When I first heard of Brandon Ashley it was because I was interviewing his spouse for their other project Corlyx. That being said, it would only be a matter of time before I got more intimate with Brandon in another interview to get to know him and his band The Dark. And that time is now. I got a chance to chat with Brandon about all things relating to The Dark, including support from a member of Depeche Mode as well as their upcoming debut album! But, the real kicker here is that we are premiering The Dark's newest music video for their single 'Bleeding Black'! Click that play button, watch the video, and enjoy! 


Hey Brandon! Since I've already interviewed your other half for Corlyx, I suppose it's only right to get to know you and your band The Dark more. How has everything been going for you since Corlyx's release?

Brandon:  It’s been a time of big changes and intense artistic work. After we released the Corlyx debut EP it was time for me to shape the sound of my other creature The Dark. Meanwhile I shot a music video for the new single ‘Bleeding Black’. Since I’m still in the process of finishing the debut record, I wanted to release the first single to offer the fans a cool preview of  what is coming next.
I’ve been recently doing lots of traveling, so I decided to shoot this music video in different places: Las Vegas, Hollywood, Prague and the HR Giger Museum in Switzerland among them. On top of that, I’ve just moved to Berlin in Germany and I couldn’t be more happier. 

The Dark was formed in 2012 after you moved to LA. Did the move to LA bring you inspiration to start a new group? And, if so, how did the city inspire you?

Brandon:  It was a time in my life where I was coming from four years touring with my old band Brandon Ashley & The SilverBugs and moving to LA offered me the opportunity to start off with a new music project. During the first six months I recorded and released a solo EP called Nightmare Factory 82 and shot a music video for the strongest single of my music career ‘My Decadent Thursday’ directed by Chad Michael Ward. 

I feel like ’NF82’ was the mothership of The Dark. Then I met Jonny Coffin, owner of Coffin Case. He was one of the first persons in Hollywood to support me and my music. He helped me find other musicians and we started rehearsing at the Coffin Case head quarters in North Hollywood. 
The first show with The Dark at Bar Sinister was a sold out show, but unfortunately we weren’t able to keep momentum since it seemed impossible to get everyone on the same page. LA is full of musicians, yet everyone’s too busy and it’s hard to commit. It became very frustrating, and I started losing faith in myself. When you lose faith in yourself, you can easily lose focus. It was during those crazy times of my life that I found my creativity again. I got my shit together and started writing the material for the new album. At the same time, I felt like it was the right moment for a change. The city took away a lot from me throughout those years of total darkness, and yet gave so much to talk about in my music once I found myself again. I consider it a fair price for getting my artistic self back on track. That’s when I decided to move to Berlin, in the heart of Europe. 

I've seen about three other members in photos of the dark. I'm not quite sure of the current line-up, but who are the members, how did you meet them, and what instruments do each of them play?

Brandon:  It is time to unveil the truth about The Dark line up. I have decided to represent the project as the only member, while I’m going to collaborate with other musicians playing live shows and shooting new music videos. I feel like the workflow and the mood are the right ones, therefore there is no need for change at the moment.

At the same time I feel very grateful towards my former band mates Darren Roberts (bass), Sarah Elisabeth Graves (guitars) and Kyle Cunningham (drums). We played very cool shows together and we are still good friends. You never know, maybe we will share the stage again in the future…


Now, I have described the sound of The Dark as industrial rock, but I see it also labeled as Dance Metal. Is that just for marketing or do you believe there is truth in calling The Dark's sound Dance Metal?

Brandon:  Your description of The Dark sound is definitely accurate. In addition to that I think the name Dance Metal contains two effective key words in which music lovers could represent themselves, bringing together heavy and danceable tunes into a sexy formula.  

You do have an EP out and a couple of singles. Where can these songs be found? How did they help you develop your sound into what it is now?

My first solo EP Nightmare Factory 82 Digipack Limited Edition can be ordered through The Dark Website. I consider it the mothership of The Dark, so I suggest to have a listen if you are interested in knowing where this project comes from. 

The Dark first single “Teenage Angst” is available on YouTube at this link. I was lucky enough to have Glen Sobel from Alice Cooper playing the drums and legendary producer Tim Palmer mixing the final track. 

The second single “To Be Destroyed” was chosen to be the soundtrack for a Virgin Blak commercial also featuring a few scenes where I’m performing. You can check it out here.

I've seen that you performed with the likes of Peter Murphy and Orgy. How was that experience? Did it help get your name out to a larger crowd?

