BMS: Tell me how Deafcon began?

Benny: In fact the entire Deafcon project came to fruition very fast. In early 2016 Dave and I wanted to start a band of our own and during a metal party I asked around to see whether someone knew a drummer. Eventually a guy named Jules (who now works as our drum roadie) introduced me to Cisse here. We decided to jam together and we instantly clicked, despite not knowing each other musically or personally. Furthermore, we managed to write three songs together in a single week!

BMS: Impressive! Great chemistry can make magic! Now tell how you came up with the name Deafcon?

Benny: Deafcon is a reference to the alert state of the United States Armed Forces, which is actually called DEFCON. We added the A to hint at the overall loudness during our shows.

BMS: So you want everything louder than everything else! Great, count me in! So, tell me what your main inspirations are for Deafcon’s sound.

Benny: What would you consider to be our main musical influences?

BMS: Ah, it rarely happens that I’ve got to answer a question myself during my interviews! Ok, I’d say you’ve taken some cues from Motörhead. You’re a the three-piece band playing as a four-piece, the way Dave plays his bass like a rhythm guitar, the fast and no nonsense feel of your music.

Benny: Actually we’ve already heard several opinions about our music. Personally, I’d rather not categorize Deafcon’s sound. What I can tell you is that all three of us have different musical influences. For instance, I’m mainly inspired by 1970s rock from the likes of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.
Dave: My main inspiration comes from the American experimental rock band Primus (no, he’s not talking about the Belgian beer). I like to experiment with my bass and to show off the instrument’s capabilities right on stage. I believe the bass guitar is more than just a background support instrument and that, if used in the right hands and with the right mindset, it can be just like a rhythm guitar.
Cisse: I just love old-school rock n’ roll from the 70s and 80s. So my influences are more or less a balance between Benny’s and Dave’s.

BMS: All right! You know, we’re all aware of what bassists like Steve Harris, Cliff Burton and Lemmy Killmister managed to get out of that baby so it bothers me to see so many bands not giving the bass the respect it deserves. Now, you’ve got your first EP out, so I’m curious to know whether you’ve got plans to release a full album.

Dave: We’ve got enough songs written to fill an entire album but as of right now we haven’t found a suitable studio that fits our needs and budget.
Benny: So until that day comes we’re putting our efforts into playing shows and promoting our band. But with a bit of luck, our steadily growing fanbase won’t have to wait very long for newly recorded Deafcon material.

BMS: I’m pleased to hear that! Tell me guys, what else do you have in life aside from Deafcon?

Cisse: I’m making a living as a freelance electrician. And I also love to drink beer and please women.
Benny: I own a transport company. You know, the good thing about being a freelancer is that it makes it easier to time manage your band. Cisse and I just have decide together when we’re going to rehearse or play a show.
Dave: I work as a field services engineer. You know, in the early days of Deafcon I played in no less in four different bands, including Deafcon. Yes, you read it correctly, four! But I decided to leave those other three bands and focus my time and efforts into playing with and promoting Deafcon.

BMS: I’ve got one final question for you, why should we all check out Deafcon?

Cisse: We’re zero bullshit rock n’ roll!
Benny: That’s right! We all like to drink, eat potato chips and party but when duty calls, all three of us get right down to business! In addition, we can easily play sets of over an hour and a half using only our own material!
Dave: We consider ourselves to be a thinking man’s band. At first, you may think of us as an old-school rock n’ roll band but upon further listening you will notice that we’re more experimental and progressive in nature. For instance, during every gig we pay homage to Motörhead by playing Ace of Spades but we only play the main riff and then we turn the song into something different. That’s our game plan, we drag the audience in by starting with something they know and love only to suddenly turn the tables on them and show our true creative skills.

BMS: Well, despite your limited runtime today you did show off a good chunk of your rock n’ roll prowess! Thanks for the shred, guys! Time for a picture!