Here’s the second GBOB 2011 jury interview, this time with Bassem Deaibess.
- What would cause a band to instantly “fail”? What makes it a winner?
For me playing with untuned instruments or playing offscale will be a direct fail for any band. What makes it an interesting potential winning band is mainly creativity. Also because I took part in GBOB international with Blaakyum I know what the judges will be looking for, some musical styles are wanted more than others and it is the style of tonight’s bands.
- How did you find the bands performance tonight?
Both bands need more work and experience. Time alone makes a difference: I recorded music ten years ago and now when I listen to it I notice how much changes I can make to it. They need to be more creative, I would describe their music tonight as cliché in their own style.
Mancer Dust needs to focus on synchronization and the placement of the solos in the arrangements. All bands have to listen to other music styles especially if it is a pop band, the more you listen the more you can create and you get your special way to play the music.
- Tell us about the experience of Blaakyum in GBOB 2007.
We actually did not expect to get to the finals with 36 band. We are a heavy metal band and they liked the fact that we are a raw band. When performing they checked our instrument tuning as well as the technical hardware we are using, but they were scanning for a commercial weird brit rock band. We ended up being the 7th band in the competition.
- Concerning your current musical activity. How is the Blaakyum album evolving? Any activity with The Hourglass? Any new project?
Since the GBOB, Blaakyum’s line-up changed and it took some time to get back on track, the members are currently Elias Njeim on guitar, Jad Feitrouni on Drums, Rany Battikh on Bass Guitar Joe Hannouch on Keyboard and me on vocals and rhythm guitar. The album titled “Lord of the Night” is 90% done, we recorded it more than once, each time with a better quality in a better studio where we had more time to do our work. We might be recording a fourth time as we now have our own studio thus allot of time to have the best takes. I would describe it as a mix of rock, heavy, thrash and progressive metal maybe with a bit of Nu metal. I think the album can be done at the end of this year. As for Blaakyum performing, we might be playing at the local GBOB final event.
When it comes to The Hourglass, we are going to perform at Beirut Rock Festival and we are currently discussing another album. Rawad Abdel Massih takes care of the lyrics and melodies and I tell you that guy has more than it takes when it comes to creative material.
Finally as for other projects, I am planning a Soundtrack like album with vocals. Lyrics inspired or taken from famous Gibran Khalil Gibran, Khalil Moutran, Maroun Aboud and others. It is still a fresh idea and I am looking for musicians to cooperate with.
- Any last message to the Lebanese metalheads?
