ALBUM REVIEW: Dark Tranquillity – Moment


Melodic Death Metal pioneers, Dark Tranquillity, release their twelfth studio album Moment (Century Media Records). The twelve-song album began recording shortly after founding member Niklas Sundin announced his departure from the band (Editor’s note: although he is still involved with the band behind the scenes) on their social media platforms, after touring members, Christopher Amott (ex-Arch Enemy) and Johan Reinholdz (Andromeda) formally joined Mikael Stanne, Anders Jivarp, Martin Brändström, and Anders Iwers as part of the official dT lineup.

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A Masked Apocalypse: Drama Club


Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

This year’s Vans Warped Tour has introduced a number of new faces to the music world and each has their own story behind their musical journey. For the mysterious masked duo only known as Drama Club, their story is just as adventurous as their music. Audiences have been introduced to songs like “Fuk It” and “Maniac,” and winning over unexpected fans along the way.

The duo known as Zero and Andromeda have kept a relatively low profile and circulated around playing house parties until being discovered by Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack.

Zero explains how it all went down. “We were just kickin it, making remixes and playing house parties and DJing house music. We did this remix of Andy Biersack/Andy Black “They Don’t Need To Understand” and people liked it and he liked it, and then all of sudden we were on a world tour with the Black Veil Brides. We kept doing house music, which we still do and love. They told us ‘you should make an album. These kids like what you’re doing.’ We said ‘fuck! We’re going to make an album.’ So we made an album.

Then they said ‘you need to do Warped Tour so you can tell kids about your album.’ So we said ‘fuck!’ So here we fucking are.

Zero of Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

Zero of Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

After bonding with Biersack, the duo were invited to take part on the Black Mass Tour in the UK and the first leg of their North American tour. While on that tour Drama Club gave fans a stripped down DJ set, they have since built up their music to accommodate more of a live format.

That’s more DJ ing. We’re doing a little more performance here – a little more instrumentation and stuff. As the tour goes on, some of our buddies like Ryan Seaman [drummer] from Falling In Reverse and CC [Christian Coma] from Black Veil Brides are gonna sit in and play drums. They’re gonna build it. There’s so many crazy motherfuckers around here and we’ll build something crazy,” explained Zero.

Andromeda of Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

Andromeda of Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

While audiences got tastes of both the DJ and the live sets, Andromeda explained that their setup is a mixture of both, without being pigeonholed into either format.

We’re kind of like a hybrid thing. We started off DJing and then we’re like we know how to play instruments as well. We’re trying different things. Sometimes one of us will be DJing and the other one will be singing. Sometimes one of us will be playing keyboards and the other will be playing drums. [It’s kinda like] whatever works.

We don’t really want to define it, because it makes it more fun that way,” added Zero. “But obviously as we grow, we can build and add to it. Right now it’s small. We’re giving birth.

Today will be the same, but again it’s like…we have our heat. We bring our heat. We add our spice around it. It’s all good.

Andromeda of Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

Andromeda of Drama Club. Photo Credit: Tara Dettman

Drama Club have dropped their self titled new EP titled Neon Apocalypse during the Vans Warped Tour and have been giving curious fans a taste of their sound. They spent the summer on the Beatport Stage and showcasing what they are about.

It’s independently released. It’s not super heavy but it’s sexy. You like girls and like crazy heavy shit – you’ll dig it. But it’s not metal. But girls like it. So I don’t know man. I like to go where the girls are and get heavy.

It’s sick, it’s punk rock. It’s got middle fingers but we’re not trying to be Slayer. I love Attila but we’re not gonna try to go out and be them. We’re gonna drop beats on your face.

Drama Club. Photo Credit: Rei Nishimoto

Drama Club. Photo Credit: Rei Nishimoto

While Drama Club has been slowly working their music into the club and electronic music circuit, they have swayed away from the EDM tag and instead continue to experiment with their eclectic sound.

I don’t think so. I mean fair is fair but I’d say we’re an electronic act and we DJ house music and we love all sorts of electronic music and we love instruments. We love being in bands,” said Zero.

Roof top pool parties. You can’t beat it,” said Andromeda.

It’s just craziness. You have to see it and live with it. It’s been an interesting one for us because it’s not easily definable. Eventually people will start to define it themselves and will know what it is. Right now we don’t even care. We’re just rockin it. Just comin in hot!,” added Zero.

Drama Club. Photo Credit: Rei Nishimoto

Drama Club. Photo Credit: Rei Nishimoto

As for future collaborations, The Drama Club will be looking for future collaborations, and possibly with fellow Warped Tour tour mates on future recordings. They both share their ideas on who they have on their minds.

Everybody. Anybody on this tour that’s badass and anybody’s kickin ass,” said Zero.

We have a recording studio with us wherever we go. We’ll be high jacking people…,” said Andromeda.

Zero summed it up best, “I’d like to get Attila, Riff Raff and Drama Club together. How about that? That would be some tight shit.

By Rei Nishimoto