Spanish metal band THREATS return with their explosive new single “D.H.A. (Dreamer Here Awake)”—a dystopian outcry against apathy, blending nu metal, thall, and shoegaze into one visceral sonic evolution.
1. “D.H.A.
(Dreamer Here Awake)” is
described as a cry for the anesthetized masses. What inspired the theme and
message behind this song?
The song is
directly inspired by the Fallout universe, alluding to the fact that war is a
business that never changes. It satirically critiques current conflicts and
social indifference toward them. The line "Dreamer, here awake" comes
from the film "Late Night with the Devil," where a mentalist
hypnotizes an audience and awakens them from a trance with those words. The
lyrics are intended to be a call to the masses who contemplate wars and social
disasters from a screen without reacting.
2. The track portrays the decline of the world with a tone you’ve called “cynical.” How did you translate that emotion
into sound and lyrics?
In the
lyrics, we incorporate elements such as hashtags (#10mins2midnite) and phrases
like "Let's post it on social media" to criticize the absurd attitude
of the majority of the population: in the face of an imminent cataclysm, people
spend their last few minutes posting and commenting on social media. This
reinforces the idea that we are anesthetized by the overload of stimuli from
screens to the point of living disconnected from material reality. The heavy
sound of the instrumental is slightly reminiscent of a military march in a
dystopian future. The vocal line, meanwhile, plays with constant changes in
register. We thus represent the internal struggle of consciousness with high
notes, contrasting with deformed humanity and the uncertain future caused by
nuclear catastrophe with lower notes.
3. Your sound combines nu metal, hardcore, and thall influences with
shoegaze textures. How do you manage to balance aggression and atmosphere in
your songwriting?
During our
band rehearsals, nu metal groove comes pretty naturally since we all grew up
listening to and playing both classic nu metal (Limp Bizkit, Deftones, and
Linkin Park) and modern nu metal (Alpha Wolf, My Ticket Home, and Split Chain).
We also have a knack for composing musical structures that evoke the
choreography display of the hardcore scene (two-step, mosh, crowd-killing,
etc.). This is due to years of playing live with local and national hardcore
bands. There are Threats members who have been, and still are, collaborating or
even playing with hardcore metal and melodic hardcore bands like Spit Out or
Kenpark. The heavier tunning and almost alien and mechanical sound of this song
is a natural evolution influenced by thall and djent. However, the creation of
more ambient vibes with shoegaze-like guitar emerged from experimentation and
further development of the song. The atmosphere created with clean guitars were
planned early on in the song, but the accompanying synthesis layers were
produced later in the recording. It is tricky to mix all these influences
altogether. But we managed to do it naturally thanks to Gio, our guitarist. His
production skills and mixing and mastering performance at Morphonics Lab., his
personal studio, made this track possible. More shoegaze and nu-gaze inspired
songs will take the lead for softer, bittersweet and nostalgic sounds.
4. The production of “D.H.A.” sounds very intricate—baritone guitars, layers of synths,
and low tunings. Could you tell us about the recording and production process
at Morphonics Lab?
The song is
composed in Drop C#, but an octave lower than what would be thought on guitar.
This means that the bass and baritone guitar match in octave. Although the bass
sound was something we had already used on the previous album
("Axesplit", 2022), the guitar sound was something new for us. The
analog sound of 5150 was combined with more digital elements, including
Quadcortex and Plini. The result was a tight but organic sound. The
synthesizers used were also analog, which helped generate sensations manually
with the detunes of their oscillators.
5. The visual aspect seems important for THREATS, from the artwork to the
video. How does the imagery of “D.H.A.” connect to the song’s apocalyptic message?
In the
video, we decided to include images of the audience at our concerts to capture
their frenzy and accompany the energy of our music. We also wanted to pay
tribute to all the musicians who have participated in these concerts, primarily
singers. The color scenes of the audience contrast with us playing in black and
white. This clearly refers to the dichotomy between consciousness (us in the
head of the listener, with fish-eye lens and a claustrophobic shot of the four
members in a closed space) and the bustling and diverse social reality of
styles and aesthetics and venue illumination. The single cover, meanwhile,
evokes a possession through a screen, blurring any trace of humanity on the
face of a person parasitized by all kinds of harmful influences: the unresolved
obstacles of our generation, the poison of the media, the climate of political
polarization, and the major international conflicts that threaten our future.
