SadDoLLs: Interview with George Downloved

"Strange kind of blood"

SadDoLLs will celebrate this week, in front of their fans, 10 years of music and the new album release.

Their singer George Downloved spoke with us about "Blood Of A Kind".

LFdM: Hi guy, even if in a few days we'll meet again in Athens for the release party, I really want to know everything about the new album.

So, your last album "Grave Party" was released in 2014, you recently moved to a new label, Trisol Music Group and many things happened meanwhile. What did you pick up from these years?

George: Thank you dear. We are really happy with our new label, they are active, they are legit and they do promote their bands well. Everything in our contract is going as written. We have a great new single and a great new album to promote, we are really excited.

LFdM: You also have a new drummer. How was important the musical background of the band members for this album? And in which way?

George: Yes, Darroc (Fivos Andriopoulos) is back in the band. He was our original drummer from the “About Darkness” era, and he's a great friend, so we're really happy to have him again.

He did all the drum recordings of the new album, because during the recording sessions our previous drummer left the band. All the songs in this album are written by Paul Evilrose and I have done most of the lyrics and vocal lines, but all the other members worked on the songs as well (guitar solos, base lines etc)

LFdM: In your previous albums the music was more melancholic and romantic, while now it seems more haunted and visceral. Do you have to stay in a particular mood to compose?

What inspired you to create "Blood Of A Kind"?

George: I think that our most romantic face was shown in the “Happy Deathday” album. All our other releases (including “Blood Of a Kind”) have dark and heavy songs with heavy guitars and more metallic drumming, scream and growl vocals, electronic synths etc. We have a romantic face that we show in different ways on each album. We had, for example, “In Your Lies” and “Don't Say Goodbye” from “About Darkness", we had “Embrace The Dark” and “Coma Song” from “Happy Deathday” and we had “On The Road 66” from “Grave Party”. We'll have such moments alsoin this new album, that we consider a mixture of all our previous works.  The best way to celebrate our 10 years is by creating a best of SadDoLLs album, made out of brand new songs.

LFdM: Is there any story or concept behind the artwork of "Blood Of A Kind"?

George: No, not really. We just wanted to give and image to fit the title of the album, “Blood Of A Kind”. Jesus is one of the kind. We present his blood and as a loved person in my life said “We cleared him out of his pain”. I kinda like this one. People can make their own interpretation about the cover and that is the greatest thing about it.

LFdM: “Kiss You In Hell” is one of my fav song of this album, but which is, in your opinion, the best song SadDoLLs have ever done?

George: Thank you, this is one of my favourites as well. The best songs for me are “Lady Cry” and “Cold Blood Inside” . I love most of our songs, but these two are my favourites from the whole bunch.

LFdM: You’re not a very visual band, but in your last videos you have changed something about your look. What could one expect from a live SadDoLLs show?

George: We are visual in our own ways, this is what we always try to do, when we do videos or appear live or do photoshoots. We are a goth band, we like to look dark and extreme and this is what we intend to keep on doing.

LFdM: What do you want to give fans with this release, musically?

George: The SadDoLLs they met 10 years ago, the SadDoLLs they liked and loved, but with songs played by a band with 10 years of experience. As I said in the past, we are not a progressive metal band, we are not stoner, we play goth metal. But we play what we play well.

LFdM: So, we have to talk about the great split up. HIM has been for a long time your main influence, and also you are big fans of them. What did this band leave you, and how do you imagine the love metal scene from now on?

George: It's a sad sad thing that one of our favourite bands has split up, they were and still are one of our greatest influences out there, and we will surely miss them. Concerning the love metal scene, I have nothing to add on that, considering this is not a genre we are playing, so I cannot comment any further on that.

Interview by Michela (Anesthesia)

Photos By Phi Factor Photography