As you’d probably imagine, we get a lot of stuff sent to us here at Sentinel Daily. Some of it good, some of it too awful to comprehend why anyone would want the general public to be exposed to it, and sometimes, just sometimes, so good everyone within earshot has to stop what they’re doing and gather ’round the office stereogram to feast their ears on the good stuff screaming forth from the rickety old speaker. Demise of the Crown‘s barnstorming self-titled release was just such an album, so it would have been remiss of us in the extreme not to get an interview with these explosive young Canadians for your informational and entertainment needs, no?

For the benefit of our readers, tell us a bit about yourself and your band – how did you get to where you are today? “I am Manuel Iradian, the lead guitarist/song-writer of the band. We are from Montreal and we don’t really fit into the scene here, since the majority of the bands are more extreme, technical and don’t really groove. We got to be where we are today (which is no where, we’re still a new band) by working hard obviously, finding the right people to become members and finding a genuine sound that distorts power metal from its predictable form”.

I wouldn’t say nowhere – you’re on Sentinel Daily! So who or what are the bands main inspirations and/or influences? What drove you to take up the cudgels in the name of metal? And do you think those influences in general play a big part in molding the DotC sound? “Here are some to name a few in no particular order: Opeth, Nevermore, Pantera, Faith No More, Escape The Fate, Skid Row, Helloween, Decapitated, Mozart, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Avenged Sevenfold, Van Halen and many more. Metal just seemed to have to most energy and be the most fun form of music to play live. Those bands listed above, have definitely inspired us all very deeply, and we take what we absorb from them and make it into our own”.

What’s the metal scene like in where you’re from? And what do you think of the scene in Canada generally? “Like I said before, bands here in Montreal are very fast, brutal and heavy; there’s are not many metal bands with clean vocals and of course there is nothing wrong with that, that’s just the way it is but we do what we do because it’s what makes us do music in the first place”.

And that’s the best reason of all! Does the vast size of Canada present problems for you in terms of touring and otherwise promoting your band? “No, its more about making sure you’re ready to go on the road in the first place, which means: Make sure you have enough money saved up, have a good vehicle, have a lot of groceries, a lot of socks and underwear, no likes stinky ass feet etc. If you’re comfortable, the distance isn’t as relevant and if you’re getting along with everyone else, that of course is good for morale”.

That’s touring Canada taken care of – any plans to maybe move things further afield? “Always”.

Marvellous. Let’s hope Australia is included in those plans… The album is a bit brief – what was the thinking behind including just seven songs? “That was purely a question of money. Writing an absurd amount of songs has never been an issue in this band; however, we did not have the funds to record more then 7 tracks at the time. Personally, I always saw it as an EP”.

What’s your favourite track on the record? “It always changes daily, never the same one and honestly I don’t think about them because I’m always writing new material because its just so much fun and I really enjoy it”.

So it’s resonable to assume, then that there’s material ready now for album number two? Can you give us any clues as to what it’ll sound like? “OH YES, at least twelve to thirteen tracks are demoed and ready to go. Again, money is always a factor, that being said, I can confidently say its the best stuff we have ever done or been a part of. The song-writing has matured to a level of sophistication beyond that which we thought we could ever achieve – I’m very excited for this one,its gonna kill and it’s a lot heavier as well”.

Good news – we’re looking forward to hearing it! There’s an awful lot of high quality metal coming out of Canada at the moment – why do you think so many great bands are emerging at the same time? “At this point in 2016, there’s just a melting pot of influences and sub-genres swarming around and everyone is absorbing it. The fact that more and more bands are able to record in the luxury of their own homes really changes things up as well. And social media, of course”.

Of course. Moving on from that, apart from Demise of the Crown, are there any other up and coming Canadian bands you think we should be keeping an eye on? “I really like the band Chronicles Of Israfel, and Mutank are very raw”.

Here’s your one and only chance to plug your shit – what can we buy from you, and where can we find out more about you? “Stream and purchase album here: https://demiseofthecrownofficial.bandcamp.com”

Anything else our readers need to know about DotC? “There is so much morein the way of music,gigs and videos coming your way, this seven track album of ours is just the beginning, nothing more”.