I recently had a chat with CANCEL from Switzerland about their new album ‘Dark Reveries’, their biggest influences, the worst show they’ve ever played and a plethora of other things. Read on below!
For those who may not know who you are, introduce yourselves quickly.
Yves Bucher (Drums): We are CANCEL from Lucerne, Switzerland, and do heavy music.
Describe your sound in as few words as possible.
YB: dark, heavy, energetic
Who are your three biggest influences as a band?
YB: I’d say for the latest album it’s Every Time I Die, Converge and Norma Jean.
What’s the meaning behind your band name?
YB: We used to be called Cancel The Sky. This name was made up based on a subtitle in a movie. We found it sounds cool. Recently we shortened our name to CANCEL, focusing on reducing our sound to it’s core. There’s no actual meaning, but still kinda represents the music you could expect.
Did you try anything differently this time around than with previous efforts?
YB: Absolutely. It began with a change on the guitars. Felix joined us in 2016 which gave us a new vibe and some additional influences. It was also the first time we spent a lot of time in the studio to find the perfect sound for each song. It was really hard work but we’re more than happy with the outcome.
Q6. What was it like to work with Thom Zurfluh?
YB: We recorded at his studio, Boiler Records. While he recorded all the drums and vocal parts, bass and guitars were all recorded by ourselves. Thom then just listened to what we did from time to time and gave feedback. His ears are very reliable, so he also made us change some parts. He has also done a great job mixing all the tracks.
Do you have any personal favourite songs on the release?
YB: My favourite song is “You’re Everything I’m Not”. It’s fast, wild, to the point. It’s one of two songs we recorded without any click track, which made it sound like a live show.
Dario Anderhub (Bass): My favourite song is “Death Cab”, I love the chorus of it.
Describe the concept of latest video ‘You’re Everything I’m Not’
YB: The concept is very simple: fast cuts to overwhelm the viewer. It’s just meant to support the song and its character, not be the main focus.
Was it fun to shoot or did it prove to be quite a challenge?
YB: It was easy actually. The most important part was to shoot very fast. Therefore, we were not allowed to move too much to prevent an overkill of movement. It was done in one afternoon and cut in a week.
Do you have any dates lined up at present?
DA: We’re going to release our second album on 11th May 2018 and to play a release show the next day. We’re very stoked since we haven’t played live for 8 months!
What are your favourite songs to perform live?
DA: From the old set it was ‘Circle’ and ‘Return To Be’, but I’m sure it will change as soon as we play our new stuff for the first time.
What are the best and worst shows you’ve played to date?
DA: The best show to date was the release show of our debut LP, followed by the one we opened for August Burns Red in our hometown. The worst probably was the one in Prague about two years ago I guess, only like four people showed up. I also accidentally hit Remo in the head with my bass, although that was kind of fun!
If you could open for anyone, who would it be?
DA: Converge or Every Time I Die!
What’s the plan for the rest of 2018?
DA: Releasing and promoting our second album and playing live shows. Unfortunately, it will not be too many, though, since four of us will be finishing studies this year.
Any closing comments?
DA: Thanks for the interview and check out our new album, it’s out now!