Brandon:  Getting my name attached, even for just one night, with two of the artists that inspired me a lot during my teenage years was definitely one of the hottest experiences in my life. We opened for Orgy in Santa Ana in front of a very receptive crowd. Jay is always fun to be around, he’s very encouraging and has lots of energy. What to say about the Gothfather? Well, he walked on stage while we were about to soundcheck and came to say hi. I must confess I felt nervous and excited at the same time, especially when he told me he liked our music. Then I asked him if he was going to perform “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and he winked at me saying, ”You will see!”


Your debut album Live, Create, Destroy is currently being recorded and worked on. Can we get any details on that? Tracklist, album art? What will it sound like?

Brandon:  The album should contain ten tracks. I’ve been writing a lot and my final decision was to include only the best songs. I’ve never been a fan of long albums where you get five good songs and the rest is like whatever. 

Some of the track names are: 'Bleeding Black', 'Product', 'Black Flag', 'Last Day We Kissed', 'Shed My Skin', 'In The End', 'Try To Sleep', 'Falling 

Live, Create, Destroy is a title that defines the metamorphosis that you go through in life. It particularly describes the six years I’ve spent in Los Angeles. It also talks about the inability of being happy and destroying the things that you love the most in order to move on and create again. It’s a vicious cycle that makes you insatiable. No matter how much you drink, eat or fuck…you always want more and more. You try to deal with it knowing that nothing makes sense and no matter how hard you try you know you’re gonna end up hurting yet starting all over again. 

I see that you have Christian Eigner of Depeche Mode joining as a guest drummer on the album. How did that collaboration come along? Did you ever meet Eigner?

Brandon:  Having Christian performing on one of the singles of this album 'Product' was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. We were still tracking the first four songs of the album in LA and my vocal coach/producer Brent Meyer offered me to contact Christian to see if he would be interested in drumming on the song. I sent him a rough pre-mix of 'Product' and he nailed killer drum parts in 48 hours. I didn’t have a chance to meet him in person, however I was sincerely pleased in hearing his kind feedback about our work. He is a fantastic drummer, powerful and classy. The parts he tracked on the song were definitely amazing. 

I'm not sure how much of the album you have completed, but with what you have done at the moment, what are your thoughts on it? Are you liking the sound?

Brandon:  The songs are very melodic, I like my sound to be solid and catchy. The drums parts are very powerful, due to the excellent job by my producer and friend Nero Argento, Christian Eigner from Depeche Mode and Kyle Cunningham. I kept the electronic purposely a little behind as I wanted to come out with a Rock record, along with the vocals being the main protagonist and fuzzy guitars adding power and body especially on the choruses. I wasn’t going for a clean sound, I wanted this record to express a sentiment of anger, darkness and sexiness. I’m extremely happy with it, my finest work so far. Then obviously the fans will decide. I’ve got four singles on this album and I took the time to write other songs to talk about things that are important to me. I needed to say out loud how much my soul has been hurting for years, all the bad choices and all the wrong people who fucked me up almost to the point of losing my own life. I consider myself lucky to be here today giving this interview and a big part of it is because the music has been keeping me from drowning in a pool of dirt. I would like to tell other people who are suffering right now that they are not alone and there’s always choices you can make on the way that can change your life for the better. 


Do you have any live shows planned at the moment? And, if so, where can we find the information? Also, following the release of your debut album, will you be touring at all?

Brandon:  I don’t have a any live shows planned at the moment as I’m entirely focused on finishing this record. After then I’m going to book some local gigs in Berlin and I will consider touring in Europe first, then we will see what’s out there. If a record label will be interested in publishing this album I feel like touring will be a natural consequence. Performing a great show is basically all that matters to me, when you are on stage it’s a sort of parallel dimension where it’s just you and the fans. Giving a future to a music project requires a solid foundation and it’s a constant work in progress. I’m definitely hoping and working for the best of it.

And what else do you have planned for the future of The Dark if anything at all?

Brandon:  I would be very interested in finding music placement in a movie, that would be great achievement. For the rest I’m always looking forward to working with new interesting artists, especially the ones who come from a different musical background than mine. A new record will follow Live, Create, Destroy you can be sure of that. I also would like to focus on designing some cool, unique merch for The Dark, maybe working on it with some up in coming designer. 

Lastly, I would like to thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck! The space below is yours! 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity of talking about The Dark and for premiering 'Bleeding Black' music video today. Brutal Resonance rocks! The single is available for purchase at our Bandcamp. Follow us on the social network at @thedarkmusik. There’s much much more to come soon.
 EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: We're "Bleeding Black" with Industrial Rock Group The Dark's New Music Video
September 13, 2016
Brutal Resonance
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EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: We're "Bleeding Black" with Industrial Rock Group The Dark's New Music Video

When I first heard of Brandon Ashley it was because I was interviewing his spouse for their other project Corlyx. That being said, it would only be a matter of time before I got more intimate with Brandon in another interview to get to know him and his band The Dark. And that time is now. I got a chance to chat with Brandon about all things relating to The Dark, including support from a member of Depeche Mode as well as their upcoming debut album! But, the real kicker here is that we are premiering The Dark's newest music video for their single 'Bleeding Black'! Click that play button, watch the video, and enjoy! 


