Interview with Daniel Williams (The Devil Wears Prada)

An Interview with Daniel Williams (The Devil Wears Prada)

by Brandon Marshall

CMB: What was it that got you interested in playing drums? Do you have any formal training? When starting out, what drummers did you emulate?

DW: I started playing drums in the 6^th grade. I picked up the snare in my music class and I played that for about three years in a high school band. Some of my friends had a punk band and they were like, ‘Hey, you should buy this drum kit.’ It ended up being $250.00 for the entire kit that [was] like three cymbals, pedals, and everything– you can imagine what it sounded like. I played from that year up until now. In the beginning, I would say my main influence was Underoath.

CMB: You mentioned that you started out with just a snare drum, is that the reason why you have such a small kit now?

DW: (Laughs) I don’t know if that’s necessarily why I have a small kit. I think I have a small kit because I think less is more.

CMB: Why not make it easier on yourself and expand? Why do you have only straight cymbals set so high?

DW: Recently I have changed over to boom stands. Originally when I had the high cymbals, that was a Travis Barker, because I definitely looked up to blink-182, and it gave me a little bit more visual aesthetic that was more pleasing to the crowd and makes you look like you’re doing a little bit more. Our songs are getting to be a little more difficult to play, so I lowered them and got boom stands. I think one day I will add in another tom or two, and stuff like that.

CMB: I noticed that your kick and toms are Truth Drums, is this who you were endorsed by? Who do you use for snare, cymbals, pedals and triggers?

DW: I don’t use triggers. I’m endorsed by Truth Drums, and I have been since 2008. I love the company, they are great guys. As far as stands, I use DW and I use Meinl Cymbals. Pearl made a new pedal called demon drive.

CMB: Tell us what was it like working with Adam Dutkiewicz on Dead Throne?

DW: It was a long process. We sat and tuned drums for about two or three hours every single day. In the end, the recording sounded great, so I can’t complain. Adam plays drums, so it was a bit nerve-racking to play drums in front of someone who plays drums so well. I actually saw him play when we were on tour with Killswitch Engage. We played a song with them on the last date, but it was a bit intimidating because Killswitch Engage is a great band of musicians. It was a little nerve-racking, but overall it was a great experience.

CMB: How did he influence you? Did he push and challenge you in new ways?

DW: Absolutely. He would make me play songs without stopping; in my mind, I played all the parts right. I would get through the songs and he would be like, ‘OK, play it over again.’  I think he would do that so I could get the graph of the song better each time.  It had to be perfect; he would make us play over and over again until he thought it was perfect, even when I thought it was perfect.

CMB: So how long did you log as far as recording time?

DW: I was there for seven days for 13 tracks. We would go onto the studio at about 11:00a.m. and did not leave until 7 or 8p.m., so I would say 8,000 hours (laughs).

CMB: Did you take a different approach while recording your drum tracks?

DW: I don’t think it was a different approach. We definitely wrote the record different. We demoed the record out before we went into the studio. My drumming approach was the same–which is play hard.

CMB: Many metal fans argue that The Devil Wears Prada and the deathcore genre is just a fad. What is your take on statements like this, and do you think bands have hopped on the deathcore bandwagon?

DW: Umm… I don’t even think I would call us Deathcore. I just consider ourselves a metal band that screams, and that’s all there is to it. I don’t think we are trying to do a fad or a fashion type thing. We like metal music and we like it as loud as possible. I don’t think we are following a fad and I don’t think our music is going to fade out because we have been playing what we love for the past six years. I don’t see it stopping; if anything, we are making it better with each CD.

CMB: Are you currently in any other bands? What bands did you play with before The Devil Wears Prada?

DW: Before Devil Wears Prada I was in a band that played blink-182 covers and punk songs. That’s what I was playing with my $250.00 kit, and I was in a band called Ellenore. We never actually played any shows, so I don’t know if you can consider that a band or not. I’m currently in an indie band with my old roommate called Invitation to a Bullfight. It’s just for fun; we get together and play some bar shows.

CMB: You tapped Dan Seagrave for the cover of Dead Throne who painted the cover for Morbid Angels Alters of Madness and Suffocations Effigy of the Forgotten. What was it like working with him for the second time? Did you give him any ideas? Was there an alternate cover?

DW: There wasn’t an alternate cover, but we definitely had the idea. We wanted the album to look like a relic. We wanted an upside down skull and it turned into a crown to symbolize a dead idol. We gave him the idea and he shot it back to us. It was really close to what we were expecting.

CMB: When you say ‘dead idol,’ was this in reference to anyone specific?

DW: Nah, the entire album is about anti-idolatry, whether [that’s] a person or a thing. The entire album is about not putting something on a pedestal.

Category: Planet Buzz