By The Patient create without limitations

interview with by the patient

By The Patient is hailing from Denmark and till now they have released two EPs, "The Carcass Monologue", which secured the band a Danish Metal Awards nomination for talent of the year in 2008 and "Catenation Of Adversity", released in 2009 and got them on the bill on Roskilde Festival, Aalborg Metal Festival and Wacken Open Air in 2010. The debut album "Servants" (2010) got them on Aalborg Metal Festival, the New Era Tour 2011 in Denmark and as support for Aborted. The sophomore album "Premonitions" shows By The Patient from a more mature side with personal lyrical themes and a mix of heavy, black and death metal influences which are equally intense and catchy. Being blown away by this album it was time to ask some question and Troels (bass) was sober to answer them.

Hey there mate. First of all, best wishes for you and your family, and all the best for By The Patient. "Premonitions" is your 2012 album, and latest release! What's the feedback so far and what's the status for 2013?. What's new?
Hi man. Thank you very much! Well the feedback has just been amazing. We have received a lot of reviews from all over the world and 9 out of 10 have been really positive. We have not received any numbers on how the sale has been so far but a lot of people said that they bought the album, listened to it on Spotify etc. and that they really enjoyed it. About 2013, we're recording a new EP this February at Dead Rat Studio with Jacob Bredahl. He did a really nice job on 'Premonitions' so we're going to use him again. Why fix it if it ain't broken? After that we're touring Germany and Denmark. As of yet I can't really say what the rest of the year will bring.

Sounds cool so far. Now I gotta tell you. I have come up with many weird band names but so far yours held the most mystery. What's the story behind it?
Haha yeah.. I don't know what By The Patient means either. We just came up with it sometime in '05-'06. Before that we were called Broadmoor, but that name was already taken so we had to find a new one. We must have been around 16-17 years at that time and being from Denmark our English was far from fluent. We thought By The Patient sounded cool and even though we thought about changing it many times it kind of got stuck with us. Now I don't think about it much and it has just become part of who we are. I don't think it is the name that makes the band, it is more like the other way around.

You sure seem to be hard workers man. Since 2008 you got two EPs and two full length albums if I am not wrong. What should we expect in the coming 3 years? 3 More full lengths, 4 world tours and a compilation CD? Haha, what is the secret behind this hyper-creativity?
There's no secret to it man, we just love what we do and can't get enough of it. Our style has changed a lot on our records I think and since we're still progressing and trying out new stuff perhaps we just get a little bored playing the same old stuff over and over again. Our natural reaction to that has always been to make something new. 

Your music seems like an open field. I mean it just gave me the impression that you could fit every genre of music in, and turn it into death metal. Do you feel that there are limitations in music creation, according to each genre?
That is exactly what we wanted to do on 'Premonitions'. Create without limitations. I think you could take the same string of chords that we have used and turn it into a pop-song. It is all about the attitude and not how fast you play it. 

If you went into a music store. Where would you like to find your full length? In what music category?
I don't know really. I haven't thought about it. Our stuff has a lot of melody in it, some songs have a black metal feeling some are more heavy metal inspired. It is still death metal though, but maybe not as much as we used to be. It has become a little more thrashy and a lot more Scandinavian. Let's just put it on the 'metal' shelf somewhere. 

Heheh ooook!! So, how musically open are you in your private life? Is there something you wouldn't listen to? You know, something you would say: Fuck that man, not my cup of tea!
Well we all listen to a lot of different music. I try to give everything a fair shot. I'm not in to all the urban stuff. Rap, hip-hop etc. but I am not leaving the party if that is what everybody else wants to hear. Music does different things to different people and if dubstep blows your skirts up, well fine by me. I wouldn't expect everyone to enjoy black, post hardcore or even Ennio Morricone movie-scores.

The main feeling that this album tends to bring along with every hearing is a black depressive mist. At least that's what strikes me every time I listen to "Premonitions". Of course there's anger and wrath and all that, but I think pessimism and blackness overcomes. So what do you think? Is humanity that bad? Is it so full of shit that it eventually destroy its self?
Haha probably. One way or another sure. 'Premonitions' is a lot less political than 'Servants' though, but like everyone else we look upon the world and what we see is not all pretty. I don't know if that is why we started experimenting so much with the black metal genre. I think that it is just a way for us to tug a lot of melody into the mix without it sounding cheap. There is really something amazing about black metal that I haven't experienced in any other genre. It is so cold but beautiful at the same time.

