Deviant Syndrome Interview

 ***Deviant Syndrome Interview with George Shchelbanin (vocals/guitars)***

Band:

 Deviant Syndrome

Origin: 

Russia

Formed In: 

2005

Genre: 

Melodic Death Metal

Members: 

George Shchelbanin - Vocals, Guitars

 Michael Kirshin - Guitars
Olga Orekhova - Keyboards
Andrew Tkalenko - bass

Q: What was the reason for using the band name "Deviant Syndrome"?

A: The phrase “Deviant Syndrome” is the notion that man is not normal. Literally, every one of us has his deviations, bad habits, ill thoughts and so on. Every man and whole humanity is a bunch of versatile abnormalities! For this world pathogenesis we have given one name, one syndrome – Deviant Syndrome!


Q: How many shows have you played, and which one has been your favorite thus far?

A: Actually since that time when the band was created we haven’t played a lot of gigs. Unfortunately, we constantly face with line-up troubles and it strongly slows down our show activity because live shows need to have really professional and technical musicians in the band line-up. There are not a few of such people in Russia but the factor of earnings and pursuit of fashion trends in music really narrows the range of suitable musicians. We had in about 30 gigs, to be honest we didn’t count. The most memorable and favorite gig was… ah, there were two such shows. The first one is the show with Kalmah in Moscow. It was our first serious gig before people whose number exceeded 500! Kalmah is one of my favorite bands as well and I managed to get with them on stage and perform their song “Heroes to Us”. Don’t even think that was possible! The second vivid memory is the first show in the Netherlands. We haven’t had an experience of playing abroad till this show so it was really unusual and exciting for us. Despite the small number of listeners that show was really great in emotional and public support sense! We really like to play in Europe. There is a big difference between Russian technical personal and its’ training level, sound quality, people relationships and European. We had culture shock after that Dutch show in a good sense of course.


Q: What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?

A: Ideas are wide and dispersed, noting that lyrics are written by two poets. Each song is a complex problem with no evident solution. We try to involve our listener in mental experiences, thoughts of human soul, of those steps on humanity’s lifespan that are painful and significant. These stories are of life through dying and death in living, wasted moments, insanity and genius; we’d want people to look around upon their life and change it for better of themselves and humanity till it’s not too late.


Q: What song do you enjoy playing the most live and what is your favorite song that you ever wrote for "Deviant Syndrome"?

A: Let me think! Now we are bit tired of playing over and over the same songs from our first album for the last years, haha! It’s like you eat every day the same breakfast, go the same road and see the same dream every night. But with the new songs from our second album we can break this circle finally. I believe all my favorite songs have not been written yet!


Q: What artists have influenced your band and its music?
A: It would be impolite to note ones and forget about the others, there are many. It is truly a vast range of musicians who influenced each of us; they come from different genres and ages. We believe that the only way to compose an interesting and professional music is to absorb and interpret all the best you can hear be it pop or grindcore.


Q: What is the main source of inspiration when writing new music?

A: I think that the main source for us is life and everything we see and face with in this world. Of course I can simply sit down with the guitar and start to play anything that comes in my head just because I want to do that. I think it’s not really necessary to get drunk and over smoked before to start create masterpieces, haha!


Q: If a fan would want to get a line from your lyrics tattoed, what line should it be?

A: It would be really great if that fan could make a tattoo with the line from our first (and following) album cover art! All back color picture with all the details! This cover art displayed all the storylines of the album at once. And with each next album the man-Deviant Syndrome filled himself more and more images from our musical creations. The deviant-man, that’s for sure!


Q: You have a new album coming out this year, can you tell us something about the concept behind it and the message you want to send with the new material?

A: The lyrics of the second album are based on social problems following the concept. Each track is a small sketch of a life step of the USSR. The whole Russian history is quite controversial and Soviet history is even more. As ones consider this period as tragedy, others say it's the best that we ever had. Either way what they say is more a myth than history. We are not historians ourselves, so we looked toward making a story of a man and a nation, emotional and not analytical. The album is tied by its own plot as well as chronology. It covers the period of Soviet history from the Revolution of 1917 till the death of the "Father of Nations", glancing on the Second World War, repressions and GULAGs as well as on the impact that this figure made on the whole Soviet and now Russian nation. So far, we believe, this is our strongest lyrical work. Hope you'll like it as we do.


Q: What are your plans for this year exactly?
A: So… I would like to buy BMW X6, house in the Canary islands, fashionable suit from Dior… on the proceeds from our second album of course, haha! But seriously, on the first place is the release of our new album of course. Hope that nothing will prevent it to come out this year. On the second place is the self-perfection, increasing the skills of playing musical instrument. And I hope to find people in the line-up who will be not only great musicians but great persons which can always be relied.


Q: Do you have any shout outs to give to the readers?

A: Thanks for support! Always be stable metalheads in this unstable world! Listen to our music and keep the metal faith alive!