Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
MALACODA: We consider ourselves to be form of prog metal/rock. We have a bit of a darker edge than is typically seen in prog metal. We’ve always focused on atmosphere and dissonance in our songwriting.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
MALACODA: The band started as Lucas’ (vocalist) solo project, and it was more or less meant to be a studio project. As the years have gone by it’s evolved into more of a live act. We’re all based out of Ontario, Canada and the past few years especially we’ve grown as a band.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
MALACODA: We’re inspired by films, books, video games, and everyday life. We try to find a way to make the mundane more “epic”. We’re inspired by a lot of different artists: Katatonia, Akira Yamaoka, Steven Wilson – just to name a few. The band name came from the book Dante’s Inferno, and while we don’t have many songs that touch upon the themes of that book, that emphasis on dark atmosphere is something we take from that body of work often.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
MALACODA: We’ve always aspired to be interesting to listen to. Having a lot of experience in local music scenes and the recording industry was what sparked the idea of Malacoda. We really want to raise the bar for what’s possible for mostly DIY artists.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
MALACODA: I think our proudest moment was when we booked our own tour and release party in 2018 – we haven’t done anything of that scale since, but to see all the hard work pay off from our own efforts was great.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging
from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
MALACODA: It’s a constant battle. We never really thought about social media as a marketing tool when we started the band- but the landscape was different then. It seems like every day there’s something new to worry about in order to get out there. It’s overwhelming, and unless you have a knack for it or are an outwardly extroverted person, it can be exhausting and frustrating. We think having a team or a member who takes care of that is crucial in this day in age to avoid burnout.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
MALACODA: We are rehearsing right now – it’s been a few years since our last gig (2019). Right now we trust our management to help us with the booking, but in the past we would call up venues, search for bands and maybe find a promoter to help us with booking a venue.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
MALACODA: It’s become the norm unfortunately/fortunately – depending on your perspective. Music has become a valueless commodity, something that is just consumed en masse without much thought. Spotify is great because you can come across so many artists not in the mainstream – it kind of levels the playing field for better or worse. We wish they paid their artists more though!
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
MALACODA: We all wish we wrote Bohemian Rhapsody!
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
MALACODA: There is quite a bit we’d all like changed. A big issue seems to be gate keeping and nepotism – but that’s always been there. A big problem is for every hour you spend on making music you 
have to spend more time on making content for marketing and social media – it seems that matters more than the art itself some days. There seems to be a focus on creating “content” instead of art.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
MALACODA: Right now we’re working on a new full length record – the first one in a while. We’re pretty excited about this one – a lot of pieces fell into place this time and we didn’t have many hiccups on the writing or production of it. We’re practicing a lot right now to gear up for gigs as well!
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
MALACODA: The best place to hear about us is either on our website : www.malacodametal.com – or our social media accounts (@malacodaband – Instagram). Our merch and music can be bought and heard on our site, Bandcamp and on all streaming services.
Malacoda links:
Band/Artist location – Oakville, Ontario Canada
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Bandcamp – Merch –
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer –
Check our page for MALACODA
