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Dividing The Element – Interview


Dividing The Element – Interview

Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (https://petesrocknewsandviews.com)

PD: What type of artist are you?

DTE: I think the most accurate description that I can offer you is that we are an experimental metal band.

 

PD: Tell us the brief history of yourself.

DTE: I’m Chris from Dividing The Element and we are a metal band from Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. The band was founded in 2012 by myself and Sherlic White who later left Zimbabwe, leaving me to be the sole torch-bearer of the band. After a few line-up changes, the band settled on 4 members; respectively myself (lead vocals and lead guitar), Archie Chikoti (lead guitar), Nick Newbery (drums) and Mat Sanderson (bass).

 

PD: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?

DTE: As I mentioned, we are experimental, so the musical influences aren’t necessarily drawn from any one particular source, but if I were to loosely try to pin the former works of DTE down I would say there are influences from bands like Metallica, Bullet For My Valentine, In Flames and also cues taken from traditional Zimbabwean folk music. As for non-musical influences, I would say the philosophies that develop from the experiences that come with existing within today’s society are big ones. That alone offers enough content to keep the well of inspiration from drying up, pretty much forever.

 

PD: What are your dreams and goals?

DTE: Well, for me I’ve always wanted to write and play my own music so I could express myself and make connections with people, I’ve always felt a sense of longing for that. The problem was, I discovered early on, that it was often quite difficult to get past the small talk and social niceties that get in the way of making meaningful connections, so when I discovered that music had a way of reaching directly into the soul and cutting straight through those obstacles that was all I wanted to do from that point on. So as long as I’m playing the music I write and people are listening to it, as far as I’m concerned I’m living the dream, as cheesy as that may sound. 

 

PD: Who writes your songs, what are they about?

DTE: I am the primary song writer. The subject matter differs from song to song, but the inspiration is often (if not always) drawn from a personal experience or world view.

 

PD: How do you promote your band and shows?

DTF: Mostly through social media and word of mouth.

 

PD: What do you think about downloading music online?

DTE: I think it does have it’s pitfalls but it’s so firmly secured in place as a means of acquisition now that it’s probably healthier to embrace it rather than fight it. I’d also say it’s definitely doing a major service to people right now with all the social distancing and lockdowns. 

 

PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?

DTE: I honestly don’t know, haha. Maybe Lithium by Nirvana because of the nostalgic effect it has on me. 

 

PD: What are some of your pet peeves?

DTE: Story toppers and lazy spelling. 

 

PD: What is your proudest moment in music?

DTE: I’d say when DTE got a review blurb in Metal Hammer Magazine. I’d grown up reading those magazines, so seeing my own band in there was a very proud moment and surreal experience for me. 

 

PD: So what are you working on at the moment?

DTE: These lockdowns have really been a game changer and put things in perspective for me, so at the moment I’m actually mainly focused on coding but I am still making time to write music, so there will hopefully be more material, eventually. 

 

PD: What music have you available online and where can we buy it from? 

DTE: We have the self titled album released in 2018 and a single released this year called Pakaipa available. If you want to connect with us, the best way to do that is on Facebook. But you can find the music on:

Amazon Anghami Apple MediaNet Deezer Instagram/Facebook Google Play/Youtube iHeartRadio
ClaroMusica  iTunes KKBox  Napster NetEase(Beta)  Pandora  Saavn  Spotify  Tidal TikTok/Resso 

Dividing The Element links:
Band/Artist location – Harare, Zimbabwe
Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Bandcamp – 
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Google Play – Last Fm
Check our page for Dividing The Element


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