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Hi, Doug Cheek, of the band, Malfaktor. Wow, Malfaktor’s music is unique and original like a vampires’ pulse rushing through one’s veins. It feeds on all the ions in the central nervous system, sending us on a higher level of consciousness; a trance-like hypnotic journey where resistance is frivolous.
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: Haahaha…thanks! Wow, I’d be glad to have our music have that effect on any of our fans! Sometimes when we’re performing our music, it’s like electro-shock therapy, and then again, sometimes it can embrace you like a warm summer rain. Our debut album, The Delay of the Inevitable is a good example of those emotions being put into words. I must also say those are the types of emotions and feelings that we try to tap into when we’re writing the music in our home studio, which has been so eloquently dubbed “Malfaktor Studios”. During the last 6 months, we have been working on our new album, so we are all quite familiar with those ranges in emotional states during the writing and processes.
Q. And, yes, I’m very curious how these sounds are made. Can you describe your music-making process?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: Well, we write a lot of the music on our “free time”, and then we get together, collaborate, and try to find common ground on whatever piece of music that we are working on. The electronic element of our music is written on a few different music creation programs, and then we’ll g over it, see if we like it, and if so, we’ll try to mix it to its highest potential. As far as live bass, guitar, electronic drums, and/or any other instruments are concerned, that all comes after we figure out what “backing tracks” we all agree upon using for a particular track. It’s really an exciting process that each track goes through before you actually get to hear it…the metamorphosis from a little drum beat or guitar riff to the final product is an amazing journey to take!
Q. I noticed that the band’s lyrics spawn futuristic events to be foretold. Who writes your songs, and what are the themes the band writes about in the majority of their songs?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: I write the lyrics, as I am the lead singer in Malfaktor. I really write about the world as seen through my eyes. I write about how disgusting the human race has become, technology, agriculture, big corporations, deforestation, reproduction, a “Big Brother”-type government, the media, current events, and of course, the human animal…the real global-killing virus. I like to basically write about anything that’s a threat to the human race, whether it’s nuclear war, the plague, famine, or us…ourselves. Anybody can write about love and loss, but I like to think and write about things that I feel can affect everyone, depending on your point-of-view, of course!
Q. How many fans say that Malfaktor’s music is the wave of the future?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: I haven’t heard that one yet, but the floor is open for debate! Hahahaha…that is a cool idea, and I hope I live to see that day when our music is played on mainstream radio and at your local bowling alley or roller-skating rink! Hahhahaha…
Q. Can you tell us a little about the current lineup? How did everyone meet, did they play in any former bands, do the members share the same influences for their music style, and do they like to experiment and try new ideas to their sound?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: Very good question! The current lineup for Malfaktor includes me, Larry Orban, III (aka Orbasm) on bass/synths, and Matt Hastings (aka Sycophant) on synths/bass/electronic drums. We are currently holding try-outs for a new lead guitar player, as we will need one for live play. Larry and I have been playing in bands together for the last 5-6 years, with our first band, Ritualistic Suicide, briefly with Rolling Pork, and now with Malfaktor…all very different bands and musical styles. We met Matt when we had our original guitarist in the band, Tim Miller. Matt and Tim, who were both in another industrial band called No Last Resort, both decided to join the band early in 2009, after we had some other band members leave the band. Tim has left the band again since, but Matt has stuck with it and has been in the band ever since! He’s a very talented person and I believe he’ll be with the band for a long time…hopefully! Hahaha… I think we all experiment with different types of sounds and instruments when creating music. It’s something that I feel separates us from most of the bands out there right now. I think this band can hold its own ground against most of the bands in this dying Goth/industrial scene, and also in the metal scene, too. We have played on both sides of the fence and both seem to welcome us with open arms. That’s a good feeling! I personally don’t give a fuck who accepts us or not, as we’re just here to play music and express ourselves as artists.
Q. What has been Malfaktor’s most significant challenge in their music career-to-date?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: I think the biggest challenge to date has been setting our debut album, The Delay of the Inevitable, aside to work on our new album. The rest of the guys want to re-record it and re-master it, as we have had some new advances in our sound and we wanted to have that newer sound present for our debut album, but I think we need to let it rest awhile, and focus on our new album, which is already sounding a lot better sonically. We spent nearly 4 years getting our debut album out to our fans, and I think it’d be a good idea to move on.
Our new music is so much more defined and eloquent, while our debut album is more raw and aggressive. Both are good in their own way, but I feel that our new album will encompass both an aggressive and a more melodic edge. It’ll be interesting to hear how this new album shapes up and matures over the next few months!
Q. The name “Malfaktor” is different. Does it have any meanings in the band’s roots?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: MALFAKTOR
mal-e-fac-tor [mal-uh-fak-ter]
Noun Definition: A criminal or felon; an evildoer
I think, for us, Malfaktor takes on an emotional state of a criminal or evildoer. Basically, I think our music can be explained as someone who doesn’t give a fuck anymore, someone who hates the system, whether it’s the judicial system or the system that is life and society. For me, personally, I take on that emotion and character when I am on stage, as I can relate to that feeling of not giving a fuck and wanting to end it all. It defines you as a person and changes you forever.
Q. How is your new album coming along? Can you give us a little hint about the songs, album art, and the location where this new album will be recorded?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: Again, I think it will turn a few heads and show our growth over the last 5 years since we began working on music together. There is a good balance of aggressive music, as heard on our debut album, and a fair mix of more melodic-sounding material. We are all really proud with the music, so far, and we are all looking forward to getting this album out to all of our fans. As far as album art, I have my eyes on a few artists to take on the project, but it’s really a mystery right now, as we haven’t really talked much about it yet. Music first, artwork second, I suppose! When we decide to record, we’ll probably do what we did for the first album and record at our home studio, Malfaktor Studios!
Q. Does Malfaktor have an engineer helping with the mixing and mastering of all of their music?
Doug Cheek of Malfaktor: Well, yes, we do. We had Eirik Ellingsen of GriffDog Records mix & master our last two albums, and he did a fantastic job! I’m sure we will have an engineer help us to some degree with the new album, but it is hard to say, at this point, who it will be.
Q. I noticed the band is doing great playing locally in their area. Is Industrial-Metal a popular genre in California?
