Tell Us about:

Your latest single you have released:

Darker Self is a dynamic song about embracing our true selves. Specifically, the instinctual, animalistic side we often suppress in an attempt to please others. Ignoring the value that this side of us brings in dire times, renders us weak, fragile, and miserable.

This song offers a bit of everything. The darbuka intro is soon followed by a headbanging guitar riff. Alternating between this riff and the verses, the song creates a rich blend of Middle Eastern and heavy feel, delivering exactly what Derev is about.

Your favourite lyric in this song: 

“Fearful, we elude what lies inside, a ruthless monster forced to hide”

This line captures the essence of the song

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

“Tides of Time” is one of the more mellow tracks on the album, it talks about leaving the past behind and moving forward in life. The instrumentation on this track makes it really special. Furthermore the music video we released for it paints a perfect picture of the feeling the song is tackling. 

Your favourite song to play live:

Right now it’s Paracusia – an instrumental track

The song that was the longest to write and why?

Tides of Time. This was the first song we started writing for the album, but it definitely wasn’t the first to finish. We weren’t working on it everyday, but from start to finish this one took the longest.

When we started writing it we had a lot of ideas and different sections that we tried to integrate into it. But the more we worked on it, the more we felt like the song needed more focus. So we reworked it many times, trying to find the core of the song and remove that didn’t serve it. This process is very iterative and can take a long time.

Your most emotional track:

A Trace Within. 

This song offers a melancholic portrayal of “Complicated Grief,” a case of prolonged depression lasting years after the loss of a loved one. It paints a scene of a grieving protagonist standing before their loved one’s grave, reminiscing about their past together and sensing their presence, yearning for a sign to affirm that feeling.

On the musical side, this song offers a unique taste of Derev’s evolving sound. Unlike the more musically intricate tracks, this piece is relatively simple, yet reveals a different side of the band. 

Dream collaboration:

Steven Wilson. He has been a huge influence on us and is constantly pushing the boundaries of prog. It would be amazing to work with him.

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

It’s a mixture of excitement, focus, and being very present

The hardest track to play live:

Ghost of Guilt. This song has so many different sections, time signature and tempo changes. Combine that with multiple solos and unison parts and you get the hardest song to play live. Having said that, it’s still a lot of fun.

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

Gear: Guitar, Fractal FM9, Expression Pedal, picks, strings

Soccer ball

Book

Dried fruits for snacks.

Describe your fans in three words:

Engaged, diverse, meticulous

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

Soen – Last Light

What we can look forward to from your band this year: 

We have a couple of shows coming up, most notably we’re opening for VOLA on the Toronto stop of their Friend of a Phantom tour. Beyond that we’re starting to work on more material.

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