Sean Jenkins & Sacha Laskow (Divinity)
March 2008
Divinity is a hard working band that is around for quite a few years now. Can you tell me about the way the band got together?
SEAN: I started the band 10 years ago during my high school days and have been searching for the best people to work with ever since. I first found James Duncan through an ad I put out. Brett Duncan (James' younger brother) joined the band about a year or so after James and we had started playing local shows. We found Sacha Laskow once we had decided that I would only sing and we would find a 2nd guitarist. Finally, after going through several bass players we found Nick Foster and have a completely dedicated group of metal musicians.
You have released no less than three demos over the years. How about the reception of those demos?
SEAN: Each time we did a demo learned so much about recording and producing music, as well as forging our direction in terms of songwriting style. We found that we would get more response from other bands and promoters to do shows, as well as a lot of good response from fans and media.
Did you ever get any label interest about those demos?
SEAN: We definitely sent out hundreds of demos to all kinds of labels seeking support but overall we got no real good response. We got some interest from smaller labels but nothing that we where really interested in. This is what sparked our idea to just go ahead and create a full-length album. We realized that the days of getting signed off an unsolicited demo are coming to be less and less possible. It seems the labels want prefer a finished product they can work with right off the bat.
Are these demos available in any shape or form today?
SEAN: They are not available as they are all out of print and not really what we want to promote.
You have released your debut album self produced last year. Was it that got the attention of Nuclear Blast?
SEAN: Yes, we released Allegory in July of 2007 and did a Canadian tour right afterwards. Within a short time after that we started to put out ads and CD samplers and we started a see response from a number of smaller and larger labels. And two of them were Nuclear Blast and Roadrunner Records.
How did you feel about them offering a record deal?
SEAN: When we first received the offer we were blown away. Who expects to get a deal from a huge label within 4 months of its indie release? Overall, we felt extreme excitement and a feeling of success for all the hard work we have been doing over the last few years. We are very happy to be a part of the amazing roster on Nuclear Blast.
Do you prefer being one of the many upcoming bands on Nuclear Blast or would it be better to be number one on a smaller label?
SEAN: We definitely prefer to be one of the upcoming bands on Nuclear Blast because the smaller labels can only do so much. The marketing and promotion power that Nuclear Blast has cannot be matched and the access to contacts around the world is another big difference we can see.
SACHA: We don't feel neglected in any sense on NB and their roster and general vision fits with our own very well.
So, how about the CDs you have already pressed? Were they all sold out? Are they collector's item now?
SEAN: We pressed quite a few for an indie band at the time and we sold a fair amount in the 4 months prior to signing with NB. We do have a hundred or so still kicking around and they will become collector's items for sure. We did an initial run of 1000 and they have pretty much all been sold or sent out as promos. Who knows maybe they will be a collector's item some day!
How many albums you have singed for with NB? And what are your expectations?
SEAN: We have signed for 1 album (Allegory) and 4 more albums. Our expectations are that each album will have about 1.5 years worth of promotion and touring. We have already begun writing for the next album and it is going great!
As far as I know "Allegory" was scheduled for an early 2006 release. What happened?
SEAN: When we decided to make this album we did not foresee the troubles we would run into. We had to find a new bass player right before we were going to record the bass tracks and this is why we found Nick Foster. He basically joined the band learned all the songs and started recording them as soon as he learned them. There was another incident where we had one of our external hard drives crash and we lost our synths/keys and solos tracks. So, we had expected to be finished in 2006 but with all the troubles we ran into it took us almost another year.
SACHA: I certainly didn't foresee being holed up in my fucking basement without sunlight for years! As Sean said we essentially had to overcome every possible problem and difficulty imaginable to get this album done. Nonetheless we persevered and are proud of the outcome.
You're not only self-financed your debut album but you got a world-class producer. How could you finance all this?
SEAN: This again was another big thing for us to figure out because the five of us are definitely not abundant with money. We decided to come up with a business plan and took it to a bank to get the financing needed to do it. It took some convincing but we got all the money we needed to record and mix the album. This was a big responsibility put on each member to make this business plan work but we have prevailed through all the hard work and have delivered what we had set out to create.
SACHA: One word: credit!!!
And how did you end up working with Tue Madsen and how did you hook up with the guy?
SEAN: We had been researching a few different producers who we where fans of and simply emailed them asking them about availability and costs. Everyone responded but we felt Tue Madsen would be the best fit for our sound. He was great to work with and did an amazing job!
