Earlier this year, Centiment released their album Streets Of Rage and you can check out our review of it here. We recently caught up with Dave McPherson of the band for a chat.
Thanks for the interview – can you introduce yourself and tell me a bit about the band?
My name is Dave McPherson & I am the vocalist/guitarist/songwriter of InMe, the vocalist/lyricist of Centiment & the super ego of the super ego act Dave McPherson!
You released your album Streets Of Rage earlier this year, could you tell me a bit about the writing and recording process?
As it was essentially our debut album, it was a very long natural process. Greg (my brother) wrote & recorded all of the music over a period of around 3 years & when I found time I’d stick my vocal stamp over it in the studio. The band has actually been through a lot of line-ups over the years but this one has stuck for the longest & feels great. Once the album was nearing completion we started to rehearse live & things actually got incredibly exciting. Vocally I wrote very naturally usually in a pub with a pint & my headphones on with the song on repeat. It was refreshing to try a different angle to InMe’s vocal style & do something a hell of a lot heavier & dark.
Were there any tracks that were more of a challenge to complete than others?
Not really, they were all pretty challenging! Just developing my screaming voice was the most intense part plus hitting high range notes in full chest voice! Live it’s physically brutal. I’m a dead man after every show, but I like that as it’s a release plus I can sleep pretty easy at night afterwards!
Which track are you most proud of?
Probably Mother’s Nature, the final track. It’s very personal & is one of the big classic epics on the album.
One of my personal favourites is Acheron – I particularly love the opening riff and the sheer passion that seems to come from the track. Could you tell me a little more about that one?
The album is generally quite vicious lyrically & this was one of the last songs I did & fancied trying my hand at a dark love song, as such. It’s about inventing a lover in your dreams then awaking to realise they’re merely a fabrication of your mind & you’ll not only never see them again but they’re memory will also fade rapidly as there’s no photographs etc! Pretentious? Maybe, but it was a fun idea to explore.
You also went out on your debut UK tour this year – what did you most enjoy about it?
I loved just being the vocalist for a change. I can perform in a completely different way when I don’t have a guitar & that was a challenge I really embraced. I have a lot of fun with the lads in the band plus the support from the crowds was overwhelming. I didn’t enjoy losing my voice at the end! Every singer’s nightmare!
What can people expect to see from a Centiment show?
Brutal intensity, fun & a hella lotta sweat!
If you could play anywhere, where would it be?
We’re happy to play anywhere really but off the top of my head it’d be absolutely aces to venture out a bit. I played Japan years ago with InMe a few times & I’d love to return with both bands. Sonisphere a couple weeks ago was probably the highlight of Centiment’s adventure so far.
And my last question – if you could release a Centiment product, what would it be?
A video game of course!
