Mythic interview

Originally published in ‘zine issue #4, 1992

Dana Duffey is the vocalist and guitarist for the all-female death metal band Mythic. The band has a debut demo, The Immortal Realm, out now, which followed a rehearsal that Mythic isn’t selling anymore. This is a killer band that everyone should write to immediately. Dana delighted me by answering the following interview.

D.U.: In a live situation, do you find that you have some sort of negative attitude from the crowd that you have to overcome because of your sex?

Dana: There may be a negative feeling at first, but I feel that very shortly after we begin our set, a lot of people change their negative attitudes.

What happened to the song “Scarred for Life”?

We decided to take one of the old songs off the demo in order to put on “Lament Configuration.” We agreed on “Scarred for Life” since it was our slowest song.

Is it dropped forever from the band’s song list?

Although we didn’t re-record it, it is still a part of our set. We will continue to play it live.

Was “Lament Configuration” the only song inspired by a book or a movie?

Yes. My boyfriend wrote the lyrics for “Lament” the night before we recorded, and I think they’re excellent. The other lyrics are written by me and Terri.

What other sources gave you ideas for songs?

The inspiration came from witchcraft, deities, dreams, psychic phenomenon, et cetera.

When you say the demo was recorded “live,” does that mean that the band recorded at the same time in the studio with no later tracking or what?

We never actually went into the studio. We went to a local club on a Sunday, and our sound guy hooked up a cassette deck and a DAT machine, and we recorded it live through a soundboard just as if it was a show. So, yeah, we all recorded at the same time.

I wish we could have redone “Thy Future Forecast.” Since we recorded it first, it’s sort of like a warm-up song. I think side B turned out a lot better.

How much did the June ‘91 rehearsal help get the word out in the scene?

It’s helped a lot! If we didn’t release it, we’d probably only be known in Pittsburgh. It got us known real fast. We are getting a lot of orders for the demo now. We aren’t selling the rehearsal anymore. We feel the demo is so much better.

Now that the demo is released, I feel that it could be better. We are progressing so fast, especially my vocals. They are getting deeper and I can hold out notes a lot longer now. All I can say is, the next recording we release will blow away anything we’ve ever done.

What points about the band did you concentrate on improving with the new demo, as compared to the performance on the rehearsal?

Everything! We needed to mix in some faster parts. We’re still being labeled a doom band and I agree we’re not super-fast, but we’re not Winter either. We’re writing some faster material just to prove that we can do it. When we recorded the rehearsal, we had only practiced about three weeks. We’ve had a lot more time now. We are all still improving and progressing all the time, and it’s great! Mythic will continue to improve musically.

Are you trying to prove anything with Mythic at all, or is it just your band and that’s what you do?

We are always trying to improve as individuals and as a band. As far as proving something, I would have to say, “somewhat.” We are trying to prove that women can play brutal music and be socially accepted.

I don’t believe a band is just something you do. If you are serious about it like we are, you put everything into it. And that’s what I do. Mythic is my life. Of course, we all have problems and disagree a lot, but that’s life. I love playing in a death metal band. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And with all the improvements since May, things are getting better all the time. We have a lot of bands’ and friends’s support. It’s great!

Is there anything else to say?

Yeah. Thanks, Richard, for the interview and the good questions. Please give Mythic a chance. I think you’ll find that we’re not the typical death metal band. Always support the underground. Grind on! ■


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