Interview with Joffrey of Shades of Dusk
by Adam Warner
What is the exact name of your band?
Shades of Dusk
Where did you come up with it? What’s the meaning behind it?
When I joined the band in 2003, the name was already taken. They just thought it sounded cool for a melodic death metal band!
Who are your current members and what instruments do they play?
Joffrey Chouinard – vocals
Louis-Philippe Leroux – guitar
Julien Rodrigue – bass
S̩bastien Pilon Рdrums
Ben Deschamps – guitar
What genre would you put yourselves into?
It’s hard to put an etiquette, but I would say melodic death metal to remain general…
How would you describe your music to someone?
Fast, melodic, full of grooves, brutal, pissed off, moody, epic, technical and totally kick ass!
Are your songs political, personal, fictional or something else?
Well, on our first album ”Caress the Despair”, songs were inspired by modern philosophy. On ”Quiescence”, it’s definitly more personal. On our next record, it’ll be about fictions involving mentally diseased people!
Who are your influences?
The Black Dahlia Murder, Dark Tranquillity, Behemoth, August Burns Red, Arsis, Katatonia…
Describe the type of person that would be a typical fan of yours?
Metalheads and some ”core” scene kids who loved to get their ass kicked pretty hard by a bunch of guys with beards.
Do you have any existing promotional materials we could share with others for you?
Well, we have promo pics, 2 videoclips and 2 albums!
What is your song writing process like?
Music is written by Louis-Philippe and Julien. When they have the main structure ready, the rest of the band do their share by adding personnal elements to the songs until it’s complete with my lyrics. Exciting heh?
What are your songs typically about?
Nowadays, crazy schizo patients raping and killing innocent women.
What image do you think your music conveys?
Sadness, torments…
What is the ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?
None of the above, we just want to have fun, play brutal music for brutal music fans!
Did the recent passing of Michael Jackson affect you as a musician?
A pedophile died and it’s suppose to affect me as a musician? Seriously, not at all.
Do you feel your music has changed since you first started?
Fuck yeah! We started as a very typical ”gothenburg” melodic death metal band to get to the point where people doesn’t recognize our music haha
Any opinion on the recent Kanye West incident at the MTV VMA show?
Drunk people do stupid things…one more example.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering support?
Éric Galy (Galy Records) for giving us our first record deal, Rémi Côté (Profusion Music) for believing in ”Quiescence” and all the bookers over the past 5 years.
What do you hope your fans get from your music?
A solid erection and an ass-whooping they won’t forget after seeing us live.
Thanx
Joffrey Chouinard
