up. So should heavy rock fanatics. And of course Damn Dice fans should appreciate a album like this. For Damn Dice it looks as if second times the charm. I can see good things for these Landon-based hard rockers. Everything about "The Great Unknown" points toward that obvious outcome. To Damn Dice I say "Hell of a job guys!". Keep up the good work. This album has set a precedent so don't let us down!!!!

That was then...

 

This is now!

Damn Dice-Wild 'n' Ready EP

Self-Release/Independent-Release
2013

Damn Dice, who are clearly living the life of glam metal (their looks alone are a dead giveaway so there's no spoiler to be had), are a fairly new face in the (reborn and booming!) hair metal crowd. Formed in 2001 by brothers Wallis (guitarist) and Fransoa (drummer) this 4-piece hail's from the UK (London to be exact), but their version of glam is clearly fashioned after U.S. acts like Poison, Quiet Riot and Mötley Crüe. Speaking of Mötley Crüe, Vince Neil himself gave this band a hearty thumbs up as did Beau Hill of Beau Hill Productions (Alice Cooper, Europe, Warrant, Stevie Nicks) so there's some lofty praise being thrown this young group's way! Filled out by Alex (vocals) and Marco (bassist) this young band will be releasing their "Wild 'n' Ready" EP later on in October. The cut "Bang Your Head" (no, not the Quiet Riot track) starts off this glittery 6-track EP with the group's first single, "Wild Into The Night", finishing things up. With a video of "Wild Into The Streets" documenting the band's hedonistic lifestyle (there's a link to it below) the guys in Damn Dice look as if they're hungry for fame and eager to move their way to the top of the hair metal mountain!  Let's be fair though and point out that it's not all generic "wine, women and song" glam metal on this EP. Or at least not when it comes to the actual music (the lyrics are another matter all together!). There is an attempt to funnel both classic rock and modern hard rock into their overall character, but listeners are more likely to hear the former then the latter if either at all. It doesn't end there though. Seeing as this band is endowed with "the energy of a 70’s punk band" there does seem to be the spirits of  both The New York Dolls and Hanoi Rocks floating around on "Wild 'n' Ready". Damn Dice's upcoming 6 track EP, which falls under the 30 minute mark, is obviously not perfect as this band does show some growing pains. The vocals of Alex sounded a bit "rough" as if they were either not mixed entirely right or he was simply having an off day. Nothing horrible mind you, but occasionally it just didn't sound quite right. Also, while "Wild Into The Streets" is a good single, this is a young band that will need to tighten up their sound a bit around the edges and/or could benefit from working with a top-notch producer. Listening this this EP you do get the feeling that this is a band that could really EXPLODE if they just had a little help tapping into their full potential. With the backing of a good label and producer these four could easily jump right into the spotlight! You can hear the potential here on this EP. Since this band is loaded to the max with "the energy of a 70’s punk band" the skies the limit for Damn Dice if they listen to their critics and (naturally) continue to seek out their own sound as they grow together as musicians. I'm wishing them nothing but the best and rooting for these guys. While I'm not a huge fan of this sudden resurgence of  the glam metal/hair metal scene there are some good bands coming out it and you can add Damn Dice to that list.

http://damndice.bigcartel.com/product/wild-n-ready-6-track-ep

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CO3Q9rfjj4