Novarium is a gothic metal band out of the US. The band has been making some noise with their recently released single, “Virus”. Join us as we chat with the band about Novarium, “Virus”, and making music in this difficult time.
BS: How long has Novarium been together?
Dean: Novarium got off the ground in 2013. We’ve had a couple of lineups like most bands, but the current incarnation has been going strong since 2018.
BS: What do you think attracts listeners to your band?
D. Anthony: Our music consists of many elements that can lend itself to a wider audience. We tend to write heavy, but we aren’t afraid to write more laid back melancholy songs either. We introduce a lot of melody, but also add in some aggressive vocals here and there. With the new lineup, we’re introducing more male vocal elements. I’d like to think that we have a good mixture so there’s something for everybody to enjoy.
BS: How does a typical Novarium song come together?
Dean: We all write remotely and email files back and forth. We’re spread out over both coasts, so technology is our friend. For my part, I usually hear a tune in my head before I commit it to tape. I’ll program a beat, play a simple bass line, and lay down guitar. I used to write keys before Micah joined. Now I can stop pretending I know how to play keys! I send it out so that the real musicians in the band can make it sound like music. We’re also experimenting with different ways of writing. I wrote a tune recently that had lyrics jump out to me for a chorus, so I put pen to paper and sent it to Jen. She’ll write around that. Our drummer writes drum grooves and sends it to us. That’s always interesting. The other guys are all in similar situations. We’re all multi-instrumentalists, so it’s nothing for someone to send the rest of us fully formed songs.
Jen: We are all spread out around the United States, so recording things at home and writing remotely is something we’ve been doing for a long time now.
D. Anthony: Technology plays a huge role in how we create our songs. It’s nice not to have to rely on others schedules to create our music in one room, otherwise it would take forever to finish anything. With all instruments at your fingertips, someone will come forward with a fully structured song ready for vocals, and sometimes keys, to be added. At that point, appropriate changes are made to help make the song, collectively, as best as we can. Sometimes, I even introduce an entire song structure of just drums for the band to collaborate and build upon.
BS: Your new song and video “Virus” is awesome. What was the creation of that song and video like for you?
Dean: We had it mixed and mastered at Deep End studio in Baltimore with our producer, Tony Corelli. Tony is extremely easy to work with and took the time to work on the fine details that differentiate “Virus” from our previous efforts. We record a lot of the tracks ourselves and take it to Tony for finishing touches and additions. The results speak for themselves. For the video, we went with Tony Simone and Zenbeast Media. Zenbeast has done a ton of killer videos, and Tony was very patient on the set. This is our first official video, so we had to set the bar for ourselves. We created a storyboard around a particular concept, mapped it out, and brought all of the props we used. The aesthetic of the video had to marry up with the mood of the song and our image. The coloring Tony used was brilliant, and the way it was shot was fantastic. The opening shot of Jen walking out of the woods wasn’t planned. The hotel we stayed in while shooting had a wooded area out back with a pathway. There were trees all around that had developed a kind of archway and it was perfect for the shot. That’s probably my favorite sequence of the entire video, and lasts only a few seconds.
Jen: It was definitely a fun day of shooting. We shot the video in a warehouse on a property in Pennsylvania and it was a rare time when we could all finally be in the same room together, so that was cool.
BS: How has the fan response been to it?
Dean: So far, very positive. This is a different lineup from our first album and people don’t take change well, but it seems like the single itself was well-received.
Jen: I haven’t really heard anything that negative, to be honest. It’s been well-received. I think people were surprised to hear from us during the shelter-in-place. We definitely got a higher number of Youtube subscribers on our channel due to the video, and we’d love to do more in the future.
D. Anthony: Surprisingly well being we have been on hiatus for a while. Some people have commented stating they are happy we are back at it whether we have new tunes or not. It feels good to know that we are not forgotten.
BS: Is this solely a single or is this similar in style to the other songs on your upcoming EP?
Dean: This was the first single of a 5 track EP. It’s similar in style to the rest of the EP if you like dark, depressing, philisophocal, moody gothic metal. Turn off your lights and light some candles.
D. Anthony: “Virus” is very similar to the rest of the EP. We have introduced this song as the first single due to it having a good combination of what Novarium’s current sound is. For this EP, we’ll have songs that are more on the aggressive end, songs that are more melancholy and full of melody, and some songs that combine the different elements in different ways. When your sound starts getting pigeonholed, it’s hard to break away from that and remain relevant. So we try to keep our sound fresh to our ears, and the listeners.
BS: Is there a type of message you are wanting fans to pick up on through your music?
Jen: Each song is a little different but for this project many of the songs are about death and human nature. This song involves wanting to save someone from themselves, essentially. But you cannot. If someone really wants to change their life, they need to do it for themselves. They need to want to change for the better.
BS: Has the creation of this EP been the same as other music for you, or has Covid 19 changed the way you had to record it?
D. Anthony: The creation of this EP has been amazing. From the beginning of writing this EP, with the new lineup, the songs have been coming together rather rapidly. With the help of Tony Correlli (Deep End Studios) we have been able to paint the picture we have envisioned with these new songs. Since we were still in the mixing and mastering stage when COVID-19 hit, we had to find another way to work with Tony. Luckily, we were able to meet through “Zoom” and still be able to move forward.
BS: How has the pandemic affected you creatively?
D. Anthony: For me there wasn’t a lot of difference, but since it hindered working on EP 2 I was inspired to write out full skeletons of songs with just drums that may, or may not, see the light of day.
BS: What are your goals for the remainder of 2020?
Jen: It’s tough to say, because there likely won’t be live shows for the remainder of this year. But we are definitely working on more music and we’d like to have another video out very soon.
BS: Do you feel concerts could still open up this year, or are you more looking to play shows next year?
Jen: For safety purposes, personally I don’t think it will be completely safe for anyone anywhere to go to shows until there is a vaccine. I hope everyone is able to stay safe and responsible.
We will be looking at possibly playing shows in 2021. [I agree 100%]
Dean: We were hoping to make it out of the rehearsal space this year but it doesn’t seem possible. We’ve been preparing for 2 back-to-back EP’s, so live shows aren’t on our radar until January of 2021. I’m not personally convinced we’re out of the woods yet with COVID.
D. Anthony: The way it’s looking right now, I think it’s best to hold off on shows until next year. We want to make sure we have a good catalogue that we can constantly rearrange in our set list that we should accomplish by the end of the year. Being so focused on creating EP1 and EP2, shows are just currently not on the agenda. So when we do go back and play shows again, you can expect a lot of pent up energy and excitement that we want to share with the audience.
BS: What is the best way for fans to interact with you?
Jen: We love talking to fans – feel free to follow us at:
