Lees het interview met onze anthem maker: Deadly Guns!

“A good rollercoaster ride gives you a massive adrenaline rush” – We spraken met Deadly Guns over pretparken, achtbanen en het Dominator anthem. Lees hieronder het hele interview.

On July 15th and 16th, Dominator Festival will open its doors to the wildest hardcore adrenaline junkies, who will embark on one ‘Hell Of A Ride’. With the final festival touches being set in place, it was time to showcase this year’s official anthem, created by Deadly Guns, Tha Watcher and Carola.

We took a minute to chat with Deadly Guns about his anthem ‘Hell Of A Ride’, the creation process and sounds, as well as some of his opinions about theme parks and rollercoasters.

1. Hey Deadly Guns! First of all, how’s your summer going so far? 

Thanks for asking! My summer is going really well. After the launch of Black Reaper Records and The Ultimate Killing Machine I definitely didn’t sit still.

I made a lot of new music, travelled to different gigs and of course, was excited about the Dominator announcement!

2. You’ve had the massive honour to create the Dominator 2022 anthem. How did you react when you received the news? 

I was so hyped and honoured. It’s a dream come true.
What artist doesn’t want to create the anthem for the biggest outdoor Hardcore event in the world!

3. What was the first thing you started on in the anthem?

I wrote a script for the story behind the anthem. For me it’s important that my own sound blends with the Dominator vibes.

Also the dark carnival theme is just perfect to work with. I immediately started searching for sounds that fit the theme, such as rollercoaster, carnival, and other horror and monster FXs.

4. How did you incorporate the theme ‘Hell Of A Ride’?

I recreated some typical theme park sounds and made them part of our ride. I also included the famous ‘playground/circus’ melody and gave it a dark twist. I even made a screech melody with it that just perfectly fits the theme.

I also wanted to include a female singer to add to the atmosphere of the track. No Dominator anthem in the past included a female singer, which is why I immediately thought of Carola. She’s just perfect for this project and when we’re in the studio we have immediate chemistry. And of course the track is completed with ‘The Voice Of Mayhem’ himself, Tha Watcher.

5. How long in total was the process of creating the anthem?

A couple of months! Because of travelling for bookings and a very busy schedule with other collabs and solos I had to take the time. Also writing and recording the lyrics with Tha Watcher and Carola took some time.

6. Did you have any big challenges or setbacks?

Problems are there to solve! I’ve worked hard together with Tony (Tha Watcher) and Carola for the end result. The project went pretty smooth, except for when my Studio PC fucked up a couple of times due to the insane amount of details, layers and stems. I think it’s my biggest work in terms of different sounds and tracks all together in one project, insane!

7. How does it feel to have the anthem now out in the open?

It’s exciting. I’m ready to show the world that it’s going to be one ‘Hell Of A Ride’! It’s not easy to please everybody, especially when the scene is always evolving and changing. Some like it old-school and some love the new stuff.

8. What does Dominator mean to you as an artist, but also as a person?

Dominator is the biggest Hardcore Festival in the world! To be part of this amazing experience makes me realize that The Chosen Ones are here to stay ;). For me, this is definitely a career highlight that I never could have imagined. It sometimes feels surreal.

9. Seeing as this year’s theme is ‘Hell Of A Ride’, what do you think of theme parks in general? Do you have any favorite theme parks?

I’ve liked theme parks since I was a little kid. I was always eager to go in the biggest roller coaster of the park. The best theme parks for me are the ones with all the movie themes, such as Universal Studios. When I was a little kid I really liked the Dragon Khan rollercoaster in Port Aventura in Spain.

10. What’s the scariest ride you’ve ever been on?

Rides never scared me. For me a good rollercoaster ride gives you a massive adrenaline rush and my number one roller coaster was the Rock and Rollercoaster by Aerosmith at Disneyland. Their music is played while the ride is going on, which is a very cool combination. So sad that they closed it. They rebuild it to an Iron Man rollercoaster instead.

11. Do you have any bucket-list rides that you want to go on?

Not one in particular, but the big theme parks with the craziest rollercoasters in the United States such as Six Flags are still on my bucket-list.

12. What’s your fondest Dominator memory?

My first time at the legendary mainstage in 2019. It was fully packed and the crowd was giving everything. The Chosen Ones gave it their all!

13. What can we expect from your Dominator set?

Pure madness! A lot of new solo music, a couple of new collabs and of course some old-school edits. You’d better be ready!

14. Before we wrap up, do you have any last words for our readers?

I would like to thank every single one of you for the support over the last couple of years. Without you there is no Deadly Guns! This is not for everyone, this for The Chosen Ones!

Thank you Deadly Guns for this interview! If you haven’t already heard his incredible anthem ‘Hell Of A Ride’, then head on over to your favorite streaming or download service and check it out.