An Interview with Death Makes Pretty

Sometimes change turns into a beautiful thing…. or should I say Pretty…. Last month Death Makes Pretty and former lead singer, Siren Sycho parted ways in mutual understanding. We wish all of them the best and we know all of them will be successful with what paths they choose. For now, we are pleased to bring you an interview with Death Makes Pretty and it includes their new lead singer, Peter Trash.

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Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We have been enjoying your unique and energetic sound and want to introduce Death Makes Pretty to our audience. You guys are fairly new, how did you all meet and create Death Makes Pretty?

Nika: Shell and I wanted to do this since a while so when I came back from LA with a bunch of songs we though to record them properly and it all started there…

Peter: I was looking to join a London based band for quite a while, as there is a better music scene than where I’m based, in Portsmouth, I got in contact with Nika when they needed a replacement for their former singer…

Music Junkie Press: Well first I would like to welcome you aboard Peter! Can you tell us about the band name, Death Makes Pretty and how that came about?

Nika: Chavs and people always makes fun of us or kids in general dressing in black and wearing make up cause they say we look like dead people…but we feel cool that way…kinda like oh yeah? well death makes pretty then…cause you guys are f**** ugly!!!

Music Junkie Press: That is a good story! Your music has everything intense that we love, blazing riffs, dark edgy guitar, aggressive bass/drums and intense vocals. How old were each of you when you first started in music and can you remember what was the first song you learned how to play or sing?

Peter: I can’t remember a specific age but I used to sing at home a lot. It was probably bloody awful back then. The first songs I tried singing were Michael Jackson songs, then I gradually moved on to Guns N roses and tried to imitate Axl Rose. I joined my first band a couple of years ago by chance because a couple of days before I did a cover of Civil War and put it on YouTube. The band messaged me and soon after was my first experience of singing in front of an audience. It was pretty daunting but I really felt at home on the stage and I developed my voice and confidence quickly. Since then I’ve been singing at every opportunity!

Nika: By mistake, someone gave me a bass guitar and my best friend needed a bass player…I always loved music but never thought to be in a band…he basically drag me to the studio…10 days after I wrote my first song….my first song was a “a forest” by The Cure…Simon Gallup is still one of my favourite bass player of all time…

Music Junkie Press: I am a big CURE fan Nika!! I understand you recently released your EP Scream Skercrows!! Will you be touring soon and will you be coming to play here in the States /CALIFORNIA??

Peter: California is somewhere I’ve always wanted to play so I sure hope so

Shell: We are planning to possibly move to LA so the chances are very high!

Music Junkie Press: You have us completely excited about you guys coming out to LA. We would drive down every chance we can from here near San Francisco! If you could put together your dream line up for a tour, what three bands (living or dead) would you want to see on your lineup?

Nika: The Hellacopters, Daft Punk and AFI…yeah i know quite unlikely but still…if I have to dream I dream Big!…ah and My Chemical Romance…i know..4 but what the hell I would need a thousand!

Shell: The Misfits, Backyard Babies and AFI…yeah we love AFI 🙂

Peter: I’d have to have Michael Jackson in there as he was an influence back when I was little, WASP because I’m a fan of their aggressive stage shows and Ozzy Osbourne because he’s an absolute legend.

Music Junkie Press: You guys have some pretty good lineups there, it would be SOLD OUT every show!!! Your music definitely has your own unique sound which we like, we can pick up some influences, possibly Wednesday 13, Murderdolls, Alice Cooper. but what album or artist would you say was the most influential in getting you to pursue music?

Nika: Each one of us has his own influences, Murderdolls are definitely there…but I also listen to stuff like A Skylit Drive, Of Mice and Men, 30 Seconds To Mars, MCR, Daft Punk, Prodigy, or more bluesy stuff like John Spencer, Tommy Conwell…but I grew up to Motley Crue, Poison, GNR…so is a big mix…

Peter: it’s not so much a single album but the thing that made me want to pursue a future as a musician was seeing a poster of Motley Crue when I was younger and being totally awed at their look. That picture drove me into the metal genre, which basically helped to mold me into the person I am today.

Music Junkie Press: These days with the music industry having changed so much, musicians have had to work in other areas for full time or part time jobs. What is the oddest job that you would say you ever had?

Peter: I worked in a garden centre selling flowers, mostly to old people.

Nika: Anything that isn’t doing music is odd to me, seriously after a few days I always ask myself …WTF????

Music Junkie Press: I have always been a fan of cover songs, actually complete remake cover songs. If you could take any song from a completely different genre and turn it into a dark edgy Death Makes Pretty song, what would it be?

Nika: we actually already did…on the single version of Beautiful Murder there is a track called “Dancing with an Angel” that s a 90s techno song…we took it and made very heavy…

Peter: I’ve always thought ‘She’s Not There’ by sixties band The Zombies would be a really good song to put a dark twist on.

Music Junkie Press: Tell us about your writing process? Who writes or is it a collaborative effort?

Nika: We like to try different options, for the mini album I wrote almost all the tunes and then we arranged them together, but for Halloween in Hollywood I only had ideas for the lyrics, Shell came up with a very cool riff ages ago, I always loved that riff so I tried to create a tune for it and that s how that song came alive…

Peter: As I said, I’ve only just joined the band, but obviously I hope to collaborate with the guys on future songs.

Music Junkie Press: We love the video for Beautiful Murder, who directed your video and what is the next song you are going to make a video for?

Shell: We directed it ourselves, Nika came up with the basic ideas and then Siren edited the images…

Nika: I don’t think we are going to release any more video from Scream! Skercrows!!! maybe a fun video for Halloween in Hollywood around Halloweeen but the next official video will be for the material we are currently writing…

Music Junkie Press: Can’t wait for the new material!!!! If we peaked at your Ipod or Playlist, what artist/song would we be most surprised at finding?

Nika: Possibly Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra…

Shell: Boy George…

Nika: As far as its not Lady Gaga…

Peter: The Titantic movie soundtrack! I’ve got a few other soundtracks on there too. I just like the music, it’s really powerful.

NIKA: What?????

SHELL: LOL!!!

Music Junkie Press: OK, I must confess I am a HUGE Frank Sinatra fan, wish someone would remake his songs into a hard core album! Totally off the subject, what is your favorite coffee drink?

Peter: Cappuccino

Nika: Just coffee…

Shell: Coco Coffee…

Nika: Yeah with 4 sugars…once I had a sip by mistake and go diabetes…

Music Junkie Press: What three things would you want to have for the Zombie Apocalypse?

Nika: A fetish for zombie girls, the anti-zombie bite spray and a space shuttle if things get ugly…

Peter: An Apache helicopter, a minigun and a cigar. If I was gonna go down I’d want to go down in style.

Shell: My guitar, a motorbike and many many cigarettes packs…

Music Junkie Press: You all seem completely prepared there for the Zombie Apocalypse and to go out having FUN!! Lastly, what would you like to share with us?

Peter: It’s always going to be a bit tough being the new guy in the band, especially the singer! But I hope the fans will continue to enjoy our music and I’m looking forward to putting everything I have into our shows!

SHELL: Stay tuned cause our new material is going to kick asses!!!

Nika: ROCK N ROLL IS UNDEAD !!!

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For now, check out their video for “Beautiful Murder” and get yourself ready for some new music too! Also make sure to follow them on their social media sites so you can stay up to date about their new music. I hope they come to Los Angeles so we can check them out MORE!!

~ Crank it up loud, Marisol

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