DEAD QUIET Interview - The Electric Highway Festival Interview Special - An Interview With Kevin Keegan From Classic Rock/Doom Metallers DEAD QUIET

Classic Rock/Doom Metallers Dead Quiet are performing at the annual The Electric Highway Festival on Saturday April 06th 2024 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The band released their outstanding new album IV last year which is perhaps the band's most thrilling and original album yet. 

I caught up with Kevin Keegan (Guitar/Vocals) from Dead Quiet to discuss their upcoming festival performance amongst other things. 

Hi Kevin. Thanks for doing the interview. How are things with you today?

KK: Good!

I know you're currently busy preparing with Dead Quiet for the forthcoming The Electric Highway Festival happening April 4th to April 6th and with you guys performing one of the headlining slots on Saturday night. How are the preparations currently going?

KK: They’re going smoothly!

What can people in attendance expect from Dead Quiet for this festival performance?

KK: They can expect an enthusiastic performance with a couple of songs we’ve never played live.

What type of set will you be performing though I presume it will be focusing upon your excellent 2023 album IV and some of your classic tracks

KK: Yeah we are busting a couple of songs we have never played live actually, so it’s definitely a special one for us.

Will you be doing any more gigs before the festival happens and if so where will you be performing at?

KK: Yeah we are playing in Edmonton the night before with our brothers in Anciients.

What bands are you looking forward to see performing live at The Electric Highway Festival?

KK: Empress and Anciients for sure.

 

Dead Quiet released their latest album VI way back in June 2023.. Has it surprised you the response that it received so far.

KK: It actually didn’t get much of a response, which was disappointing but we are very proud of it and as a band it’s our favorite so far.

What has been the high points and low points performing with the band?

KK: High points include touring Europe and the low points include getting robbed in Europe.

Do you have any other musical projects that folks can check out or any exciting releases coming in the future?

KK: Brock plays in Anciients and they have a new album coming out in September. Mike is in Empress and will be gigging a ton in the future and I have another band called Fearbirds.

How did you get involved with music? Was it a particular album, group or artist that made you want to write and play your own music?

KK: My brother handed me a cassette of Metallica “Kill em all” when I was 9 and that was pretty much it from there.

Will you be performing any gigs later in the year?

KK: Nothing booked as of yet but I’m sure we’ll do one or 2 more.

Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your fans currently out there?

KK: Rock onward!

Words by Steve Howe and Kevin Keegan

Words by Steve Howe and Kenny Cook

Thanks to Asher Media PR for arranging this interview and for Kenny Cook for taking the time out to do this interview.

Dead Quiet Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Twitter

The Electric Highway Festival Links

Festival passes, tickets, and merchandise are available at https://theelectrichighway.ca/festivalstore/​

Event info: https://www.facebook.com/events/327207160030277​

Dead Quiet - IV (Album Review)

Release Date: June 9th 2023. Record Label: Artoffact Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

IV: Tracklisting

1.The Hanging Man 05:45

2.No Gods, No Gold 05:01

3.Lamentations 01:01

4.Dying to Live Again 07:29

5.Existential Dread 06:14

6.Ascensions 00:52

7.High Roads 04:39

8.Murder City 07:24

9.Leave the Light On 06:09

 

Review

Doom/Stoner Metallers Dead Quiet return with their fourth full length album simply titled IV. The album is a raucous mix of Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Classic Rock and Stoner Metal with the band adding an Occult feel to their groove based sound. With the right mix of Classic Hard Rock and modern day Doomed Out moments, Dead Quiet have upped their game for this album with the music being their most mature offering to date.

Dead Quiet take a “No Holds Barred” approach with their music having a more menacing feel and the keyboards, synths and organs work amazingly well with the catchy Doomed Out Grooves. There’s a creepy operatic theme on this album which can be heard instantly on The Hanging Man. As the song takes aim at 1980’s Heavy Metal and there’s a fine amount of excessive guitar solos that should have you playing your AIR GUITAR in no time at all. The song can be quite OTT in places and Dead Quiet brings a real EXCESSIVE creative flair to this track which works its way through the other tracks on the album.

Second song No Gods, No Gold is a more subtle affair with Dead Quiet being more restrained with the vocals at first. The music has that eerie 1970’s Proto-Doom feeling with the Stoner based elements showing up when they absolutely need to. The grooves are plentiful yet again but there’s a real dynamic presence to them even when they play a simpler style of Doom/Stoner Rock. Shades of Classic Hard Rock bands can be heard on this track such as Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash with even some loving traits from the NWOBHM era appearing. The song is action packed and offers some of the best sounding riffs on the album.

Third track Lamentations is a minute instrumental track which offers a semi-acoustic style of music which allows a more subdued style of music for Dead Quiet which leads into the catchy and aggressive next single Dying To Live Again.

Fourth Track Dying To Live Again is where Dead Quiet embrace their HEAVY METAL roots with dominant keys and organs portraying another ice cold gloomy sound for Dead Quiet to weave their Stoner Metal magic upon. The song is wonderfully progressive with Dead Quiet becoming more daring with their music. Perhaps more Doom/Heavy Metal oriented when compared to the other tracks on the album. The vocals and lyrics portray a vivid style of Classic Hard Rock with OCCULT ROCK themes which take the best parts of the Hard Rock Movement and merge them with a thrilling Stoner based sound. The second half of the track is where the creative magic happens with Dead Quiet switching to more laid-back style of Hard Rock which brings a magnificent “Post-Doom/Post-Stoner” presence to the album.

From here on in, Dead Quiet become more outlandish with their Doomed Out Sounds. The organs are more vivid than ever and the vocals become more thrilling along the way on tracks such as Existential Dread, Ascensions and Murder City. Dead Quiet offers the most intense grooves and seedy moments of the album on these tracks alone. The music doesn’t really change that much but there’s a more dynamic presence to them most notably on the superb final song Leave The Light On.

IV is a wonderfully diverse collection of Doom/Stoner Metal sounds that offers the perfect balance of Classic Hard Rock and Modern Day Grooves with a gloomy Occult atmosphere allowing Dead Quiet to release their strongest and most entertaining record to date.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo.

IV is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Artoffact Records 

Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram | Twitter