And to add to the Scandinavian connection the album's cover was designed by Mattias Norén. How did you get to know him?
SACHA: Again we where just fans of his work with other bands like Into Eternity and Evergrey, we contacted him and he was interested to work with us so...
What was your idea about the cover art? Did you give him free hand?
SACHA: We sent him some demos and the lyrics and he took it from there and devised the vision you see on the cover. This is the motive of a great artist so we didn't want to try and influence him too much. He took our ideas and created something that represented the album concept perfectly. Of course we had some small suggestions.
It's not easy to put a label on your music. How would you describe it?
SACHA: Glad to hear that as we don't want to be easily categorized or fit into any narrow-minded classification. Our music blends the varied influences of all of the members including Death, Prog, Thrash and classic Metal. I would describe it simply as Modern Metal, if you need to categorize it further I'll leave that to your imagination.
Some of the die-hard Divinity fans might be surprised to hear the amount of clean vocals you have on the albums because it's something different from the old days. How did you end up using that?
SACHA: I think as Sean grew as a vocalist and we began to incorporate more varied influences as a group it was a natural progression. We don't want to be limited to one style or genre and that includes the vocals, so Sean's ability to be dynamic is a welcomed facet of our sound.
Don't you afraid that you'll be labelled a bandwagon jumper?
SACHA: Personally I don't give too much credence to what people talking shit are saying. Everyone has their own opinion and that's great but we do what we do. My own opinion is it should be pretty obvious to the audience that we don't have a formulaic sound, and we write from the heart without any preconceived notions or limitations.
What is the songwriting process like in Divinity?
SACHA: Sean, James and myself are the main songwriters in terms of coming up with the seeds for the songs. Usually one of us will present a few riff ideas or a finished demo and then open it up for critique and editing by all the other members. Once we are all happy with a song and all the parts then it becomes a completed piece and the final things are added like solos, keyboards and samples etc. As for as lyrics it varies, sometimes a lyrical idea will present itself from the feelings the music imparts, other times the lyrical concept is decided later on.
Who's the main lyricist of the band?
SACHA: Sean primarily writes the lyrics although James and I also have input into the lyrics and concepts.
So what are you talking about in your songs?
SACHA: Lyrics are a very important part of the music for us as they help give the songs more meaning and the two are very closely intertwined. Our general concepts are about human experiences and the things we go through in life, told through metaphors and stories with multiple layers of meaning. The rest is open for the listener to interpret. Some examples include Induce, which is about addiction and weakness against vices, Plasma is about sexual temptation and some of the consequences that can result. Modern Prophecy is about technology and how it has become the new religion.
Even though being without a record deal you were an active live band. Do you keep track of many gigs you have performed over the years?
SACHA: Not exactly but I'm sure it's in the hundreds by now. We definitely love playing live, it's one of the best parts of being in a band and we strive to deliver. What you get live from us is as close to the CD as possible and we bust our asses to make that happen.
What were the best gigs you played so far?
SACHA: Some of the best include opening for Cannibal Corpse and Overkill and doing some regional stints with our friends in Into Eternity and Augury. Just great musicians as well as Intense crowds that really give you the energy to perform your best.
Do you expect to be able to go out on a tour with the debut album?
SACHA: Absolutely. We can't wait to hit the road and blow some minds! We are working on a couple of North American tours for this year and will continue next year as well, hopefully we can coordinate a trip to Europe down the road. Check the website for dates as we should be confirming the spring tour very soon!
How is the local scene over there? Any up and coming new bands you could recommend?
SACHA: The local scene here in Calgary is alright, definitely has improved a lot over the years. There are some killer bands here, I would recommend to check out Caveat and Exit Strategy, and for young up and comers Nebucadnezzer are kicking ass.
And for closing, what would be your Top3 albums from 2007?
SACHA: Hard to choose just 3 but I would say: Blotted Science - Machinations of Dementia
Cephalic Carnage - Xenosapien
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Between the Buried and Me - Colors
Devin Townsend - Ziltiod the Omniscient
Some non-metal ones I really enjoyed where:
Planet X - Quantum
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
SEAN: My top 3 albums of 2007 are:
Three - The End is Begun
Blotted Science - Machinations of Dementia
Devin Townsend - Ziltiod the Omniscient