Hey Brandon! Since I've already interviewed your other half for Corlyx, I suppose it's only right to get to know you and your band The Dark more. How has everything been going for you since Corlyx's release?

Brandon:  It’s been a time of big changes and intense artistic work. After we released the Corlyx debut EP it was time for me to shape the sound of my other creature The Dark. Meanwhile I shot a music video for the new single ‘Bleeding Black’. Since I’m still in the process of finishing the debut record, I wanted to release the first single to offer the fans a cool preview of  what is coming next.
I’ve been recently doing lots of traveling, so I decided to shoot this music video in different places: Las Vegas, Hollywood, Prague and the HR Giger Museum in Switzerland among them. On top of that, I’ve just moved to Berlin in Germany and I couldn’t be more happier. 

The Dark was formed in 2012 after you moved to LA. Did the move to LA bring you inspiration to start a new group? And, if so, how did the city inspire you?

Brandon:  It was a time in my life where I was coming from four years touring with my old band Brandon Ashley & The SilverBugs and moving to LA offered me the opportunity to start off with a new music project. During the first six months I recorded and released a solo EP called Nightmare Factory 82 and shot a music video for the strongest single of my music career ‘My Decadent Thursday’ directed by Chad Michael Ward. 

I feel like ’NF82’ was the mothership of The Dark. Then I met Jonny Coffin, owner of Coffin Case. He was one of the first persons in Hollywood to support me and my music. He helped me find other musicians and we started rehearsing at the Coffin Case head quarters in North Hollywood. 
The first show with The Dark at Bar Sinister was a sold out show, but unfortunately we weren’t able to keep momentum since it seemed impossible to get everyone on the same page. LA is full of musicians, yet everyone’s too busy and it’s hard to commit. It became very frustrating, and I started losing faith in myself. When you lose faith in yourself, you can easily lose focus. It was during those crazy times of my life that I found my creativity again. I got my shit together and started writing the material for the new album. At the same time, I felt like it was the right moment for a change. The city took away a lot from me throughout those years of total darkness, and yet gave so much to talk about in my music once I found myself again. I consider it a fair price for getting my artistic self back on track. That’s when I decided to move to Berlin, in the heart of Europe. 

I've seen about three other members in photos of the dark. I'm not quite sure of the current line-up, but who are the members, how did you meet them, and what instruments do each of them play?

Brandon:  It is time to unveil the truth about The Dark line up. I have decided to represent the project as the only member, while I’m going to collaborate with other musicians playing live shows and shooting new music videos. I feel like the workflow and the mood are the right ones, therefore there is no need for change at the moment.

At the same time I feel very grateful towards my former band mates Darren Roberts (bass), Sarah Elisabeth Graves (guitars) and Kyle Cunningham (drums). We played very cool shows together and we are still good friends. You never know, maybe we will share the stage again in the future…


Now, I have described the sound of The Dark as industrial rock, but I see it also labeled as Dance Metal. Is that just for marketing or do you believe there is truth in calling The Dark's sound Dance Metal?

Brandon:  Your description of The Dark sound is definitely accurate. In addition to that I think the name Dance Metal contains two effective key words in which music lovers could represent themselves, bringing together heavy and danceable tunes into a sexy formula.  

You do have an EP out and a couple of singles. Where can these songs be found? How did they help you develop your sound into what it is now?

My first solo EP Nightmare Factory 82 Digipack Limited Edition can be ordered through The Dark Website. I consider it the mothership of The Dark, so I suggest to have a listen if you are interested in knowing where this project comes from. 

The Dark first single “Teenage Angst” is available on YouTube at this link. I was lucky enough to have Glen Sobel from Alice Cooper playing the drums and legendary producer Tim Palmer mixing the final track. 

The second single “To Be Destroyed” was chosen to be the soundtrack for a Virgin Blak commercial also featuring a few scenes where I’m performing. You can check it out here.

I've seen that you performed with the likes of Peter Murphy and Orgy. How was that experience? Did it help get your name out to a larger crowd?

Brandon:  Getting my name attached, even for just one night, with two of the artists that inspired me a lot during my teenage years was definitely one of the hottest experiences in my life. We opened for Orgy in Santa Ana in front of a very receptive crowd. Jay is always fun to be around, he’s very encouraging and has lots of energy. What to say about the Gothfather? Well, he walked on stage while we were about to soundcheck and came to say hi. I must confess I felt nervous and excited at the same time, especially when he told me he liked our music. Then I asked him if he was going to perform “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and he winked at me saying, ”You will see!”


