Thanks for the time guys. Let's start off by asking what makes Daylight Dies so different than most "doom" bands?

Thanks for the interview! First off we don’t really consider ourselves a “doom metal” band, for the same reason that others reject that label being given to us. While we do have influences from the genre, we have equal or more influences from outside it. Our music tends to be more technically active and – in general – faster and more aggressive than what is usually defined as “doom metal”.

I have noticed that you guys don't really employ a Sabbath-esque sound in your music as some bands tend to do, but I do hear elements of Opeth, Katatonia and Paradise Lost. How important were these bands in shaping what became the sound for Daylight Dies?

You’re right, those bands have influenced our sound, along with other bands such as Death, Anathema, Saturnus, Sentenced – even old Metallica and The Cure. Nowadays we have an extremely wide range of music we listen to, much of it outside the metal genre. So I think we naturally bring all that together into the Daylight Dies sound.

Having been around for nearly a decade now, how did your earlier output differ from your newest release DISMANTLING DEVOTION?

I think it’s very misleading to think we’ve been an active band for a decade, because we haven’t. Barre and I have been playing together since we were around 15, and in 1996 we decided to begin Daylight Dies. But due to living far apart at the time, we weren’t really active and writing songs until late 1999 or early 2000. Regardless, DISMANTLING DEVOTION is without a doubt our most mature release. We’ve pushed ourselves to continually progress and refine our sound, always trying to bring in new elements to expand our sonic landscape. DISMANTLING DEVOTION has a diverse collection of songs dynamically and melodically, yet they are all bound together by a common emotional theme. That’s something we always strive for and feel like this album really displays that.

Within the doom metal genre, there's usually an emphasis placed on lyrics that are often very sad and depressive. Did you follow such a formula lyrically on the new album, or have you ever?

Every Daylight Dies release, including our original unreleased tape-demo from 1999 has depressive personal lyrics. Of course writing personal lyrics is not something that came along with the advent of doom metal. So we’re not following any formula – but Daylight Dies is entirely based on the expression of an extremely personal (and almost private) outlook on life. There are no fantasy lyrics, everything is real and sincere.

The casual listener may be a bit adverse to the lengths of some of your songs. How do you keep it interesting for nearly 7-8 minutes without losing someone?

We’re not for the casual listener. I consider some music fans of 2006 have “attention deficit disorder” when it comes to music and I think most of those people will completely miss out on our music. Our music is for those who have the time and desire to fully dissolve into a song and be immersed in it. It’s a much more gratifying experience in the end. But I think all of our songs have plenty of peaks and valleys to keep the scenery moving along without it getting boring.

"Epic" is definitely a term I would use in describing the Daylight Dies core sound. How do you yourselves describe it?

I usually describe our music as “dark and desperate melancholic metal”. The speed or length of our songs isn’t what’s important – the feeling is. And writing our music and lyrics provides an emotional catharsis for all of us. The focus is a saturation of mood – textures of light and dark which paint a vivid picture.

The new album's title intrigues me. What is the basic idea and concept behind the name DISMANTLING DEVOTION?

All the songs follow the basic theme of the disintegration of relationships. Intimate and non-intimate. The slow and painful process of watching any close bond we’ve made in life dissolve. It’s picking those experiences apart slowly piece by piece – the dismantling of devotion.

Candlelight seems to be synonymous with the black and death metal camps, yet lately they seem to be diversifying their roster a bit. Are you guys being treated well by them?

Candlelight actually has a pretty diverse roster – from Opeth back in the day, to Crowbar today (among many others). So we feel like we fit in just fine. The album just came out today, so we haven’t had an extended experience with them yet – but so far so good.

How do you know when a song is absolutely perfect and fits within what Daylight Dies does?

You finish listening to a demo, everyone looks around and smiles a little bit. Then you know it’s done. Before that, it’s revision after frustration revision.

Any final words or parting comments?

Thanks for the interview. Our new web site will be online later this week. Please check it out for the latest information and media on Daylight Dies. Take care.