Senior photojournalist Anabel DFlux caught up with long-time friend and musical mastermind Alex Crescioni of DIM7. Between producing for other artists, and being an incredible one-man-show in his music project, DIM7 is back with a vengeance. With the new single having just been released, fans are eagerly awaiting the upcoming EP…
Hey there! Thank you so much for talking with me today! How are you?
Greetings! I’m very well thank you! Surviving!
You’ve just recently released the music video for your first single off of the upcoming EP titled B.A.T.S, directed by Matt Zane. How was the concept for the “Born (Into Filth)” video wrought into fruition? What was the filming process like? Tell me about the actresses featured in the video.
I wanted to do something shocking and different! I came up with the general ideas for producing the video and Matt took them to another level. The filming process was intense, very intense. We split it up over two, eight hour days. We all pushed each others boundaries quite a bit. The actresses are friends of mine and Matt. They did a great job in previous videos Matt directed for John 5 and Society 1, so I figured I’d have them come in on this shoot as well. Everyone did a fantastic job and had a great time getting dirty!
You have also played with Matt Zane as a musician, has this in any way influenced the music video creation process?
Yes. I’ve been the guitarist in Society 1 for almost two years now and it’s been a blast. I would say that yes, it has influenced the process indeed. Since joining with Matt, we’ve done six Society 1 videos, five of them that I’ve produced and mixed. The experience gathered from these shoots and seeing his directing techniques made working with him on the DIM7 video extremely easy. Everything came together quite effortlessly.
Quite a bit of time has passed between The Regal Chapters and this new single release, and the music has taken a very unique turn! Do you believe this break influenced your new musical endeavors?
Two years is pretty standard I’d say for artists between album releases. I wouldn’t say the break influenced the new sound. It was mainly self realizations and harsh life experiences that lead to the drastic change. I made the decision to shift to the more extreme vocal style, as I never became confident enough with my melodic voice. I worked on it for awhile and definitely got better, but I finally decided that it wasn’t for me and I wasn’t meant to be that kind of artists. The “love metal” (or whatever you want to call it) thing was a phase and I’m back to my death-metal/extreme roots. The melodies and atmospheres will remain!
You, yourself, can be considered a one-man show to an extent- You wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed your own music (this album included). What is the creative process like for you? What do you draw your inspiration from?
I like to sit down in my studio and come up with heavy riffs, then layer drums, bass, synths atmospheres over it and see what happens. Sometimes it will start with a vocal pattern but usually the guitar riffs start the song. My inspiration comes more from visuals. Watching a gorgeous film or seeing a photo of someone/something that speaks to you differently than anything else has before. I can hear melodies/soundscapes from powerful imagery.
The mastering was done by Chris Collier. Tell me about him!
Yes! Chris is a fantastic audio engineer/producer. We’ve been working together over the past few years on various projects. He’s by far one of the best and most professional guys in the business. He’s worked with some amazing bands like Lynch Mob, Love and Death, and Korn to name a few! For this single, he took my mix and put the finishing touches on the master and really made it crushing!
What image do you believe that your music conveys now?
I believe it conveys the deepest darkest versions of oneself, exposing flaws, and accepting ones inner demons.
What can you tell us about this upcoming EP? What do you want your fans to know about this upcoming EP?
The EP is four songs of heavy, sludgy, doomy metal tracks. Massive drum tones, thick biting guitars, fuzzy nasty bass tones, and brutal vocals. I want the fans to know that the change was necessary. I understand that a lot of you may not like it, and I accept that. It’s a completely different style/genre, but it’s more of who I am. What’s cool about being an independent artists is that you can literally write and put out anything you want without a label telling you what to do or how to sound. So I did.
Thank you for your time!
It was indeed a pleasure! Thank you! Best ~Alex (www.alexcrescioni.com)
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
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