Interview by Erwin van Dijk
Dawn of Destiny is a German power metal band and was founded in 2005. They have done numerous gigs since then (mostly in Germany). With their latest album “Rebellion in Heaven” I think it is about time to do some gigs abroad. Or at least an interview. Usually we interview the females of the band so this interview with Jens Faber is a first.
The first question: how did your album release party with guest (& my friends from) A New Dawn go?
It was a very nice evening with hours of good music, friendly people and many drinks.
You are the bass player of Dawn of Destiny and that makes you the Steve Harris of the band. Who are your favourite bass players and to what kind of music do you listen yourself?
I listen to nearly all kinds of metal. I like Helloween as well as Dimmu Borgir, Nightwish or Nile. I must confess that I do not care so much about who might be the greatest bass player because the songs are much more important to me but I think Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and John Myung (Dream Theater) belong to the best.
Did you have any bands before Dawn of Destiny or are you currently in other bands besides Dawn of Destiny?
There were probably rather more projects than real bands that I played with and currently there is nothing more than Dawn of Destiny.
What do you prefer: The traditional four strings on your bass or five?
By now I prefer five strings basses because it gives me more opportunities to vary my sound and my play.
And what kind of bass and amplifier do you use onstage?
I use a five string Grass Roots (ESP) Bass and a Line6 amplifier on stage. I am satisfied with both of it.
Power metal and Germany are almost identical in the world of metal. Why is this kind of metal so popular in Germany?
This kind of music has its roots in Germany. Helloween played that style first and some many followed. Maybe people in Germany still like tunes and melodies with high screaming voices and fast double bass attacks but I think it’s similar in other countries like Greece, Italy or Finland.
And what makes Dawn of Destiny different from all those other Power Metal bands?
We have a different approach concerning songwriting. We do not use the classical structure with Verse and Chorus. Furthermore we have more influences than just power metal because we like to express different feelings and emotions within our music. We want to create our CD’s diversified and obviously it was proven to be right considering the reviews we got for “Rebellion in Heaven”.
Another ‘German’ question: how big is metal really in your country? We foreigners know Germany mostly from all those festivals like Wacken Open Air and this might give some the impression that one out of five Germans is into Metal. Is metal really that big in Germany?
As far as I know metal is more popular in Finland (related to the population). In Germany metal was big in the 80’s and almost dead in the 90’s. By now Hip Hop is unfortunately the most popular music in Germany.
Does the album title (“Rebellion in Heaven”) have any special meaning?
Some lyrics deal with a examination of God, so we thought this title would be fitting. Besides it just sounds cool to us.
Is there one mastermind behind Dawn of Destiny’s music or is song writing teamwork?
No, I am the only songwriter but we all discuss the songs and the other members share their ideas to change some arrangements.
Can you tell us something about the songs on the album?
There are 14 songs and most of them sound different from the others. We have classical power metal stuff like “Angel Without Wings” or “Days Of Crying”, some heavy thrashing parts like “Inquisition” or some Gothic influences like “Tears”.
Your debut album is called “Begins” which is of course a perfect name for a debut album. What have you done different compared to “Begins” while writing and recording “Rebellion in Heaven”?
There are not so many differences between both albums. To me “Rebellion in Heaven” is the consequent continuation of “Begins” with the difference that we had a producer (Siggi Bemm) this time.
And the artwork: How did you get in touch with Mattias Nòren?
We found some very good material on his website and asked him to work with us for our first album.
Can you tell us something about the other members of Dawn of Destiny?
Tanja Maul – Vocals
Tanja and me make music for nearly six years. When we met each other she liked everything in music – everything but Metal!! Seemed to be a misunderstanding that we did not want to have a female singer and she did not want to sing in a metal band but it worked. Contemporaneously she sang in an a cappella band which has been a total contrast to our kind of music. Tanja has a very strong will and would do nearly everything for DOD. Her voice is crystal clear and enhances the emotions in our music perfectly.
Veith Offenbächer – Guitars
Veith is an extraordinary guitarist and a very pleasant character who fits perfectly to DOD. He was the latest member and joined us during the recording session of “Begins”.
Dirk Raczkiewicz – Keyboards
The ‘Grandfather’ refered to his age with a good sense for nice tunes.
Ansgar Ludwig – Drums
Maybe you wouldn’t expect him playing drums but he has very fast feet and a heavy groove.
What are Dawn of Destiny’s ambitions for the future?
We want to spread our name all over the world and maybe there is one day a chance for touring the whole world and selling enough CD’s to make DOD a full time living! We had several fantastic experiences and will always remember that.
And, the last question, is there anything the reader should know that I have not asked?
Not really. We thank you for the interview and hope that we could advise the reader of our band.
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