6. “Dreamer
here awake!” sounds
like both a command and a warning. What does this phrase mean to you personally
and artistically?
The band
has undergone significant transformation in recent months. We have dedicated
ourselves to experimenting, both vocally and sound-wise. "Dreamer Here
Awake" represents the fruit of that journey for us. Like a healing wound
on an animal that grows stronger and more aggressive. Menacing. We've created
our own sound, preserving our essence and nature, but fearlessly embracing the
fusion of styles. Without forgetting where we come from, this single represents
change and evolution. This song itself has influenced who we are on and off
stage.
7. Since your debut LP Axesplit (2022), how do you feel your sound and
identity as a band have evolved leading up to this release?
There has
been a natural evolution towards two very different paths. One of them is
heavier, inspired by modern metalcore and nu core, including genres with low
tunings such as djent and thall, which no band in our local scene has as a
reference. Another strand is current shoegaze, established as a fusion of
classic nu metal, grunge, and alternative rock that is commonly called “nu
gaze”. Nostalgia, bittersweet memories, uncertainty, and grief are also part of
our lyrics, and nu gaze is a sincere way to bring color to them. We have also
always been influenced by movies and video games soundtracks from when we were
young, even from the MTV era. To give an example, The “Jak X” soundtrack, from
the “Jak and Daxter” PS2 saga, is a heavy influence for Gio and Jay. It was
composed by Billy Howerdel, guitarist of A Perfect Circle, with collaboration
of musicians from 90-2000s bands such as Queen Of Stone Age, Limp Bizkit, Tool,
Nine Inch Nails and Faith No More. The music we make is a combination of the
music we grew up with and the music that surrounds us today at festivals and on
different platforms.
8. Each member brings a distinct role—from vocals to visuals. How do you collaborate
as a creative unit when developing new material?
We try to
distribute tasks among members based on their technical skills, equipment, and
personal preferences. This criteria includes academic background, availability
of equipment and materials, professional experience, social skills, digital
design knowledge, and much more. Our newest member, Hector, did a great job
learning the band's previous work, as well as learning how to create a live
session and play along with it using a metronome. From now on, he will help us
with more group-ish tasks for the band. Gio plays a fundamental role in
composition, but also in the production, mixing, and mastering process. He also
helps to monitor that we all achieve our goals in the band. Threats would not
be what it is without him. Sam (Oni) takes care of the lyrics, innovating the
vocals of songs from the previous album with a wide variety of registers, and
also participates in the design of posters and iconography for the band. He has
been and continues to be a key member in the band's stylistic and musical evolution.
Jay (Kabuto), on the other hand, is the most logistical member, contributing a
diplomatic and social component: he is in charge of setting up and coordinating
concerts, managing and monitoring internal processes, keeping the band's
accounts, marketing, keeping and creating contacts with platforms and musicians
from the classic and modern nu metal scene, and keeping the band's social media
active with Sam's help. He is a visible and striking face of the band and, in a
way, its ambassador outside our circle of trust.
9. The song references elements like Fallout and Doomsday Clock. Are these
influences just aesthetic, or do they reflect a deeper commentary on today’s world?
The
influences on this song go beyond the merely aesthetic. The lyrics place you in
the front row, like a viewer of a series, making you realize that what is
happening on screen is a disturbing reflection of what is happening in the real
world, and yet, we still not reacting. It is a cry to the world: our time is
running out. #10mins2midnite refers to the symbolic clock in the Bulletin of
the Atomic Scientists, whose countdown continues to descend as we move toward
2025. With these lyrics, our goal was to portray the parallels between fiction
and reality, and how, little by little, it becomes increasingly difficult to
distinguish one from the other as the world deteriorates.
10. Finally, what can fans expect next from THREATS after “D.H.A.”—is this single a preview of a larger
project or a standalone statement?
Despite
being a single, “DHA” paves the way for new experimental concepts focused on
heavy sounds accompanied by vocals that include hardcore, nu metal, metalcore,
and even deathcore register. The use of baritone guitar in this song is also
new for the band. As we mentioned earlier, we are looking to open up two paths:
one heavier focused on modern nu core with elements of genres with lower
tunings, and a much softer one that explores nu gaze, alternative rock, nu
grunge, and more “radio-friendly” styles that allow us to enter other niches
and circles of bands, audiences, and scenes. With these two paths laid out as
conceptual references, everything in between is a creative opportunity that we
are eager to explore.
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