On 2010 you played at Wacken Open Air and at some other big festivals. You've also supported Aborted in a tour. Those among others are achievements, some bands would kill to have in their roaster. So go ahead and make them jealous man. Brag a little bit hehe! Tell me how it feels to be part of all that! Any plans for the future on touring?
2010 was brilliant! Playing these festivals really opened a lot of doors for us and just thinking of how far we have come in just a few years makes me really proud of being a part of this band. But I also think that we have earned every bit of attention. Nothing has come for free. We have worked really hard all the time and maybe that is what separates us from a lot of other bands. I see a lot of bands from the Danish metal scene who is more than content with playing the same shows for the same people for all eternity. I mean, if you're just doing it for the fun of it and don't care about reaching out to new people or seeing new places, well good on you. Music should be fun. That is the main thing. We just like to set new goals all the time and we work hard on reaching them. So yeah, as I said, we're heading back on the road in March, April and May. I really love being on the road and I am looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting new people. 

Is By The Patient a band that follows a leader? Definitely such music, needs great tolerance and discipline and of course everyone in the band has a particular role! But is each ones contribution 25% since you're 5 or does the band have a, what we'd call, 'el capitano'? A man that has a final word on everything?
I think we are really democratic. We discuss everything in 'plenum'. Even the smallest things and we try to get everything on paper so that there are no misunderstandings. And this works really well. This way we don't need a 'captain' and everyone can feel equally important. Hippie shit I know haha but it just saves a lot of time in the other end. Time that we can then spend on other more important stuff.

You are currently signed under Deathbound Records. How far do you see the band going. I mean as far as I am concerned, most succesful death metal bands have day time jobs in order to survive or else they would starve to death, playing metal! What are your hopes and expectations from the band, and from your label? Is playing music your only financial income?
I wish we could live off of playing music. We all have other sources of income and to be honest, this band rarely makes any money. When we do we quickly spend them on printing T-shirts, renting cars, buying gasoline, and recording albums. We spend them as fast as we make them, but at least we're not paying out of our own pockets anymore. If that is as far as we can come then alright. Wouldn't trade it for the world. I do have really high hopes for the future though. I am not talking about making money, I just wan't to be able to do a lot of stuff with the band. Travel the world, have fun, all that and still being able to eat and sleep every night. I have high hopes for Deathbound Records as well. They're new and all but they are very dedicated and I believe they can push us in the right direction.

I believe the hot discussion of those days is downloading and how this affects the musicians. What would your reaction be to a guy that would come at you saying: "Dude, I just downloaded and totally liked "Premonitions". I'll download the rest of your stuff as soon as I can". Would you punch a guy like that to the face, or would you thank him for listening?
In a perfect world people would see how dependent the musicians are of the little money they make from selling CDs and t-shirts but I know that most fans are young and poor like myself and simply do not have the money to buy all the music that they would like to. When people say that they've downloaded our music I always get a mixed feeling. On the one hand I would have wanted them to buy the album from us instead of downloading it, but on the other hand it is nice to know that our stuff is out there circulating the web. Keep a positive energy and the guy might just buy a t-shirt instead. If you come to one of our shows you can always just ask us if you could get a discount, we know how it is. Tell me you like the album and buy me a beer and I will probably give you an album for free.

I'll keep that in mind on your next show...heheheh. So what do you think would motivate a death metal fan, to go and actually buy your album? Why would he prefer buying this than any other newly released death metal album?
This is why I think downloading is partly alright. There are so many bands out there and this makes it hard for people to find out where to put their money. If you decide to download our album and you like it then order it or buy it at a show. A download still won't provide you with all the goodness of a real copy. If I were to say so myself, then I would say that we have created a bloody good record and we really need your support to continue making new ones and hopefully visit your town sometime in the near future. 

Tell me some of your outdoor activities. When you are not playing music or working what would you do? Besides sleeping hehe! Where can someone find you in Denmark?
I think pretty much all I do has something to do with music. Most of my friends are musicians too or doing stuff connected with music. And not just the heavy scene. Other than that I enjoy pretty much the same things as everyone else. Good food, alcohol, girls, sunshine, movies, books, the occasional workout and stuff like that. If you're ever in Copenhagen give me call and we will show you a good night out! 

Deal! I'll hold on to that when I vist Denmark! Haha.Time for some bullshit questioning and time to get you deep under the bright light of the interrogations lantern. Tell me where your actions yesterday from 18:30 to 20:00 and what is in your pockets as we speak!!
Haha.. As I am doing this interview my calendar says that yesterday was Sunday. This would mean I was pretty hung-over. So from 18:30 to 20:00 I was laying in my bed feeling sorry for myself and watching a movie. That is pretty much my Sunday routine. In my pocket right now? Nothing. I’m not wearing any pants. Today was pretty much like yesterday haha. 

Hahahaha.. Ok Troels. Thank you for the nice chat. Close this shit any way you like!
Thanks to you man! Appreciate you took the time to talk to me. Keep doing what you do. We need guys like you around. For those of you who managed to read this far despite my poor English, thank you too! Hope you can make sense out of my blabbering and that I can see all of you soon! Take care.

 
Interviewer: twansibon
Jan 27, 2013

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