Your debut album Live, Create, Destroy is currently being recorded and worked on. Can we get any details on that? Tracklist, album art? What will it sound like?

Brandon:  The album should contain ten tracks. I’ve been writing a lot and my final decision was to include only the best songs. I’ve never been a fan of long albums where you get five good songs and the rest is like whatever. 

Some of the track names are: 'Bleeding Black', 'Product', 'Black Flag', 'Last Day We Kissed', 'Shed My Skin', 'In The End', 'Try To Sleep', 'Falling 

Live, Create, Destroy is a title that defines the metamorphosis that you go through in life. It particularly describes the six years I’ve spent in Los Angeles. It also talks about the inability of being happy and destroying the things that you love the most in order to move on and create again. It’s a vicious cycle that makes you insatiable. No matter how much you drink, eat or fuck…you always want more and more. You try to deal with it knowing that nothing makes sense and no matter how hard you try you know you’re gonna end up hurting yet starting all over again. 

I see that you have Christian Eigner of Depeche Mode joining as a guest drummer on the album. How did that collaboration come along? Did you ever meet Eigner?

Brandon:  Having Christian performing on one of the singles of this album 'Product' was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. We were still tracking the first four songs of the album in LA and my vocal coach/producer Brent Meyer offered me to contact Christian to see if he would be interested in drumming on the song. I sent him a rough pre-mix of 'Product' and he nailed killer drum parts in 48 hours. I didn’t have a chance to meet him in person, however I was sincerely pleased in hearing his kind feedback about our work. He is a fantastic drummer, powerful and classy. The parts he tracked on the song were definitely amazing. 

I'm not sure how much of the album you have completed, but with what you have done at the moment, what are your thoughts on it? Are you liking the sound?

Brandon:  The songs are very melodic, I like my sound to be solid and catchy. The drums parts are very powerful, due to the excellent job by my producer and friend Nero Argento, Christian Eigner from Depeche Mode and Kyle Cunningham. I kept the electronic purposely a little behind as I wanted to come out with a Rock record, along with the vocals being the main protagonist and fuzzy guitars adding power and body especially on the choruses. I wasn’t going for a clean sound, I wanted this record to express a sentiment of anger, darkness and sexiness. I’m extremely happy with it, my finest work so far. Then obviously the fans will decide. I’ve got four singles on this album and I took the time to write other songs to talk about things that are important to me. I needed to say out loud how much my soul has been hurting for years, all the bad choices and all the wrong people who fucked me up almost to the point of losing my own life. I consider myself lucky to be here today giving this interview and a big part of it is because the music has been keeping me from drowning in a pool of dirt. I would like to tell other people who are suffering right now that they are not alone and there’s always choices you can make on the way that can change your life for the better. 


Do you have any live shows planned at the moment? And, if so, where can we find the information? Also, following the release of your debut album, will you be touring at all?

Brandon:  I don’t have a any live shows planned at the moment as I’m entirely focused on finishing this record. After then I’m going to book some local gigs in Berlin and I will consider touring in Europe first, then we will see what’s out there. If a record label will be interested in publishing this album I feel like touring will be a natural consequence. Performing a great show is basically all that matters to me, when you are on stage it’s a sort of parallel dimension where it’s just you and the fans. Giving a future to a music project requires a solid foundation and it’s a constant work in progress. I’m definitely hoping and working for the best of it.

And what else do you have planned for the future of The Dark if anything at all?

Brandon:  I would be very interested in finding music placement in a movie, that would be great achievement. For the rest I’m always looking forward to working with new interesting artists, especially the ones who come from a different musical background than mine. A new record will follow Live, Create, Destroy you can be sure of that. I also would like to focus on designing some cool, unique merch for The Dark, maybe working on it with some up in coming designer. 

Lastly, I would like to thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck! The space below is yours! 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity of talking about The Dark and for premiering 'Bleeding Black' music video today. Brutal Resonance rocks! The single is available for purchase at our Bandcamp. Follow us on the social network at @thedarkmusik. There’s much much more to come soon.
Sep 13 2016
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Steven Gullotta

info@brutalresonance.com
I've been writing for Brutal Resonance since November of 2012 and now serve as the editor-in-chief. I love the dark electronic underground and usually have too much to listen to at once but I love it. I am also an editor at Aggressive Deprivation, a digital/physical magazine since March of 2016. I support the scene as much as I can from my humble laptop.

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Started in spring 2009, Brutal Resonance quickly grew from a Swedish based netzine into an established International zine of the highest standard.

We cover genres like Synthpop, EBM, Industrial, Dark Ambient, Neofolk, Darkwave, Noise and all their sub- and similar genres.

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